Cookbooks Special

Here at The Amazing Blog, we don’t just enjoy eating great food, we love feeding our culinary skills in the hope of creating some delicious dishes ourselves. In the run up to Christmas there are a plethora of cookbooks out there to buy, but we've picked a few of our favourites to share with you. Some are inspired by a range of cultures, others inspiring you to spice up your favourite meat. The countless mouth-watering recipes will have you running to the kitchen to try them out for yourself.

The Nomadic Kitchen Spices & Spandex is a charming cookbook following Tom Perkins and Matt Chennells on a cycling adventure with a difference.

Part travelogue and part recipe book, the book features 65 recipes inspired from the 26 counties which the boys travelled to in 501 days. Starting their journey in England and ending in South Africa, the book thoughtfully documents the entire journey and the food inspiration found along the way. This is no ordinary cookbook, we felt fully engaged in the narrative and loved the diverse global recipes, cultural observations and stunning photography. Enjoy recreating dishes from Egyptian Falafel Pittas to Zimbabwean Oxtail & Okra Stew, and begin your own culinary journey by purchasing Spices & Spandex here for £25.

Our next cookbook will transport you on a culinary journey through the different China Towns found around the world. Chef Jean-Francois Mallet travelled to different Chinese communities in an effort to understand the reason behind the diversity in East Asian cuisine within the western world. China Towns explores his journey and gives us 100 delicious recipes to try out for ourselves.

We loved the vivid and vibrant photography that really brought the book to life. There are dishes influenced from different Asian cuisines, some Vietnamese, and even hints of Thai. Open your mind to a world of stunning East Asian cuisine from all over the world and get your own copy here for £20.40.

For something a little closer to home, Louise Searle and Hayley Spurway have brought us the Saltwater Kitchen Cookbook.

The book brings the taste of Cornwall, a beautiful gastronomic hotspot on the English Coast, into your very own kitchen. Saltwater Kitchen flaunts a simplistic, back to nature method of cooking, heavily influenced by fresh foraged and saltwater ingredients. We loved the real food for real people aspect of the cookbook, and not only do they include fresh and simple recipes, but also recommendations for the best places to eat and drink. Expect recipes for many exciting foodie festivities like beach barbecues and fine dining feasts that will have you wanting to book a stay in Cornwall right away. If you want to learn recipes using fresh and sustainably grown ingredients, then this is the book for you, get yours here for £17.99.

Last but certainly not least, we have found a particularly useful cookbook to bring excitement back into poultry. Paul Gayler has brought us Chicken & Other Birds, which contains a bounty of delicious poultry recipes that employ a whole range of cooking techniques.

Gayler doesn’t simply stick to chicken; he introduces us to a variety of birds including Turkey, Goose, Duck, Guinea Fowl and even Pigeon. We were astounded by the wide array of mouth-watering recipes, ensuring us that meal times never have to be dull again. Whether it is curry, casseroles or roasts you're looking for, this cookbook will have a recipe for you, with a choice of 100 classic and contemporary dishes. Pick up your own beautifully illustrated copy here for £19.99.

Friday Favourites- Holiday Reads

All we want to do in this cold weather is snuggle up on the sofa in our pyjamas with a mug of tea and a great book. The Amazing Blog understands that there comes a time when a novel seems a bit too heavy for unwinding, so we have selected three very different easy reads to browse when you’re taking some time off. These are How to Draw Like a Fashion Designer, Peruvian Kitchen, and The Book.

There’s no denying that at some stage in our lives, we have all had career ambitions which were a little far fetched. When I was growing up it was either a princess or fashion designer… By about 8 I realised the former dream was a little unrealistic so I began to focus on fashion. I would draw stick women and drown them in horrible floods of colour, clothes that nobody would ever wear, but it was fun. The How to Draw like a Fashion Designer book written by Celia Joicey and Dennis Nothdruft would have been perfect for that phase of my life and would have helped make my stick people look less like…sticks. It’s a beautiful book filled with vibrant colours and step by step guides. Valentino and Zadra Rhodes are just two of the many designers who have contributed to the book, adding their own individual personality. There are interviews, drawing guides, intricate images and much more to set you on your path to become the next big name in fashion. I think this book is wonderful for a light read when you have five minutes to yourself. Its only £12.95, and definitely a book which will look lovely on a shelf or table in the lounge for everyone to enjoy. You can purchase the book here.

 

From one of our favourite ‘F’s, fashion, to another, which is food! The Ceviche Peruvian Kitchen by Martin Morales is filled with over 100 recipes and photos of the most celebrated Peruvian food. Restaurateur and cook, Martin Morales opened his restaurant Ceviche in 2012 and has since had huge success. This book shows you how to makes hundreds of dishes including the famous Ceviche. He traveled the country in search of the best flavours and recipes to share with his readers, and we agree he’s done just that. They are simple yet delicious and unusual, and we are interested by every one. The dishes are fusions of cultural essences from Africa, Spain, Italy, China and Japan. If you haven’t tried Peruvian food before then you need to, it’s definitely not one to disappoint as there are so many different spices and textures to choose from. We trust everything about these recipes as Martin Morales has been cooking since the mere age of 11!  His passion for food is displayed throughout the book and seen in the beautiful photographs which compliment each recipe. The book is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson and you can purchase it on Amazon here.

There is a particular genre of book that appears to be trending and increasing in popularity. These are self help books, ways to better your life and achieve greater happiness. If you visit book stores or use the internet you will probably be exposed to a large amount of these book titles, but The Amazing Blog can make it a little easier for you to choose. We have just read Linde’s life manual which goes by the name, The Book. It opens your eyes to different ways to maintain perfect health, wealth, happiness and longevity. It’s a guide to changing the way you perceive things to ultimately give you a happier and more positive outlook on life. As you journey through the chapters you learn how to understand how your body and mind function, and how to deal with them depending on your surroundings and environment. This book is full of optimism and is definitely one that I will keep referring back to as the years go on. It’s a bit like a support mechanism to guide you in the direction which will make you happiest. The hardback version is £30 and presented beautifully, it’ll be something to stay with you for years so definitely worth every penny. You can buy a kindle edition, or if you want, a hardback copy from here. 

Cities at Dawn by Anthony Epes

 

The Amazing Blog team is based in London, but luckily our working hours are pretty normal which means we don’t venture out at dawn that often. We have however, just been introduced to the splendid sight of London at Dawn by photographer Anthony Epes and we're now planning on paying more attention to this beautiful time of day.  He also photographs Paris, and consequently created the book Paris at Dawn, both filled with stunning and surprisingly emotional images.

Paris at Dawn is filled with exquisite photographs, some of which are quite moving as they show the city as if it were still asleep itself, just like most of us are at dawn. It’s very still and there are hues that we aren't exposed to on an average day so these photos allow you time to appreciate it. I love seeing Paris at this peaceful time, there’s no human disturbances like traffic or loud children, it’s literally just land before we make our mark and I find that very tranquil to see. Each image does just what brilliant photography should do, it tells a story or presents us with a journey. I feel like it makes you consider how everything in the image got there. If there is an old man sat outside his little shop then you take the time to think about him and why he sits outside at this time of day.

The London at Dawn book is just as intriguing, and may be more interesting for some of you as you can really compare it to the way you see London every single day. The photos are simple, with some beautiful, vibrant colours. For me, flicking through this book gives me the same kind of secret satisfaction as when you can see through a home window at night time and they have their lights on, it provokes a sense of curiosity in you. You will find yourself amazed at how involved you can become in these photos and seeing somewhere you think you know so well, from a wholly different perspective.

It doesn’t stop at these lovely books either. Between the 18^th and 29^th of November there is an exhibit of the project, and this takes place at The Gallery & Café, Foyles Bookshop, 113-119 Charing Cross, London, WC2H 0EB. The books are available to buy here  and at Foyles Bookshops.