Great Food Series - exciting new range from Penguin - RRP NZ$12.99

 I stumbled on to this exciting new series at the Village Bookshop in Matakana over the weekend and found them utterly irresistible. Truly they are divine ! Those of us who love food writing will have to own them all I'm afraid.

Great Food is an original series that brings together sharp, funny, and often delicious writing about food from the past. Featuring twenty authors, it is a mixture of recipes, literature and the simple pleasure of hearing from distinctive voices from history. 

This series celebrates food writing as writing, revives forgotten, inspirational chefs and writers whose works will inspire cooks and readers everywhere.

My verdict - gorgeous covers, marvellous writing, great publishing.

Here is a little about three from the series to give you a taste.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR DOMESTIC HAPPINESS/ Isabella Beeton (1836 - 1865)

Firmly of the belief that a home should be run as an efficient military campaign, Mrs Beeton, the doyenne of English cookery, offers timeless tips on selecting cuts of meat, throwing a grand party and hosting a dinner. Many of them made me laugh out loud.

A TASTE OF THE SUN/ Elizabeth David (1913 - 1992)

Legendary cook and writer Elizabeth David changed the way Britain ate, introducing a postwar nation to the delights of Mediterranean climes, and bringing garlic, wine and olive oil into its kitchens.I am a fan and have many of her books.

 

THE CHEF AT WAR/ Alexis Soyer (1810 - 1858)

The flamboyant Frenchman Alexis Soyer was the most renowned chef in Victorian England. This is his colourful account of the time he spent trying to improve the diets of soldiers fighting in the Crimean War.

And a few more covers for your pleasure. aren't they stunning?

The full list supplied by publishers Penguin:


20 Great Food titles

Buffalo Cake and Indian Pudding: Great Food

Author: Chase Dr A W

The Campaign for Domestic Happiness: Great Food

Author: Beeton Isabella

The Chef at War: Great Food

Author: Soyer Alexis

A Dissertation Upon Roast Pig and Other Essays: Great Food

Author: Lamb Charles

Eating with the Pilgrims and Other Pieces: Great Food

Author: Trillin Calvin

The Elegant Economist: Great Food

Author: Acton Eliza

Everlasting Syllabub and the Art of Carving: Great Food

Author: Glasse Hannah

Exciting Food for Southern Types: Great Food

Author: Artusi Pellegrino

From Absinthe to Zest: An Alphabet for Food Lovers: Great Food

Author: Dumas Alexandre

The Joys of Excess: Great Food

Author: Pepys Samuel

A Little Dinner Before the Play: Great Food

Author: Jekyll Agnes

Love in a Dish and Other Pieces: Great Food

Author: Fisher MFK

A Middle Eastern Feast: Great Food

Author: Roden Claudia

Murder in the Kitchen: Great Food

Author: Toklas Alice B

Notes from Madras: Great Food

Author: Wyvern Colonel

The Pleasures of the Table: Great Food

Author: Brillat-Savarin Jean Anthelme

Recipes & Lessons from a Delicious Cooking Revolution: Great Food

Author: Waters Alice

Recipes from the White Hart Inn: Great Food

Author: Verrall William

A Taste of the Sun: Great Food

Author: David Elizabeth

The Well-Kept Kitchen: Great Food

Author: Markham Gervase

Head into your local bookshop and check them out. Take your credit card with you!


Footnote
NZ Publishers cop a lot of flak, often justified, for their pricing of imported books but on this occasion Penguin has done us proud by publishing these at $12.99 when they are six quid in Britain, and remember 15% of that $12.99 is gst so in fact the books are cheaper here than in the UK where they were published ! Bravo.


Further Footnote:
Just back from a visit to the wonderful cookbook specialist shop, Cook the Books, on Auckland's trendy Ponsonby Road where they have this wonderful display of the series.

Along with several thousand other cook books too of course !