Rosie Ramsden's first publication The Recipe Wheel is a really beautiful cookbook. Not in the traditional sense of beautifully styled and shot full-bleed photographs though, as the book actually contains zero images of Rosie's food. The USP, for want of a better term, of the book is not a particular cuisine or method of cooking, but the format and the connections between her recipes. The basic premise is that you start with one recipe and then other ideas develop from that starter recipe. This progression is laid out in the eponymous "recipe wheel" and each segment of the wheel is titled by the genre, if you like, of cooking it is, be it "Cooking to Impress", "Leftover", "Night In", "No Frills" and so on and so forth.
I wish I cooked more from this book, I really do. I'm not going to go into excuses, no point. I've made her Roast Chicken, which is the centre of one of her wheels, and also White Loaf, which is the focal point of another.
I'd never made bread before I had this book and I think I've now made this loaf about five times. I find her writing style so helpful and for someone who didn't even know how to knead or that you should try and keep the yeast and salt as separate for as long as possible (as the salt retards the effectivness of the yeast, dontcha know) I felt guided through every step of the way. There comes a real satisfaction from making your own bread, and I'm very grateful to this book for allowing me to see that.
VERDICT - Well yeah, I've made it loads.
I wish I cooked more from this book, I really do. I'm not going to go into excuses, no point. I've made her Roast Chicken, which is the centre of one of her wheels, and also White Loaf, which is the focal point of another.
I'd never made bread before I had this book and I think I've now made this loaf about five times. I find her writing style so helpful and for someone who didn't even know how to knead or that you should try and keep the yeast and salt as separate for as long as possible (as the salt retards the effectivness of the yeast, dontcha know) I felt guided through every step of the way. There comes a real satisfaction from making your own bread, and I'm very grateful to this book for allowing me to see that.
VERDICT - Well yeah, I've made it loads.
