Books: Loose Birds & Game by Andrew PernPhotographs: by Drew GardnerPrice: £39.99Published by: FaceWeb: facepublications.com or loosebirdsandgame.co.ukTel: 0113 203 7378This is Yorkshire chef Andrew Pern's second book – a hefty 360 page, hard-back volume on game, poultry and fish. Pern is chef-owner of the pub The Star Inn, Harome, and has held a Michelin star since 2002 with his wife Jacquie running front-of-house.If you have not had the privilege of eating in his acclaimed establishment this book will give you a taster, providing insight into Pern's talent and creativity with mouth-watering ingredients from the British countryside. The wonderful food images jump off the page, and the book's decadent silk cover echoes the quality of the recipes.In addition to 65 original recipes, a foreword by Michel Roux and an introduction by Brian Turner, there are beautifully written snippets on the inspiration behind the recipes and of the author's passion for British produce. As you would expect from the title, chapters include partridge, deer, pigeon & squab, grouse, pheasant, rabbit & hare, plus there's a helpful season chart and wine tasting notes by Andrew Firth.A mixture of simple and complicated recipes makes this a joy to read for the home cook – something to aspire to but not impossible to achieve at home. A suppliers list (mostly from around the Yorkshire area) makes shopping for top quality ingredients easier.Game-to-Eat highly recommend this book to really keen home cooks and professional chefs with a love for exciting British Food. The premium price tag may mean you have to add it to your birthday wish list – but it would make a stunning addition to any foodie's recipe book collection.  HIX Oyster and Chop House by Mark HixPhotographs: by Jason LowePrice: £25Published by: Quadrille Publishing LtdTel: 0207 839 7117The latest 192 page book by award-winning food writer and chef Mark Hix is a celebration of the food served in his acclaimed Oyster and Chop House restaurant. As is his trademark style, Hix pays special attention to British produce. Unsurprisingly there is a special feature dedicated to British oysters, but there is also a nice mix of recipes divided into the following categories – Bar, Starters, Salads, Soups, On Toast, Fish, Meat, Sides, Desserts which are very much in line with his menus.There is a slight bias to fish and shellfish in this book, but Hix's also gives a fair nod to game dishes. You'll find recipes for Grouse Salad with Parsnip Crisps and Bramble Dressing, Wild Rabbit and Oyster Mushroom Soup and Wood Pigeon on Toast, plus a few others. There is also a helpful section on meat, including venison, with definitions and images of popular cuts and how to treat them.Although the recipes are not complicated, some of the ingredients such as sea aster, puffball funghi, and wild garlic can be hard to come by unless you are an expert forager. The photography by Jason Lowe is stunning and inspiring, so if you are looking for a smart book for dinner party entertaining this would be a great choice.  Fit for Table by Mike RobinsonAuthor: Mike RobinsonPhotographs: Nick RidleyPublisher: Quiller PublishingPrice: £16.95The blurb sums up what this book is about perfectly: “You have caught your game – now how do you prepare it for the table?” This is not a recipe book, but an essential manual for all field sportsmen, chefs and anyone with an interest in preparing their own game.Written by leading tv chef Mike Robinson, who specialises in game, this book contains detailed instructions and step-by-step colour photographs showing the correct way to pluck, skin and butcher common game birds, venison, boar, rabbit and even squirrel which is now growing in popularity. A concise and practical ring-bound guide suited to keen cooks and budding butchers. Copies can be obtained through countrybooksdirect.com or telephone 01939 261616  Ultimate Venison Cookery by Nichola FletcherTitle: Ultimate Venison CookeryAuthor: Nichola FletcherPublisher: Quiller ImprintPrice: £20.00ISBN-13: 978-1904057604A delicious book to read and savour, this book is a very practical manual for cutting, preparing and - most importantly - cooking venison to perfection. Written by Nichola Fletcher an award-winning food writer, historian, cook, lecturer and practical teacher. Venison is free range and healthy, lean and full of flavour and makes sensational rich winter dishes. It is also perfect for light, quick cooking, simple and succulent fast food for gourmets and beginners summer eating at its best.This is a book that will appeal not only to the experienced gourmet wanting to conquer a new subject but also to the inexperienced who want to cook venison successfully. The book, covering 286 pages, has illustrations, drawings and diagrams also by Nichola Fletcher.Nichola Fletcher's Ultimate Venison Cookery can be purchased from Quiller Publishing countrybooksdirect.com or info@quillerbooks.com  Good Game by Victoria Jardine-PatersonTitle: Good GameAuthor: Victoria Jardine-Paterson and Colin McKelviePublisher: Quiller ImprintPrice: £16.99ISBN-13: 978-1904057109A fantastic 216 page guide to game cookery targeting everyone that loves game the sportsman, the cook, the 'foodie' and the wine lover. The guide has been put together by cookery writer Vicky Jardine-Paterson and sportsman and wine-lover Colin McKelvie. Each game species is introduced with a map showing its distribution, common names in the different countries of Europe and an account of its natural history.This is then followed by a large and varied selection of recipes from the simple to the sophisticated, from venison and wild boar to salmon, trout and pike, and from pheasant and grouse to quail and plover starters and pates, casseroles and roasts, savouries and soufflés.Sections is rounded off with some appropriate wine suggestions with hints on keeping and serving good wines.An excellent all round book that can be purchased via countrybooksdirect.com or email: info@quillerbooks.com  The Game Cookbook by Clarissa DicksonTitle: The Game CookbookAuthor: Clarissa Dickson and Johnny ScottPublisher: Kyle CathiePrice: £19.99ISBN-13: 978-1856265294A landmark cookbook, combining both classic and contemporary recipes together with detailed information on the history, choosing and preparation of game. Lean and low in cholesterol, game is tasty and game is varied. From the commonly found pheasant and rabbit to the less-often-seen woodcock or wild board on the one hand, and the game fish salmon and sewin, pike and carp on the other, here is the wealth of whats good to eat from the wild.The Game Cookbook draws any food enthusiast into the kitchen. Anecdotes and information from Johnny Scott about the history and habitat of game, with explanations of their significant role in the conservation of other wildlife species and of how they have evolved through the ages, make fascinating reading and demystify the world of preparing and cooking game. With recipes such as the classic and flavourful Quail Thessalia or delicate Potted Grouse to the more exotic Caribou Pot Roast or Wild Boar with Sour Plums or Sea Trout with Swiss Chard and Walnuts, you will be inspired by Clarissa Dickson Wrights flair and guidance time and again from this book.  The Game Cook by Norman TebbitTitle: The Game CookAuthor: Norman TebbitPublisher: J.R. BooksPrice: £14.99ISBN-13: 978-1906779115Lord Tebbit took over as the cook in the house after his wife Margaret was injured in the Brighton bombing. It has become his passion, and cooking game his speciality. In The Game Cook, he showcases his favourite game recipes featuring pheasant, partridge, duck, grouse, woodpigeon, woodcock, deer, rabbit, hare and more.Whether the recipe is a relatively simple dish or a more challenging creation, Lord Tebbit’s easy-to-follow style with guarantee consistent results. The book also includes a coincide guide to game, advice on kitchen equipment, handy conversion charts and individual hints on the various game included.The Game Cook is a mouth-watering treat for both traditional food-lovers and those who are looking for some money-saving ways to provide tasty, wholesome and ‘organic’ dishes for their family.Written with humour and a practical approach, there is, as you would expect, nothing bland in this book, making it a mouth-watering morsel for those who love food, care about where their food comes from and who are looking for tasty, wholesome game dishes.The Rt.Hon Lord Norman Tebbit is a former MP for Chingford and was a senior minister in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet.  British Food by Mark HixTitle: British FoodAuthor: Mark HixPublisher: QuadrillePrice: £8.99ISBN-13: 978-1844002139The first thing you notice about this paperback is that it’s chock full of close-up, mouth-watering food pictures, many across two pages, which makes this book a joy to flick through. But look at the recipes themselves and you will be spoilt for choice at suppertime, as Mark Hix, ex- chef director of The Ivy, Le Caprice and J.Sheekey - has put together a wonderful collection of over 120 mostly familiar, British dishes, brought up to date with a modern twist.All of the favourites are there – Fish Pie, Irish Stew, Boiled Beef and Dumplings, and the chapters include soups, starters, snacks, poultry and game, vegetables and puddings, among others – all British of course!The book has a nice range of game recipes, such as Guinea Fowl with Savoy Cabbage, Roast Pheasant Breast with Chestnut Stuffing, Roast Venison with Haggis and Neeps and Wild Rabbit in Cider. You will also find the traditional accompaniments, such as bread sauce, parsley and thyme stuffing and parsnips chips.Refreshingly, none of the recipes are “cheffy”, and would be suitable for everyday suppers, as well as smart dinner party food. Extra game info comes in the form of a handy guide to roasting pheasant, grouse, snipe, partridge, wood pigeon and mallard, and a seasonal availability of game birds chart.Hix’s passion for British food is well reflected in his introduction and guide to buying ingredients, where he champions local and wild ingredients and his enthusiasm for food heritage really comes through.We would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys comfort food, a taste from childhood… basically unfussy British grub that your grandfather would call “proper food”.  John Torode's Chicken and Other BirdsTitle: John Torode's Chicken and Other BirdsAuthor: John TorodePublisher: QuadrillePrice: £20.00ISBN-13: 978-1844007158The first thing that grabs you about this 256 page hard-back book is the “eat-me” recipe photography. Many of the recipes are accompanied by a full page, close-up colour image which really whets the appetite. Torode believes that some of the best poultry and game comes from Britain and through this book he aims to help the reader make the best use of it.Torode certainly imparts plenty of knowledge on the different types - as well as chicken, there is a brief low-down on goose, duck and turkey, plus game birds including grouse, guinea fowl, partridge, pheasant, pigeon and quail. The basics section in the front of the book teaches you how to make stocks and joint a bird, and also what to looking for when buying.When it comes to the recipes, rather than the usual chapters on starters and mains, this book cleverly explores different foodie themes such as barbecues, curries, one pot wonders and salads there is something for all occasions. And as you would expect from the “masterchef” himself, the recipes are a tempting mixture of old favourites and exciting new ideas from simple Pheasant Salad with Beetroot &Watercress to Grilled Quail with Spiced Lentils.The recipes are laid out neatly, and are very easy to follow. The only criticism (and its a small complaint) is you have to count the number of chickens symbols to see how many people a recipe serves. OK when its for four, but ten chickens is harder to count at a glance!Overall, this book is a must for anyone who loves poultry and game top marks!  Game The Cookbook by Trish HilfertyTitle: Game - A CookbookAuthor: Trish Hilferty &Tom Norrington-DaviesPhotographs: Jason LowePublisher: Absolute PressPrice: £25.00ISBN-13: 978-1906650100A beautiful hard-backed book, aimed at demystifying the preparation and cooking of game in all forms - furred, feathered and fish. The authors have gone into considerable depth on what defines game, taste descriptions, where to buy, plus excellent detailed notes on each game type and how to prepare them.The 150 or so recipes are grouped into three main chapters two legs, four legs and no legs, and cover a vast choice from the traditional classic roasts, pies and stews to more up-to-date dishes such as wild duck stir fry, venison osso bucco and wild boar vindaloo. Not to mention a few for the more adventurous cook e.g. confited pheasant with fennel and satsuma and the delicious-sounding venison bresaola. However all instructions are clear and written in an appealing, friendly style, with plenty of expert tips along the way.There is also a selection of recipes for suitable accompaniments - stocks, gravies and stuffings, as well as a handy guide to storing and freezing game, seasonal meal planners and list of game suppliers. And packed with stunning food images in a rustic, yet modern style by an award-winning photographer, it is a joy to look at.This book reinforces that game can be affordable, is readily available and easy to cook, and we think it would be perfectly at home in both a novices and a game enthusiasts kitchen. A brilliant game bible.For further information call 01225 316013 or visit www.absolutepress.co.uk |
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