Neil’s cookbook of the week: The Workhouse Cookbook by Peter Higginbotham

Someone came up to me at the farmers' market (as many of you do) and had a chat, which I love. She said she did not know where I get the time to do what I do, with a busy restaurant, a newsletter, a farmers’ market stall, a family, a dog, the cheeky Tinto. The truth is that it is the people around me that help make it all come together. Without them, it would not be possible; it is like a well-oiled machine. I was thinking back to a time when many were less fortunate and, after watching A Christmas Carol by Dickens, I thought this book, 'The Workhouse Cookbook' by Peter Higginbotham, would be appropriate.

It is a wonderful read, with sad tales and some recipes, some of which are not far away from what I make now or remember from childhood. The recipe for gruel is a posh version, with treacle and suet included. I used to love my mum’s porridge, made just with water and oats and cooked with a spurtle for ages on the hob. I was lucky to get a splash of milk at lunch time, home from school. On another day it would be semolina with jam or warm rice pudding; times were hard then.

This book contains so much information about what poor folk ate going back in time, which is fascinating to me. A huge amount of what was eaten has a very Scottish theme, lots of oats and kale, peasemeal even in England. An account of what was eaten in a workhouse in 1724 Essex was not too bad at all, with sheep’s head broth, bread and butter or cheese, ox cheek broth and the like. A mention of Hasty Pudding is common, which is a simple set cake made with either breadcrumbs or Scotch oatmeal, butter, sometimes currants and flour added. Sounds rather dry but it would have filled you up. pease pottage and barley broth was eaten and bread was a staple. We all have the image of Oliver in our minds asking for more; I wonder if he did get more. A great book, I encourage you all to get a copy if you can find one.

Neil’s cookbook of the week: Open Kitchen

An interesting book this week. 'Open Kitchen' subtitled - a book where top chefs share their recipes to try at home. This is a cool book. A book for chefs and good home cooks. There are some well-known chefs here and a few pals too.

Roberta Hall-McCarron from The Little Chartroom features with some delicious dishes, and Lorna McNee from Cail Bruich is included. The brilliant Simon Rogan is also included with his incredible restaurant L’Enclume, and many more.

The book itself is made very well and the photography is excellent. There is a lot of pretty food here, and there is proper food too. I like Amy Elles’ food, with a delicious-looking fish soup from Fife, and Ben Tish, a bit of a legend, has a few crackers including a Basque cheesecake.

All in all, a great book and a good one to flick through to find a recipe to try, but I wouldn't bother buying tweezers to use in a kitchen...

Neil’s cookbook of the week: Gourmet Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

‘Jamie at Home, Cook Your Way to the Good Life’ by Jamie Oliver is a great book. I know cheeky chappie Jamie gets a bit of a tough time from chefs, but I really admire him for what he has achieved. We all are aware he is not short of a bob or two, but he has worked endlessly to get folk to eat better food. He follows the same values I do: Slow Food, organic, sustainable, grow your own. He has such a wide audience; folk listen to him when he is on a campaign to change the way we eat, and he does a good job.

I enjoy looking at his books and watching his cookery on television. He is a natural communicator and cook and has vast knowledge. He also went to Westminster College in London where my dad taught. I like that. This book is well thumbed; it has something for everyone and has a bit of gardening, cookery and flavour. He covers all the bases here.

Many of us have been influenced by this man in kitchens and never admit it. I am happy to say he does influence me. I think he is great, and I bet most houses in the land have a Jamie cookery book somewhere on a shelf. There are many delicious things to cook here and remember this is food to eat at home without a tyre company judging you. Think steak, Guinness and cheese pie, or orchard Eve’s pudding, venison with creamy baked potato and celeriac, and a delicious partridge with pearl barley, pea and lettuce stew. I really like this book. Do not avoid it; pick it up and flick through it. It is good.

Neil’s cookbook of the week: Gourmet Recipes from a Highland Hotel by William Heptinstall

A blast from my past again this week, a book which I had forgotten I had and found in the awful mess which is my office. ‘Gourmet Recipes from a Highland Hotel’ by William Heptinstall is real treasure for me. I thought I didn’t have this book as it came after ‘Hors d’Oeuvre and Cold Table’ by William Heptinstall. This man was a mystery to me; he ran the Fortingall Hotel in rural Glen Lyon, Perthshire in the 1950’s and 60’s. This place has an air of mystery about it. It is said Pontius Pilate was born here and there is a sizeable yew tree dating back over 5,000 years and probably the oldest living thing in Europe. But the book is just great — classic and French, with tournedos, cocotte and Grenobloise everywhere you look. It is a wonderful book and quite rare I believe.

I was put forward for the William Heptinstall Award many years ago but sadly didn’t win the prize. The award was a scholarship to work abroad in a good place, all paid for by the trust he set up before he died in 1971, which was awarded every year to a young chef from the UK to further their career. I shall never forget my interview at the headquarters of the International Food and Wine Society near Harrods. I was still a teenager and all alone in the big city of London and had a delicious lunch at a nearby restaurant where the great Bryan Webb was cooking. I wish I had won that award as it was such a prestigious thing to have under your belt. But back to the book — if you can find a copy, grab it.

Neil’s cookbook of the week: Keep it Simple by Alastair Little

Amazingly, it has taken me some time to mention Alastair Little here. This book, ‘Keep It Simple: A Fresh Look at Classic Cooking’, is a firm favourite of mine and many good chefs — and quite rightly. It is a book which doesn’t mess about. It does exactly what you wish: it keeps it simple and classic, and it is the sort of food we all want to eat. There is a list of good ingredients to have at hand and then, with some good equipment, you can really go to town.

He had a Soho restaurant in London in the 80s and 90s, and it was where Mrs Chef and I went on a first or second date. I still remember fondly having lamb with tapenade and thinking this is just absolutely fabulous. He was self-taught and was one of the most interesting, innovative and exciting of the new generation of British chefs. I admired him a lot.

He appeared on television a fair amount and was a good teacher, running a cookery school in Italy. He was a much-admired chef and cook and is sadly no longer with us. But I will always say thank you to him, as he got us two young lovers together, sat us in the window eating good food in his brilliant restaurant.

Neil’s cookbook of the week: Konbini by Brendan Liew and Caryn Ng

‘Konbini: Cult Recipes, Stories and Adventures from Japan’s Iconic Convenience Stores’ by Brendan Liew and Caryn Ng is a brilliant and fun book to flick through. I was sceptical at first, but it is a great read, with the understanding this is a different world where you can get great food from basically the corner shop. This is not based around a restaurant, a hotel or a famous chef; it is food that everyone eats, either for a lunch on the go or to quickly put together at home — both nostalgic and simple.

It is interesting, as influences come from China and Korea, with spice from India. This is food in Tokyo and what the workers eat, starting with onigiri, which is basically rice wrapped around a filling of, say, chicken, fish, salmon roe, and finished with nori seaweed — very popular with packed lunches.

The other part of the store is the hot snack section, which sounds delicious when I see crab croquettes, fried chicken and steamed buns with various fillings. Osouzai is a proper sort of takeaway for a hearty evening meal picked up on the way home, with stews and curry and braised pork belly with black vinegar, which sounds delicious.

Desserts are quite different to what we know in the West, however some cream-filled choux puffs and croissants with custard are very familiar, and a very recognisable pot of custard like a crème caramel — all very interesting stuff, and remember, all purchased from the konbini or local store. It is a lovely book and refreshingly different.

Neil’s cookbook of the week: Taboon by Hisham Assaad

A quite different book for me this week, but a good one. ‘Taboon: Sweet and Savoury Delights from the Lebanese Bakery’ by Hisham Assaad is a colourful and beautifully put-together book which I like a lot. It will guide you through the treats available from a part of the world I went to a long time ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food of the Middle East. The food from this region has so much flavour and uses different ingredients than we use in the UK.

It comes down to flour, water and salt, and the addition of what is around you — say sesame, olive oil, good cheese, figs, pistachio, honey and of course spice. The use of spice in this book is subtle and flavoursome, with za’tar spice and pepper from Aleppo, and bread rolls with olive and chilli sound delicious. The sound of aniseed bread for Ramadan sounds interesting as it is such a strong flavour; I shall give that a go. However, the sound of layered cheese pie sounds absolutely delicious, and I found a recipe in the book for clotted cream!

There are so many stories to tell from this book and many I want to eat. In difficult times — and an area like the Middle East has been difficult for so long — it amazes me that food is still cherished, enjoyed and talked about and maybe, just maybe, able to bring people together more. Taboon, incidentally, is a portable, traditional Palestinian oven made from clay and straw.

Neil’s cookbook of the week: Orkney Spirit by Liz Ashworth

‘Orkney Spirit: Food Journeys’ by Liz Ashworth is a welcoming, warm, lovely book by someone I have met a few times. Orkney is not a place that I have been to as yet, but the world is a big place and the clock is ticking.

The food here is great, with some wonderful names in the book like Orkney Fuarag — a form of Cranachan consisting of oatmeal (of which many recipes in Orkney do), crowdie and honey. A warming recipe of Mealie Tatties, which is adding some freshly stoneground oatmeal, a knob of butter and salt to cooked and just-drained potatoes. Another brilliant name is Fatty Cutties — a biscuit of sorts that has many versions, but given a lift with bicarbonate of soda, the addition of currants and cooked on the griddle. It is unique to Westray, a place where we get some very fine cheese.

What makes this book stand out for me is the personal touch — the memories and the stories that Liz brings. It is a charming book, and it seems everyone is a lot happier in these remote places away from the madding crowds. There are many mentions of F. Marian McNeill in this book, who was a resident of Orkney and wrote the classic cookbook The Scots Kitchen, which I hope you all now have. There is a recipe in this book that makes my mouth water — slow-roasted North Ronaldsay mutton. I adore that meat; I must try and chase some down. Liz is quite a character and worked at Baxters, the soup people, for a long time. I adore this book with all her tales. It will make you want to go visit and have a dram of Highland Park.

Neil’s cookbook of the week: The Condiment Book by Claire Dinhut

My choice of book of the week this week is a mad one. It is called ‘The Condiment Book’ by Claire Dinhut. It is not my normal go-to book at all, but after reading it through, it is making me think differently. It is a fabulous collection of how to do so many things in the kitchen that you were possibly too scared to do — how to make everything from flavoured salt to kimchi, to pickles, to jelly and hot sauce. It is not a book to read in the normal sense, but a very well put together, informative and concise book of how to make stuff quite simply.

The book is dedicated to the curious soul, and I see that. I imagine the inside of the author’s head is vibrant — full of busy thoughts, ideas and fun. Colourful thoughts about food and what goes with what: taste, seasoning, piquant, sharp or sweet. It is a bit mad actually. It feels very Willy Wonka, and I like it. I have dipped in and out quite a bit, and for those who want to make their own ‘whatever’, this is the book for them.

I must say the fermenting section is very good as it explains things very well. We all struggle sometimes with a kimchi or a sauerkraut, but Claire does a very good job with a step-by-step explanation. The ultimate manual to explore what isn’t strictly necessary — but to many of us, is essential. The queen of condiments, I think.

Neil’s cookbook of the week: Hors d'Oeuvres by Mollie Stanley-Wrench

This is a sweet little book — another passed down from my dad. It is ‘Hors D’Oeuvres and How to Make Them’ by Mollie Stanley-Wrench, who was quite an accomplished author and cookery book writer. There are some fabulous recipes in this small, pocket-sized book, and many of these dishes and recipes we still use today.

This is a book from 1952 and was probably bought new by a relative and handed over to my father when he started cooking in the ’50s in Fishers Hotel, Pitlochry. It was quite a tough life then; some months there simply wasn’t enough work to go round, so you were sent home until business picked up a bit. I still find the extent of knowledge back then amazing. Folk must have travelled far and wide to compile books like this.

Influences from all over the world are in this little book — Chinese dishes, Scandic herring dishes and American ideas — but it almost always comes back to France, where the majority of folk, even today, look for inspiration in the kitchen. I can’t quite imagine a place like Coupar Angus in rural Scotland, just after the war, having much need for a book of appetisers or hors d’oeuvres. Was there even a need for dinner parties? I shall find out.

It crossed my mind — where on earth in rural Scotland in the ’50s would you find aubergines, anchovies, crayfish, cumin, even olives? Remember, there was still rationing in place for many food items. Nonetheless, I like this book a lot. The section on savoury butters is brilliant, and the recipe for kabobbed oysters is interesting. It is just a kebab with fatty bacon and oysters, baked and served with cayenne and lemon. I shall keep dipping in and out of this book and wonder where they found Roquefort in 1950s Scotland.