A Country Cook's Kitchen by Alison Walker

I have a new book; one I have had my eye on for some time and I eventually treated myself to it. This one is called A Country Cook's Kitchen and I love it.  ISBN: 978-1-906417-56-7  Sections on Baking, the Dairy, Preserving. Bottling and liqueurs, curing and potting .  There are Cook Books and there are Cook Books this one has some delightful recipes and ideas with beautiful clear photography.  This is definitely my sort of book and there are recipe here for making your own dairy produce from raw materials like your own butter, including flavoured butters.  I already have Cinnamon sugar put up for one of my winter favourites comfort food of the highest order Cinnamon toast but I had not thought of Cinnamon Butter to really give your toast or tea cakes extra oompf.  Would also be good for a fruit cake.  A residuary product from making your own Butter is Buttermilk and there is a recipe here for Buttermilk Scones. A recipe for making clotted cream and then a recipe for Clotted Cream Fudge. Plain yogurt and then recipes for dips and a  Scented yogurt cooler.  Soft cheeses include Fresh Ricotta with a baked Ricotta Cheesecake; Soft Goats Cheese - do not throw away the Whey as it can be used to replace water in bread making.  It freezes well too; then there are recipes for Goats cheese Toasts and a simple Goat's cheese salad etc. etc.  What I like about this book is its very organic in its approach and keenness on  not wasting anything.  Bottling recipes include Bottled Clementines (I have done these before here ) Bottled Rhubarb with orange and ginger Cherries in Brandy. There is also a processing chart for:

Apple slices

Apricots Halved

Blackberries

Blackcurrants

Blueberries

Cherries

Citrus Fruit

Cranberries

Gooseberries

Nectarines halved

Peaches halved

Pears halved

Plums halved

Quinces sliced

Raspberries

Redcurrants

Rhubarb

Tomatoes whole

Then there is a section on making sausages with recipes for French Country sausages, Basic Salami Saucisson sec, cold smoking and bacon.

In fact this book is very much my kind of book and I am very glad I have found it.  Simple good filling food with which to feed your family what could be better than that.

Pattypan

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