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umbranrealness's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't totally gel with this book, but it has a lot of good parts, some very warming descriptions of the stories behind some of the dishes and lots of recipes I'll be trying.
I do enjoy cookery books that are a little bougie and aspirational, but I expected this book to be more personal and ultimately relatable than it ended up being for me. The references to Enid Blyton books, the author's aga in her childhood home and referring to her partner as The Tall Man made it hard for me to connect.
I do enjoy cookery books that are a little bougie and aspirational, but I expected this book to be more personal and ultimately relatable than it ended up being for me. The references to Enid Blyton books, the author's aga in her childhood home and referring to her partner as The Tall Man made it hard for me to connect.
mmatti300's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
This is truly stunning. Read it cover to cover and cried through the acknowledgments
sarasimper's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
carlyalynnsia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
3.5
the_dragon_starback's review against another edition
4.0
Incredibly sad (I made the mistake of reading the acknowledgement when I was halfway through the book). Also *very* British, so I was making a lot of translations, but the black bean soup recipe was so good.
indigoblue777's review against another edition
5.0
I've never been able to read a cookbook before from beginning to end. Usually I think of cookbooks as just lists of instructions that are boring unless I'm actually making the recipes.
This time I could read through the instructions and see myself making the food. It didn't matter that the instructions used European measurements or that I don't eat anchovies or seafood. Every description had my mouth watering. And the stories in between painted a joyful picture of food and what it means to be alive. I hope that when I'm living on my own I will be able to have people over and eat midnight chicken when I feel low (even though I'm a terrible cook).
I wasn't expecting the ending. The acknowledgements had me in tears.
I hope someone creates a version of the recipes in American measurements, because I don't think I'll ever have time to measure out the European measurements and I would really like to make some of the recipes.
I one hundred percent recommend that everyone read this book slowly and focus on one recipe at a time.
This time I could read through the instructions and see myself making the food. It didn't matter that the instructions used European measurements or that I don't eat anchovies or seafood. Every description had my mouth watering. And the stories in between painted a joyful picture of food and what it means to be alive. I hope that when I'm living on my own I will be able to have people over and eat midnight chicken when I feel low (even though I'm a terrible cook).
I wasn't expecting the ending. The acknowledgements had me in tears.
I hope someone creates a version of the recipes in American measurements, because I don't think I'll ever have time to measure out the European measurements and I would really like to make some of the recipes.
I one hundred percent recommend that everyone read this book slowly and focus on one recipe at a time.
brookeisabella's review against another edition
i thought this was going to be more memoir than recipe and it was not. which would be fine but the recipes didn’t interest me enough to keep going
cosetthetable's review against another edition
5.0
This is my favorite *reading* cookbook I have read in my life, and I enjoy reading cookbooks. Part no-nonsense cookbook, part memoir, part life affirming manifesto, it's the kind of cookbook you can read how you like- cover to cover, leafing through, however you prefer.
I have laughed hard enough someone in the other room asked if I was okay. I have insisted on sharing snippets with whoever was closest as I was reading. I have put it down several times in order to better sob. I've carried it around in my bag since it arrived, showing it to friends, "look, I have a new cookbook!".
I've looked into which items will be tricky but totally doable to source in the US (pigeon), and what just isn't going to happen (samphire). I've considered cooking every recipe in the book, in order. This plan is unrealistic, I don't have the attention span, and also there's the trouble of that one samphire recipe. But I am going to start with the Midnight Chicken. I have all the ingredients, and if I start right now, it might be ready by Midnight.
I have laughed hard enough someone in the other room asked if I was okay. I have insisted on sharing snippets with whoever was closest as I was reading. I have put it down several times in order to better sob. I've carried it around in my bag since it arrived, showing it to friends, "look, I have a new cookbook!".
I've looked into which items will be tricky but totally doable to source in the US (pigeon), and what just isn't going to happen (samphire). I've considered cooking every recipe in the book, in order. This plan is unrealistic, I don't have the attention span, and also there's the trouble of that one samphire recipe. But I am going to start with the Midnight Chicken. I have all the ingredients, and if I start right now, it might be ready by Midnight.