'Rather sweet but I have to admit I think adults would benefit from this lovely little book too - someone who does not do a lot of baking or a beginner would find this book most valuable.'
Customer Review:
Review by: The 12th Ashton Brownies, 24 September 2009
'My first thoughts when I opened the brown parcel that arrived through the door was that the book looked beautiful. I flicked through the pages and thought the images were stunning, the food looked mouthwatering and it was just a fabulous cookery book. Unfortunatley my views were not going to count. I am a Brownie leader with the 12th Ashton Brownies in Greater Manchester and I had promised the brownies that they would be the ones to review the book and they were all looking forward to it when I took the book to Brownies one Friday night. Not only were they going to look at the book they were going to try some of the recipes to and get to taste them. What had a let myself in for. We all looked through the book together and there were a lot of oohs, yum yums, licking of lips and a few i don''t likes. Some of their comments were:- "it''s colourful", "we can''t wait to taste", "they look delicious", "mouthwatering", "there''s lots of recipes" and "they all look lovely". I thought that the general views were there were some gorgeous recipes and I could have chosen several to try that night. There is really something for everyone and for the more ambitious child there were recipes including spices and seeds and also bread. It actually made us think about doing an all day baking event including bread making as we are doing our traditions badge. After our look at the book we proceeded to the kitchen were we tried out the Rocky Road Cookies and the flapjack. The girls absolutely loved following the recipes and were fighting over who could do what. The step by step instructions were very clear, the top tips were helpful and the preparation times were stated which was important for us. The girls found the recipes "easy peasy", "mouthwatering", "simple" and "easy to follow". After the biscuits cooled down we sent them home with the girls to eat there. I know though that they loved them. I feel though the most important part for the girls was the cooking, they were animated, excited and loving being involved in producing something. We will definately be cooking again from this book, in fact we are doing a recipe this coming week. With over 50+ recipes to choose from I can''t see us getting much other Brownie work done!! We really do recommend this book to other groups, organisations and individuals who want to introduce their children to the wonderful world of bakery.'
Customer Review:
Review by: Natalie Ilangakoonge, 22 September 2009
'This book really helped me get my fussy 4 year old interested in meal times. We tried several of the recipes and I have to admit not being the best cook in the world I was a little worried, however I followed them with ease and was so happy with the results. Would definitely recommend this book to others and most definitley to parents of fussy eaters.'
Customer Review:
Review by: alice palace, 22 September 2009
'The book is well laid out with lots of different types of recipes for different occasions. We had fun with the lemon drizzle cake and the cheese and onion round made an excellent accompaniment to a veggie casserole; my daughter took the last slice to school in her lunchbox as she said it was as filling as a sandwich. I like the fact that the steps requiring more supervision are labelled with a warning triangle and each is marked as easy medium or hard as you flick through, helping me to choose the ''safest'' options for my son who likes to cook with the minimum interference from mum! We''re looking forward to trying out a few more recipes for lunchboxes like the cornbread, and for coffee mornings, like the sticky fruit buns. Yum yum!'
Customer Review:
Review by: Claire Thorpe, 22 September 2009
'Our first impressions was that there were a wide variety of yummy recipes to try and some unusual baking ideas as well as the usual cakes and buns that you would expect to find in a book of this type. I was personally pleased to see that some savoury ideas were included and some healthier (but still tasty) flapjacks and biscuits had been thought about.
I have baked the flapjacks and the tomato and basil tart so far with my 3 year old son and we loved both the baking experience and the eating afterwards! The recipe was very easy to follow and the photographs were helpful in showing what to do for each stage (especially as he can''t read any words yet!) The end result from the recipes were impressive and much enjoyed by the whole family.
On a personal level I like how the recipes are graded from easy to hard so a parent can select something they feel their child and possibly themselves can cope with attempting. I think the food is beautifully photographed and the overall style and quality of the book is excellent with a lovely traditional "feel" to it.
I took the book into my class of 8 year olds at school and got them to give their opinions on it. They gave all the same positives as we had, but had some negatives which I found interesting. They didn''t like how the ingredients list was printed in "curly old fashioned" type font as they said they found it harder to read. On closer inspection I can see what they mean, as we don''t join our r''s, f''s, or b''s that way and maybe this added to their confusion. They also said that the bright blue and red patterned apron shown in some of the pictures (eg Sticky Fruit Buns on P54 & 55) was too busy and bright and it took their attention away from what they were meant to be looking at in the numbered steps photographs. They did, however, quite like the other aprons shown in other photos!!!
Overall, this is a quality book which I would recommend to my other "mummy" friends and would definitely buy to give away as a gift.'
Customer Review:
Review by: Miss S Hussain, 19 September 2009
'This book is aimed at children, but it has also taught me useful tips and recipes that were actually easy to understand - unlike many other cooking books aimed at children, which make cooking seem long and boring.
After i had read through the and experimented with the recipes myself, i got my younger cousins to come and enjoy the fun of baking.
The mouth-watering pictures looked good enough to eat, and it explained everything about the basics of baking like measuring, mixing and hygiene in a simple, easy to understand way.
When it came to choosing a recipe to start with, everyone was spoiled for choice!!
Eventually, everyone agreed on "star biscuits." The ingredients and utensils required were clearly listed in words and pictures. The recipe itself was described step-by-step and had pictures alongside too. The biscuits tasted DELICIOUS, and were gone in the blink of an eye. Since then my cousins have all been making their way through the recipe book, and have baked a double chocolate fudge cake, tomato and basil tart, apple crumble, and italian bread, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed!! A glossary at the end simplistically describes words used throughout the book, like baking blind, kneading, melting and zest. If you cannot find a particular recipe, you can also use the index at the back, which will easily locate it.
Overall, i would whole-heartedly recommend this book to any adults with/without children. Its simplistic language, step-by-step pictures, and easy to understand recipes means that any child (old or young) would begin to see baking as a fun, addictive hobby, and would have no reason to avoid it!!'
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