Worlds End Bookshop ~ London

 

Another bookshop we visited was the Worlds End Bookshop located in the heart of Chelsea on Kings Road. A delightful cozy corner shop with a mix of antiquarian, vintage and current books on a variety of subjects and as with most second hand bookstores the books change in frequency depending on what is bought or collected by the shop. The antiquarian side was impressive with gems scattered here and there and the rest of the shop I found equally so. And just like their cookery section the shop space is modest; that being said I feel their antiquarian and rare-ish books are their focus and I get that. The atmosphere is inviting and I had a lovely chat with the shop assistant about recipes, her cooking and baking and a slight mention of the movie The World's End starring Simon Pegg. Which, I am sure, I am not the first to draw a roundabout connection, in name only, between that movie and the name of the bookshop, the two are absolutely different. I did find a few gems, one being a Beeton cookbook from the Cookery & Household section titled, On the Beaten Track - Delicious Ulster Recipes from the Family Home of Mrs. Beeton's Great Niece by Sally Grylls. Which is signed by the editor. It is a flawless niche book that will complement the Beeton cookery collection I have. I will post about that book in a separate post. 

For more information about the Worlds End Bookshop, visit their website: worldsendbookshop.com     

Books for Cooks ~ Notting Hill

 

I finally made it to Books for Cooks located in Notting Hill. Such a quaint bookshop that was founded in 1983 by Heidi Lascelles. The shop offers plenty of titles catering to any and all cooks, chefs, and cookbook connoisseurs a like. With a few trinkets and knick knacks scattered around the shop, the selection of cookbooks, vintage or otherwise was quite impressive. Unfortunately at the time of my visit their cafe located at the back of the shop was closed and the test kitchen for cookery classes or workshops, located upstairs, I assumed was closed as well. On a side note, the first test kitchen cook was Annie Bell who has since become a renowned food writer and cookbook author. Among the supporters was Clarissa Dickson, the future English celebrity cook best known as one of the Two Fat Ladies, along with Jennifer Patterson from the English television cooking programme, and her original offer to look after the shop one afternoon turned into a four year stint. A lovely place to sit a spell and delve into culinary literature, linger over cookbooks and mull over countless recipes. A recommended visit however for more information about Books for Cooks visit their website: booksforcooks.com 

The Food Almanac: Recipes and Stories For A Year At The Table

 

This is not a traditional almanac in the sense of providing the reader with sun and moon charts and phases, tide tables, astrology and astronomy occurances and garden tending tasks; The Food Almanac by Miranda York, is a collaboration on the pure enjoyment of food. With a focus on seasonal ingredients, and a monthly menu to help, it is a good culinary companion in your kitchen. One that will change month to month and with the seasons, providing you good recipes with good things to eat and a celebration of good food. Each chapter has an introduction for the month ahead, seasonal highlights for the pantry, spotlight on ingredients and passages on food history. The chapters end with a menu, that are selected recipes to get the best of each season and a comparable reading list to help you extent and explore ingredients and stories.

The contributors range from celebrated food writers, chefs, poets and novelists, making it engaging and entertaining, that at times reads more like book than a cookbook. Shared stories, memoirs, recipes, tips, discussions on a single ingredient and a culinary book reading list to accompany each month is appreciative, something any food lover and home cook can appreciate. Although this was a gift, I do know that this volume was hard to get a hold of... and yes, there is a volume two, which seems less so with the second volume. I enjoyed this book exceedingly as it brought together a few of my favourite things besides recipes and food but poetry, stories, art and more books. This is definitely a cookbook to consider for yourself or to be gifted as such.   

There are plenty of recipes too linger over and consider in a month or the months ahead. The recipe I am sharing from the book is one of the menu recipes for the month of February and is how it appears in the cookbook.  

Braised Shiitake, Tofu and Chai Choi - by Lap-fai Lee

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"Chai Choi is a traditional braised vegetarian dish that's eaten on festival days by those practising Buddhism. This is delicious medley of ingredients, full of sweet umami and comforting flavours."

groundnut (peanut) or vegetable oil, for frying

2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped, whites and greens separated

3 slices of fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

6 large shiitake mushrooms, soaked until soft, stems removed and quartered, soaking liquor reserved

A splash of Shaoxing wine

2 sticks of tofu skin, soaked until soft, cut into 4 cm (1 1/2 in) pieces

Small handful of dried lily flowers, soaked until soft

8 small cubes of deep-fried tofu

2 fingers' worth black sea moss

2 small cubes of fermented tofu, mashed into paste

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

25g (1 oz) yellow miso paste

20g (3/4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

In a large frying pan (skillet), add the oil and fry the spring onion whites, ginger and garlic to release the aroma. Add the mushrooms and splash in the Shaoxing wine to sizzle off the alcohol. Add all of the other ingredients and top up with the soaking liquor from the mushrooms. There should be enough liquid to gently braise the ingredients together for 30 minutes. Garnish with the spring onion greens before serving. 

Nanny Ogg's Cookbook

Terry Pratchett fans will know exactly whom this cookbook is centered around and for those who have never heard of Nanny Ogg... well it's never too late. I have watched the Discworld movie, The Colour of Magic, however I have not read any Terry Pratchett  books. My son has read some of his books. Including The World of Poo. Anyone can appreciate this cookbook that is filled with food and laughter.  

Nanny Ogg's cookbook has recipes that border between sensible and hilarious. It's small, only 175 pages, however charming and worth a chuckle or two! The illustrations let your mind wander into the realm of Discworld. There is a preface by the author, character Nanny Ogg, and then a note from the editors, Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs. Another chapter is Nanny Ogg's Philosophy on Cookery. Where she shares her thoughts on cookery, housewifery, housework, cooks and ingredients. From there we move on to the recipe chapter that includes Dwarf cookery. Some recipes get you thinking while others can barely be called a recipe. At times the measurements are non-existent - just a bit of this and a dash of that. But then that is probably just the character of Nanny Ogg or the fact that she is a good cook! The last chapter is an interesting one on Etiquette. Supposedly everything you wanted to know about Notes about Other Species, Rules of Precedence, Modes of Address, Etiquette at the Table, Smoking, Some Notes on Gardening, Births, Courtship, Balls, The Language of Flowers, Marriage, Death, Royal Occasions, and finally Etiquette in the Bedroom! As serious as some of these topics are they certainly will get a laugh or two! The Afterword is a short word to the wise with a smile. Nanny Ogg's advice and I quote... "try a nice open smile. I do find it gets me out of trouble with people nine times out of ten, and even if it does get me into trouble it's generally int'resting trouble and leads to warm memories. You couldn't buy them for money." 

Although I have heard that the Wow - Wow Sauce is exceptional! I will share the recipe for Jammy Devils with you.

Jammy Devils

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100g unsalted butter 

75 g caster sugar

1 egg beaten

200g plain flour

3 - 4 large tablespoons jam

Preheat the oven to 180ºC / Gas 4. Grease an individual tart / bun baking tray. 

Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the egg, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Gradually stir in the flour until a soft dough is formed. Stir in a generous tablespoon of the jam until you get a ripple effect.

Using about a dessertspoonful of the mixture for each devil, spoon the mixture into the bun tin. Gently pat down and place a dollop - about half a teaspoon - of jam on the centre of each one.

Bake in the top part of the oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. 

Enjoy and have a good weekend everyone! - JW