Great British Chefs - Around the Table
Around the table is the latest cookbook by the Great British Chefs. This is the fourth book from the people who started the GBC website and, since the first book was so great I have eagerly purchased the next books each time they have been released out. This is a website I visit all the time when I am researching recipes because it has a slightly more cheffy feel to it is always good for me to see the difference between home and professional as I like to sit somewhere in the middle.
One of the good things about this book is it is not one chef but many. In this instance, Adam Bennett, Angel Zapata Martin, Ben Tish, Charlie Hibbert, Graham Hornigold, Harriet Mansel, Kerth Gumbs, Luke French, Mark Dodson, Masaki Sugisaki, Matt Beardmore, Roberta Hall-McCarron, Rohit Ghai, Sam Buckley, Santiago Lastra, Shaun Hill, Stosie Madi and Stuart Collins, a brilliant selection which means many different cuisines and dishes.
When I first got this book I was a little bit underwhelmed, there just isn't that many recipes in it (especially in comparison to the first book) and the index is really bad. For instance, I looked up cod as I had seen that there is a gorgeous cod cheek recipe and there was nothing listed. It was however under fish. I know it is small and petty but these things make a difference. Why would cod not be listed under cod?
The positives now, there are some absolutely gorgeous recipes in here and I have tagged so many it is ridiculous - I now just need to find the time to cook them. The recipes all look beautiful which is great for when you have people over and want something to feel special. I love my friends and family to come over and feel loved, I love feeding them. These recipes feel special.
The recipes are all sectioned off into small plates, sharing platters, al fresco, one pots, dinner party starters, dinner party mains and make-ahead desserts which I really liked. There is also a menu guide which is great if you need some ideas as you can easily find a menu that works well together.
I made the hake with caramelised roasted cauliflower puree and hispi cabbage. It was fabulous, so so fabulous that I wanted to lick the plate clean. This also has turned out to be the recipe of the month for the club also which I think has taken everybody by surprise. Even Rhona and Matt who were not in the least bit excited by it thought it was delicious.
We also cooked the rather simple looking spatchcock chicken with chicken fat potatoes and although simple, oh my word, the flavours were incredible, if something is tasty then honestly simple is no problem.
There is a beautiful nectarine pavlova that I cannot wait to make in the summer when nectarines are in season. The nectarine syrup is a beautiful pretty pink colour on top of the fluffy mascarpone, yum.
For me the stand out dishes in his book are without a doubt the hake dish and the nectarine dish. This is a lovely book, I have enjoyed reading it and am loving cooking from it. I would recommend it purely because the recipes cook well and taste better. If you are into cooking and are happy to spend some time in the kitchen then this is definately a book for you. The recipes work very well but some of them do take time. Some of them are very simple but he majority will take time to read through and execute.
This is a lovely book, I have enjoyed reading it and am loving cooking from it.
Recipes 8/10
Readability 7/10
Knowledge learnt 9/10
Total 24/30