This Book May Contain Nuts (Paperback)

I have to say that I have always avoided cooking with nuts and I certainly will not eat anything with nuts in! Do you remember those huge slices of gateau back in the 60s which were so full of cream it just went everywhere when you cut into it - they were ruined by having nuts all over the outside! So what, you might ask, am I doing with a book about nuts?

Well, I have reached that age in life where I have started to question some of my ingrained prejudices. I love eating pistachios and filberts, and there is nothing better than a freshly picked walnut with its skin removed. I eat Pesto which is made with pine nuts and I have even recently spread some peanut butter on a slice of bread. What a surprise that was - I have always hated peanut butter and whatever anyone told me I knew better! Fortunately I tried it in the secret of my own home so no-one was there to witness the collapse of one of my long held prejudices against nuts.

All this led me to think that it was time I grew up and looked at nuts in a more enquiring way, to find out what they could add to my cooking and enjoyment of food. I gave up after a while as I could not find enough information on nuts . . . until now!

Florence Sandeman who has been cooking for over thirty-five years and currently owns and runs the Recipes4Us website (www.recipes4us.co.uk) has taken the bull by the . . . nuts and written a recipe book all about cooking with nuts.

So what, as a nut hater, did I make of the book?

The book is paperback and is beautifully illustrated with photographs of many of the dishes featured and is well laid out making it easy to read and follow recipes.

Having been entertained by the author's introduction to nuts the book then moves on to explain what is a nut - a peanut is not a nut! - followed by a guide to buying and storing nuts and their preparation. There is a section which provides information on the ten main varieties of nuts which informs the reader about their origin, nutritional values and culinary uses.

A feature of the book which I found particularly helpful is the index or should I say the indexes - there are two indexes. One lists Recipes by Nut and the other Recipes by Course making it easy to find either a favourite recipe or a recipe using one's favourite nut.

And finally the recipes. I have to say I was quite shocked as to the recipes Florence has come up with. Having always thought of nuts as being rather bland and strictly for vegetarians I found the sheer variety, style and presentation truly amazing - Creamy Pistachio Soup, Oriental Squid and Mango Salad, Honey Baked Squash, Macadamia Ice Cream to name just four of the eighty recipes, all of which are equally appealing.

This is most definitely a recipe book with a difference. New and exciting recipes rather than the same old recipes you see trotted out in recipe book after recipe book with just the odd variation to make them technically different.

A book that should certainly be included in your recipe book library and one that I believe in the future will become a valued collectors item.

To summarise:

First class recipe book, produced with style and flair. Would make a great present for that friend or family member who is a keen cook.