Rosemary Shrager's Absolutely Foolproof Classic Home Cooking

With a few perfect recipes in your repertoire, you can master any dish and create many more. Rosemary Shrager's Absolutely Foolproof Classic Home Cooking makes it easy to cook over 200 classic tried-and-tested home recipes perfectly every time. With crystal clear instructions for over 20 essential dishes and techniques in fantastic photographic detail, and dozens of variations and ideas for more recipes, plus hints, tips and ideas, and plenty of explanation to take the mystery out of cooking, this book is the next best thing to being side-by-side with Rosemary at her famous cookery school and your dishes will be faultless every time. From soups to souffles, risottos to roasts, custards to cakes, Rosemary will guide you effortlessly every step of the way, and in no time you'll have the confidence to create perfect meals for every occasion.

This recipe book is straight forward, plain speaking and full of good home cooking recipe ideas. The book begins with an introduction written by Rosemary herself, in which she describes her love of food and how she never went to catering college but learnt on the job. She talks about the importance of practicing dishes and her aim to minimise the mistakes the reader may make.

There are nineteen sections to the book: salads and dressing; stocks and soups; white sauces; emulsion sauces; eggs; pancakes and batters; souffles; terrines and pates; rice; pasta; grilling and frying; roasts; casseroles and stews; vegetables; pastry; custards; meringues; cakes and quick breads and breads. Each section begins with at least one recipe which is described very detailled in both words and photographs of every stage of the technique. There are hints and ideas for these recipes along with possible variations. There follows many other recipes within each category.

Each section has many, but not all, photographs to accompany the recipes within it. Each recipe begins with a brief summary of the finished dish and has an appropriate number of portions and full ingredient list along with the recipe broken down into easy steps.

While flicking through the recipes within the book, I could hear Rosemary's voice reading out the summary of the finished dish as they are written how she would explain them on her many television experiences, although her hearty laugh is not recreated, unfortunately.

This recipe book would be suited to both novice cooks or people who enjoy cooking regularly as there are recipes to fit all tastes and cooking expertise. It would make a great gift for someone leaving home for the first time and needing a good book to get them started or for someone who enjoys trying new recipes. A welcome addition to any kitchen recipe shelf.

Thank you to The Octopus Publishing Group for sending me the book to review.