A TASTY READ
By Amanda Linnell

Nigel Slater is considered one of Britain's leading food writers. He is the author of numerous books and has written a column for The Observer newspaper for 17 years.
Tender: Volume 1 - Nigel Slater, A Cook and his Vegetable Patch ($59.99), tells the story of how he turned his entire back garden into a vegetable patch. He writes: "I grow simply for the pleasure of growing: for the joy of watching seeds turn into plants and seeing them - sometimes - come to fruition. Failures? Listen, there's been more than a few.

But the surprising successes, such as the eighty bunches of Fragola grapes that hung like fairy lights from two tiny vines in the (appallingly wet) summer of 2008, the endless tomatoes or the glowing yellow courgette flowers that greet me each autumn morning, are worth the occasional row of lettuce seedlings disappearing over night or the Florence strawberries that were eaten by everything in the garden except me." With more than 400 recipes and beautiful photographs, this passionately written book is bound to inspire both the gardener and the cook within you.

Another British icon is The River Cafe - the Michelin star restaurant which opened 22 years ago on the edge of the Thames River in London.
The owners, Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, can be credited for educating and changing how the Brits ate and cooked Italian food. They've had their own television show and written 10 bestselling cookbooks.
With their latest, The River Cafe Classic Italian Cook Book (Penguin: $70), these two passionate foodies share their love affair with Italy and all the experiences and people they've met while visiting there over the years.
It is about "simple, regional cooking that gives endless pleasure - the Italian ethos". There are more than 200 mouthwatering recipes from the aubergine-based caponata with capers, olives and pine nuts, to Langoustine Carpaccio and Torta Della Nonna (grandmother's tart from Tuscany) with its filling of beaten sheep's ricotta and pastry cream, flavoured with vanilla and lemon.


My Greek Family Table (Penguin: $65) sees Australian Maria Bernardis share 100 recipes that have been passed between the generations alongside stories about the family itself. Maria grew up on a small Greek island, Psara, before moving to Australia, and recalls how preparing meals and sitting down around the table together has always been a strong tradition.

Her stories include the loss of her mother at a young age, and the importance and strength of the other women in her family in her life. She recalls going with her grandmother to the port to purchase fish and gathering wild spinach to makes spanakopita.
Recipes include My Aunt Stavroula's Famous Galaktoboureko (a sweet semolina mixture wrapped in filo) and Mrs Poulopoulo's Rolo (meatloaf).

You may recognise the name John Torode if you're a fan of the British TV series Masterchef.
He's the co-presenter and, as it so happens, an Australian who owns two restauran
ts in London, Smiths of Smithfield and The Luxe in the Spitalfields markets.
His new book John Torode's Chicken and Other Birds ($55: Quadrille) is a fantastic resource for those looking for new ways to cook this favourite of white meats. From curries and noodle dishes to caesar salads and risottos, you will never be stuck doing a boring old roast again. But if you do, he'll show you how to cook it to perfection.

Amanda Linnell's reviews of these four recent cookbooks first appeared in the always popular VIVA section of the NZ Herald Wednesday 11 November. My thanks to her and to the NZHerald for permission to reproduce the reviews here.