World Book Day is March 5th 2015.
Here is a selection of foodie books to keep you well read and well fed.
1)
Suburban soccer mom Amy has always wanted to stand out from the crowd. Former child prodigy Linnie just wants to fit in. The two sisters have been estranged for years, but thanks to a series of personal crises and their wily grandmother, they’ve teamed up to enter a national bake-off in the hopes of winning some serious cash. Armed with the top-secret recipe for Grammy’s apple pie, they should be unstoppable. Sure, neither one of them has ever baked anything more complicated than brownie mix, but it’s just pie-how hard could it be?
2)
In case you’re looking for it, here is Julia Child’s original book, Mastering the Art of French cooking. There is lots of adaptation needed to halalify this one, but its still a kitchen classic.
And if you can’t quite bring yourself to read it, the mouth watering film is available here:
Julie and Julia [DVD] [2010]
3)
In Kigali, Angel runs a bustling business: baking cakes for all occasions. Cakes filled with vibrant color, buttery richness, and, most of all, a sense of hope only Angel can deliver. The customers are varied: A CIA agent’s wife, a former boy soldier, weary human rights workers. Amid this cacophony of native tongues, love affairs, and confessions, Angel’s kitchen is an oasis where people tell their secrets, where hope abounds and help awaits.
In this unlikely place, in the heart of Rwanda, unexpected things are beginning to happen: A most unusual wedding is planned. A heartbreaking mystery—involving Angel’s own family—unravels. Extraordinary connections are being made among the men and women who have tasted Angel’s beautiful cakes as a chain of events unfolds that will change Angel’s life and the lives of those around her in the most astonishing ways.
4)
A classic, this is included in case you haven’t read it yet. Perhaps even better than the book (ooh controversial statement!), the film is here:
Its wonderful to watch Julia Roberts eating a simple pizza with wild abandon and joy. Try it one day.
We all think we could eat chocolate chip cookies till we drop dead, but this story makes it all a little more real. The Cozy Cow Dairy’s beloved deliveryman is found murdered behind Hannah’s bakery with her famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him.
6)
The year is 1819, and the renowned chef Owen Wedgwood has been kidnapped by a beautiful yet ruthless pirate. He will be spared, Mad Hannah Mabbot tells him, as long as he can conjure an exquisite meal every Sunday from the ship’s meager supplies. While Wedgwood attempts to satisfy his captor with feats such as tea-smoked eel and pineapple-banana cider, he realizes that Mabbot herself is under siege. Hunted by a deadly privateer and plagued by a saboteur, she pushes her crew past exhaustion in her search for the notorious Brass Fox. Yet there is a method to Mabbot’s madness, and as the Flying Rose races across the ocean, Wedgwood learns to rely on the bizarre crew members he once feared: a formidable giant who loves to knit; a pair of stoic martial arts masters, sworn to defend their captain; and the ship’s deaf cabin boy, who becomes the son he never had.
7)
The book takes readers through this dark story as if they are working through a multi course meal. By the time we’re served the final course, the story’s mysteries are solved. Or are they?
8)
Marie Dunwoody doesn’t want for much in life. She has a lovely husband, three wonderful children, and a business of her own. Except, her cupcakes are crap. Her meringues are runny and her biscuits rock-hard. She cannot bake for toffee. Or, for that matter, make toffee.
Marie can’t ignore the disappointed looks any more, or continue to be shamed by neighbour and nemesis, Lucy Gray. Lucy whips up perfect profiteroles with one hand, while ironing her bed sheets with the other. Marie’s had enough: this is the year it all changes. She vows to follow – to the letter – recipes from the Queen of Baking and at all times ask ‘What would Mary Berry do?’
9)
Suburban soccer mom Amy has always wanted to stand out from the crowd. Former child prodigy Linnie just wants to fit in. The two sisters have been estranged for years, but thanks to a series of personal crises and their wily grandmother, they’ve teamed up to enter a national bake-off in the hopes of winning some serious cash. Armed with the top-secret recipe for Grammy’s apple pie, they should be unstoppable. Sure, neither one of them has ever baked anything more complicated than brownie mix, but it’s just pie- how hard could it be?
10)
When a freak spring snowstorm destroys her beloved coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds, Maggy Thorsen resolves to reopen. With her best friend, Sarah, as an ally, they find the perfect spot right near the train station – and lucky for Maggy that she’s just in time for the opening of a new commuter route. Seems things are finally looking up for the amateur sleuth and barista extraordinaire!
But then Sarah’s uncle dies under suspicious circumstances…and Maggy’s instinct tells her that his death was no accident. And when there are more suspicious “accidents,” Maggy must uncover the link between the deaths or she may just never be able to reopen Uncommon Grounds!
NOTE
Please use this list responsibly. The books on the list are not suitable for children. Or for people like us who might gain 2 kilos per book while reading them. Although we really think it was worth it. Especially for Julie and Julia. Mmm pizza.