A new edition of the magisterial The New Zealand Cook's Bible: Classic recipes and step-by-step techniques (Penguin, hbk, $75) is out with a new chapter on meal and menu planning.
Authors Lesley Christensen-Yule and Hamish McRae adapted their chef training textbook, The New Zealand Chef for home cooks, so it contains all the diagrams and technical instructions of the textbook, but with helpful hints and stylish photographs that make it invaluable for home cooks, whether novice or experienced.
A cookbook every home should have.
Jamie Oliver's latest book, Jamie does . . . Spain Italy Sweden Morocco Greece France (Penguin, hbk, $75), like numerous earlier books, accompanies a television series that has not yet been scheduled for New Zealand.
His down-to-earth enthusiasm for the dishes is infectious and I was particularly pleased to see he visits Sweden and finds an array of interesting dishes - meatballs, split pea soup, fish and beetroot dishes, mushrooms, and of course a smorgasbord of open sandwiches.
Sometimes I think the current fascination for Mediterranean food, delicious as it is, has meant we've ignored some of the interesting northern European cuisines.
It is another book for Jamie fans - he seems to churn them out a couple a year all in the same format.
