The Baker is a bit like that: an ode to baking. Everything is in there, information on ingredients, equipment, techniques, etymology, history, even a trouble-shooting section. This sounds more like a handy reference guide than a book of poems, and it could easily have been, if it was not for the fantastic recipes and their beautifully styled photographs worthy of the best coffee-table compilation. If you have a present to give, either to yourself (especially to yourself) or to somebody else, with this book you will make someone very happy.

Now for the scientific bit: Leanne Kitchen trained as a chef, her career in food spanning some fourteen years. This book contains 100 recipes divided into chapters on Quickbreads, Yeast, Cakes, Biscuits, Pies and Tarts, Batters, Desserts and Puddings.

And for the poetry, here is one I prepared earlier: Jam drops.

I was so pleased with the taste that I had a go at another:

Mango and Passion Fruit Pies

Ingredients:

400g plain flour
165g icing sugar
200g cold unsalted butter
2 egg yolks mixed with 2 tablespoons iced water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Icing sugar for dusting

Filling:

60 ml passion fruit pulp
1 tablespoon custard powder or instant vanilla pudding mix
3 ripe mangoes peeled, sliced, and chopped
80 g caster sugar

Method:

Sift the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, lightly rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Make a well in the center, then add the egg yolks to the well. Mix using a flat-bladed knife until a rough dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, then gently press together into a ball. Form into a flat disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Grease a round pie dish ( the recipe indicates six fluted loose-based flan tins).

Roll out 2/3 of the chilled pastry between two sheets of baking paper until 3 mm thick. Cut out the shape of your tin. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 190 degrees C (375F/Gas 5).

To make the filling, in a small saucepan stir the custard powder and the passionfruit pulp until thick - will take a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the mango and sugar.

Fit pastry in the tin(s), add the filling, roll out top pastry and fit over tins, and then brush with beaten egg. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Serve at room temperature with whipped cream.

Book photo from Murdoch press.

On return, while visiting my supermarket, I spotted Easy Food, which claimed to be “consumer specialist magazine of the year.” I challenge you to resist a food magazine you have never seen before - IMPOSSIBLE. Well, in this case, I was rather amazed to have stumbled over Ireland’s number one food magazine in my local supermarket just after spending an Irish weekend away. And if I was to describe Easy Food, I would say, ”family cooking” and “rather cool.”

Easy Food is a magazine that keeps it real. It has also a rare quality: it is interactive; there is a kind of conversation taking place between the team and the readers via recipes - NICE. It offers what you expect: easy-to-follow recipes for family cooks who are short on time, but somehow it includes an element of surprise. It may be because some sections are sponsored, or it might simply be part of the general magazine ethos. Take the burgers section . . . wouldn’t you be intrigued by the recipe for a “bistro burger” with caramelized onions, Brie cheese, lettuce, and walnuts piled on the top of the named beef burger?

Easy Food is packed from cover to cover with recipes: 82 pages, 90 recipes. I know when one likes something, one should not count . . . but I did - sneakily I wanted to verify the claim on the cover: “86 easy recipes with calorie counts.” Among this plethora, it has a weekly budget menu, hello credit crunch, a couple of sections devoted to the little ones, a fruit of the month, country markets, and more.

I went for cool food. My dad’s signature dish is the classic apple tarte Tatin; Easy Food’s tomato version had provided material for our Father’s Day conversation, therefore I had to go for it, and very tasty it was.

If you would like to subscribe to Easy Food magazine, it might be worth contacting them; they sound like a friendly bunch.

Tomato Tarte Tatin
serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp thyme leaves, finely chopped
400g cherry tomatoes
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry, cut to fit over a 20cm/8in ovenproof flan or quiche dish
100g mozzarella, goat’s cheese, or Parmesan shavings
Fresh basil leaves, to garnish
2 tbsp olive oil, for drizzling

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6 and grease an ovenproof quiche or flan dish with a little butter and set aside.
2. Put the balsamic vinegar, sugar, and thyme into a nonstick frying pan and heat until the sugar has melted. Bring to boil. Add the tomatoes and stir until they are completely coated with the syrup. take the frying pan off the heat and set it aside to cool.
3. Arrange the tomatoes in the bottom of the buttered dish and drizzle the sauce on top. Unroll the puff pastry and flatten out slightly with a rolling pin. Cute out a round slightly larger than the buttered dish. Place the circle of pastry on top of the tomatoes. Trim the edges or tuck them down the sides of the dish.
4. Bake the tart in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until it is well risen and golden brown. Place a large serving dish upside down on top of the tart dish and carefully turn it upside down so that the tomatoes are on top, protecting your hands with a thick towel.
5. Tear the mozzarella cheese into small pieces and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Garnish with a few leaves of fresh basil and serve drizzled with a little olive oil.

Fat 28g - Carbs 40g - Energy 437Kcal - Protein 9g - Sodium 3g - Fibre 3g

Why? Because I dilly-dallied trying to pack so much into my post that I have rewritten it a least 5 million times. Starting with the title: Olive, somewhat different don’t you think? I understand Good-Food, Delicious, with titles like these, you know where you are, but OLIVE . . . weird!

Now to confuse you completely and to make you forget that I am late, let me add that the clue is in the title, or rather the subtitle: “Eat in, eat out, eat away.” First published in November 2003, Olive magazine is a great magazine with a different approach; in fact it is a guide: “a guide to recipes, restaurants and travel.” And wait for it . . . it reports food-bloggers’ views! Well done, BBC, your coverage (as expected) is impeccable.

So, if you were to acquire an issue for £3.30, what would you get? Let’s take June, for which you are too late. I knew it was your fault!

“Eat in” — that is the recipes: Among plenty of interesting culinary ways, a list (I love lists) of 101 dead-easy ideas ready in 15 minutes max, to cater for the whole of the summer, clever. Laid out in tens: 10 things to do with cupboard standbys, 10 to do with salmon fillets, 10 with puddings, you get the gist. 

Seasonal recipes: a whole section is devoted to strawberry desserts – I melt. (No, I am not going to try cooking any, otherwise you will get the June review in September.)

“Eat out” — that is our restaurant recommendations (with recipes). I say “our” because Olive interviews readers and bloggers to compile this section. Last month, in May, was the British issue, so it covered pubs and caffs. For those who don’t speak funny, a “caff” is a café, a bistro, an informal restaurant, a kind of deli. This month, bloggers talk about their favorite restaurant, and there is an addition: the signature dish, a recipe so that you can create a restaurant classic at home.

I should now say, “And finally the ‘Eating Away,’” however Olive is packed with even much more. Of course one can’t have a BBC magazine without the “I, I chefs” (impossible to ignore celebrity chefs), and they are in there too. Refreshingly there are also other professionals lending a hand.

What about “Eating Away”? well I shall leave you to discover what it is all about in the July issue . . . published on the 2nd of June.

Double oops, I almost forgot the free book that came with it: “40 Barbecue Ideas.” And last but not least, if you feel like participating, you can join the readers’ panel.

Le Café Anglais’ Parmesan Custards 

Ingredients
100g finely grated Parmesan 
300ml single-cream cream
300ml whole milk
4 egg yolks
Salt, white pepper, and cayenne to season
12 anchovy fillets, 50g unsalted softened butter, and 8 very thin slices of pain de campagne

Make: Preheat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Mix all but 1 tbsp of cheese, cream, and milk in a bowl and warm gently over a pan of boiling water until the cheese melts. Allow to cool completely before whisking in the egg yolks, some salt, finely milled white pepper and cayenne.

Lightly butter 8 china moulds of 80ml capacity and pour in the mixture. Put the moulds in a roasting tin one third filled with boiling water, cover with buttered baking paper and bake for 15-2O minutes or until the mixture has just set. 

Mash the anchovies and butter to a smooth paste and spread over four of the slices of bread. Cover with the remaining bread and toast in a sandwich maker/Panini machine or in a sandwich bag. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the warm custards and brown under a hot grill. Cut the sandwiches into littel fingers and serve with the custards. Serves 8 as an hors d’oeuvres.

Feast Bazaar is a beautifully presented book (it  is also a TV series);  English-born chef Barry Vera offers much more than recipes from India, Morocco, and Syria. It is “a journey into the  food, history, cultures” and customs of these countries; he achieves a delicate balancing exercise between the visual, the evocative, and the knowledge. 

Of course the old ingredients – good-looking chef roaming intriguing places – might make you think, ”I have seen it all already”; however, this one has a difference, which I am not sure I can define. But at the end of the day, the recipes are easy enough for you to want to try out, and when you do, they will not let your senses down; they work. Often they are an improvement on what you already do and know – take the humble lassi, a perfect cooling drink. I had tried all sorts of variations and admittedly there are as many recipes as they are people. Barry Vera’s offers a version that is a joy for the taste buds. Have a go and you’ll see what I mean.

Vanilla Lassi with Rosewater

• 100ml (3.5 fl oz) pouring (whipping) cream
• 200 ml (7 fl oz) full cream (whole) milk
• 310g (11 oz) plain yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
• 3 teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 tablespoons rosewater
• Ice, to serve
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to serve
• Pinch saffron threads, to serve (optional)

Blend all the ingredients, except the ice, nutmeg, and saffron, in a blender until smooth.

Half fill two tall glasses with ice and pour in the lassi. Sprinkle the nutmeg and saffron (if using) on top, to serve.

I was amazed, left in a state of “catatony” (virtually speechless, struck dumb) when I saw her revisiting one of my all-time favorites – no not the infamous How to Boil an Egg. I am referring to her so-delicious-that-you-think-you-have-gone-to-heaven shepherd’s pie. In the past cooked from scratch, now made by replacing most the ingredients with frozen food and wait for it … very matter-of-factly plopping 12 frozen mashed potato discs on the top. In her new book  Delia’s How to Cheat at Cooking, she shows us “How to cook when you’re busy.” If you wanted to know if it works, if the flavors and the authenticity are still there, then put her to the test with Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Chickpeas.

Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Chickpeas

-serves 2-

2 tsp olive oil

1 fairly large red onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced

1 tbsp Seasoned Pioneers ras-el-hanout spice (from her site or you might have to blend this yourself, which could defy her point, but hey)

2 chicken thighs and 2 drumsticks

2 cloves garlic peeled and sliced

2 Belazu preserved lemons, quartered

6-8 olives

100g frozen cooked chickpeas (defrosted at room temperature)

275ml dry white wine

Salt to taste 

Fresh coriander leaves to finish

First of all, heat 1 tsp of the oil in a medium flameproof casserole, and when it’s hot,  stir in the onion and let it cook over high heat for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix half the spice blend with the other tsp of olive oil and after making cuts into the flesh of the chicken with a sharp knife, rub the oil-and-spice mixture all over the surface and into the cuts.

Now stir in the garlic and the rest of the spice mix into the onions, add the lemon quarters, olives, and chickpeas, and place the chicken joints on top. Pour in the wine, season with salt, and, when it reaches simmering point, cover the casserole, turn the heat down to its lowest setting, and cook for 1 hour.

Serve sprinkled with fresh coriander. This is good served with rice or couscous and may be a salad.

This unique gastronomic haven is a brilliant place to meet up with friends. Here you can get “the Best Breakfast in London.” There is an array of places, from sole traders to larger firms. From Konditor & Cook with their most delicious funnily named sponge cake, to the tea-stall inside the market itself which serves coffee on rickety tables and chairs in such a friendly manner that you almost forget the winter weather. On your way out, make sure to get the ultimate chocolate brownies, unless you are in Ines company and, then you will also whirl around each of the world class bakers/patissiers’ stalls, delighting equally in tartes au citron, cheesecakes and pasteis: lovely small custard tart like they have the secret in Belem (Lisbon). Oh! but why, are you wondering, am I raving & rattling on about a market? Here is your answer:

The Borough Market Cookbook: Meat & Fish. This new book “is not the work of a single individual but a collective effort that reflects the market its collaborative and community driven ethos”. Sixteen traders give us a fascinating insight into their livelihood and their passion. Packed with information, it tracks the market products down to their origins. It guides you through the choice process, e.g., how NOT to ask for cod, but instead buy sustainably fished species such as bream, gurnard or herring.  Next it tells you all about preparation and finally offers recipes which I must say will be rather handy if you were to step out of your comfort zone. Even if you are unlikely to visit Borough, buying and cooking with this book will appeal to your sense of discovery. It is part of a series and I can’t wait for the next installment, just hoping that it might cover cheeses as my French friends are often gasping in disbelief at the quality of English cheeses.  

Some months ago, I went to what I would describe as a “beer restaurant.” I ordered Mussels in cider, which I never had before. I cursed myself for months afterwards for neither taking a picture nor asking for the recipe, therefore I was delighted to find it in the book.

MUSSELS IN CIDER WITH TOMATO, CRÈME FRAÎCHE AND DIJON MUSTARD

Mussels are one of the easiest weeknight suppers. They are sweet tasty morsels from the sea that are made for sharing, which always results in a convivial meal to be had by all. A few years ago a customer mentioned to me that they were her favourite dish for Boxing Day every year. She said it was a quick and easy ‘hot’ option to have on hand for those who didn’t want turkey and bacon sandwiches. I couldn’t agree more. To many people’s surprise mussels can be purchased well ahead oftime. They keep very well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. However, they do like a very specific environment: they must be kept moist with a damp tea towel or wet newspaper. They should be left un-cleaned with their ‘beards’ intact in a sieve resting in a bowl with a few ice cubes, rather than stored in an air-tight container or water. Finally, they must be kept well chilled. The less they are disturbed the longer they will keep quite happily. This has to be one of my favourite recipes in the book. The combination of sweet-salty mussels with deliciously dry New Forest Cider is my idea of heaven. Even though I do love the small threads of shallots dotted throughout the mussel broth, I have at a pinch gone without. I have also substituted basil for thyme and parsley with similar success.

Preparation time 45 minutes for cleaning and soaking the mussels
Cooking time 10–12 minutes, 10–12 minutes, 10–12 minutes

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a starter

Season Mussels are at their best September through December but are reasonably available throughout the year

• 1kg mussels
• 2 tblsp sea salt, for soaking the mussels,
• plus additional for the broth
• 60g unsalted butter
• 6 shallots
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 large sprigs fresh thyme
• 1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 400ml tomato passata
• 480ml cider
• 1 level tblsp Dijon mustard
• 2 rounded tblsp crème fraîche
• 15g fresh parsley leaves

Clean the mussels under cold running water. Leave them to soak for half an hour in a large bowl with plenty of salted water. Scrape off barnacles and pull off the hairy beards. Discard any mussels with broken shells. Most of them will be closed: if any are open, give them a squeeze. If they don’t close shut, then throw them away.

Heat the butter in a wide deep saucepan with a tight fitting lid over moderately high heat until foaming subsides. Peel and cut the shallot in half. Then chop the shallot into thin slices. Peel and crush the garlic with a little salt in a mortar. Then add, along with the shallots, to the hot butter. Stir to coat in the warm butter and cook gently until the shallots start to soften and become translucent. Wash the sprigs of thyme and blot dry with kitchen paper. Pull off the leaves and give them a rough chop to release their flavour. Then add to the pan along with a pinch of sea salt and the black pepper, stirring to coat. Slowly pour in the tomato passata and cider and bring to a gentle boil.

Add the cleaned mussels and cook; covered, stirring occasionally, until mussels open, 4–6 minutes. Remove from the heat. Discard any mussels that remain unopened after 6 minutes.

Wash the parsley and blot dry with kitchen paper. Chop the leaves and fine stems of the parsley and set aside. Stir together the mustard and crème fraîche in a small bowl. Then add, along with the chopped parsley, to the hot tomato broth and whisk until combined.

Divide the mussels amongst warm bowls and ladle the sauce over them.

Serve with a leafy green salad and lots of crusty bread.

The Borough Market Cookbook

OK, stay calm, start with 101 (that is less scary than the other word in the title): Hassle-free fun, entertaining mysteries explained to the layman, if you look at it that way, it is not so bad.

So I opened the book and I was hooked. This is all what a cookbook should be. No wonder that the author was awarded the American food and entertainment award. Rick Rodgers is a outstanding cooking teacher. Christmas 101 communicates with passion. One gets a pinch of insight into the author’s life and a dollop of historical info.  For example, Why will you usually find a big roast on a Christmas dinner table? (answer at the end of my post). Each recipe has its personal intro, there are timetables, menu planners, lists (I love lists) and to come back to  “101,” great tipsheets not only for Xmas but for several different holiday parties.

I am not suggesting that you serve a whole Turkey with Cornbread Succotash Stuffing napped with Bourbon Gravy to your special loved one on Valentine’s Day, but Marinated Shrimps with White Wine Beurre Blanc should do the trick nicely (despite its title, it is so well explained that nothing can’t go wrong).  In the meantime, I’ll leave you with Leek, Pancetta & Chevre tartlets which, in my case, dropped their “let” to turn into tarte as I don’t have any small moulds. I was astound to read that the dough contained cream-cheese, but it works a treat and can simply be pressed instead of rolling.

Leek, Pancetta & Chèvre Tartlets

Makes 24 tarlets

Dough
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 ounces chilled cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Filling
1 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 3 large)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped (Pancetta [bacon cured in salt] is available at hypermarkets or Italian markets)
2/3 cup half and half
2 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Fresh parsley leaves

Make the filling:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté 10 minutes; cool. Heat oil in small skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; sauté until crisp, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels. Whisk half and half and next 3 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Mix in goat cheese, then leeks and pancetta.

Spoon filling into shells.  Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F, Bake until filling is set and crust edges are golden, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill in pans. Rewarm uncovered in 350°F oven 12 minutes.)

Using small knife, cut around tartlets to loosen. Turn out tartlets and arrange on platter; garnish with parsley leaf and serve warm or at room temperature. 

……. The reason why we get roasts at Xmas is because up to one hundred years ago, the main butchering took place in the winter when it was cold and meat could be refrigerated naturally. In Roman times the “Birthday of the Invincible Sun God” Mithras took place on the 25th December: big feast day. When Christianity established itself ,Mithras’ birthday was ursuped but the old pagan traditions die hard and serving big roasts on the most important winter holiday never went away.

Two days later, I was busy making the best marmalade ever with the Seville oranges, and two days after that, I was amazed to discover in the Guardian newspaper that there is a World Marmalade Festival. The Food pages in the Guardian are in the colour supplement and always produce great photos; the recipes are ”in-season” and different.  I lparticularly ike Dan Lepard’s “How to Bake” column. The end of my story?  On Sunday, I baked Dan’s Marmalade Buttons.  Serendipity.

 Marmalade Buttons  

This recipe makes a lightly fruited biscuit, like a Pitcaithly bannock, but with a good dollop of marmalade mixed in at the start. Don’t let them brown too much, as the marmalade’s bitter flavour is more apparent the darker they get.

100g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
50g good marmalade, like Tiptree
100g mixed peel
100g plain flour
100g ground rice or semolina
Demerara sugar

Beat the butter and sugar until smooth, then add the marmalade and mixed peel and beat until combined. Stir in the flour and ground rice.  Knead in the bowl to a smooth dough, then roll into a cylinder about 25cm long. Wrap in cling film and chill till firm.

Heat the oven to 170C (150C fan-assisted). Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment. Unwrap the dough and rub with a little water to moisten. Tip some demerara on a plate and roll the dough in it to form a crust. Slice 3/4 cm disks, lay them a few cm apart on the tray, and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until pale golden brown.

On the fateful night, I frisked all my presents to make sure that there wasn’t any thing “soup-shaped.” To my amazement, only two presents where food-related, moreover only one dedicated to soups. Oh noooo, isn’t anybody reading my blog?

A Celebration of Soup (Cookery Library) is indeed a great present, a classic, a must-have book. With recipes full of E … not the additive E, no, no, no, I am talking about the E for Exciting, Entertaining, Educating. You opened the book to a citation of Lewis Carroll’s: beautiful sooooouuuup, and, from the start you feel confident that you are in good hands here: tips, a troubleshooting guide, tricks of the trade, and more.  Everything is covered, from which equipment to have, to what to drink with your soup. Handy notes head the recipes which come from top chefs worldwide, restaurants to cookery writers and anonymous, all sprinkled with the author’s innovation. It was shortlisted for the most cerebral of the foodie award over a decade ago (André Simon’s) and when you get to the bibliography, you understand why: it is extremely well documented.

Ah I forgot to say this book contain no pictures, but in this case, it is not a disappointment, plus when was the last time your own dish looked like the glossy picture on display?

I know that it is not true but when you look at the index, which by the way indicates v for vegetarian and f for fish, it feels like ALL the soups in the world are there for me to try. So I did, made a start with a quick soup: sopa de panela.

CHICKPEA SOUP WITH MIND and GARLIC

Serves 4:

2 x 400g/ 14 oz cans chickpea, 2 fat cloves of garlic roughly chopped, 6 tps olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, salt and pepper, 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves and 2 tbsp of parsley, all leaves finely chopped.

Drain the liquid from the chickpea can into a measuring jug and make up the amount to 900ml/ 1 and 1/2 pints. Purée the liquid with the chickpeas, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice and season to tast with salt and pepper. Turn into a pan and stir in most of the mint and parsley. Heat through, taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve garnished with the rest of the mint and parsley and, if liked, a swirl of olive oil, and triangular croutons (for which you also get the recipe too) and lemon wedges on the side.

A Recipe Book Without Words

Since then my feelings have change towards my “social book,” I am not referring to the all-important e-kind; mine is a real, attractive, gorgeous object and I now think it to be a great present. But what is a social book? And more importantly, why would you have the need for one?

Let’s cut it short: address books and guests books are social books; the marketing twist here is to take the idea and extend it to a much larger range and create a pretty book which entices you to write in. Mine makes recording easy with its 6 food themed transparent dividers, the cover and the dividers are plastic splash proof sheets; practical touches are good. The next question, of course, being: “do we still write down our favorite recipes?”

At the end of each section, there are a couple of plastic wallets so that you can display photos or articles which make me think that you might not want to do all this for yourself onl,y but maybe for somebody else and present your book, now with words, to another. The penultimate page is a zipped wallet, I can see the relevance of this for the gardening book, though I am not sure what requires to be zipped in a recipe book. Let’s face it  not all good presents are useful, some of the best are entirely useless. Will I use mine? I don’t know. But I like the idea that I now have a beautiful place to write my recipes in.

And if/when I do one of my first recipe will be

Herb Soup
Ingredients:
chives 1 tbs
parsley 50 gm
coriander 50 gm
dill 50 gm
spinach leaves 100 gm
5 spring onions
1 small lettuce
½ tub of cream cheese
1 potato peeled
1 pint of water
bouillon such as Marigold
butter

Method:

Melt the butter in a saucepan, and add the spring onions and the potato and cook for 10 minutes.  Add the herbs and sweat them for a minute, too long and they might “disintegrate.”  Add the stock, bring to boil and cook for 10 minutes.  Liquidise, adding the stock as you do so, to get the right level of thickness.  Pour in the saucepan again and add creamed cheese or cream.

My social book comes from Paperchase, a UK-based company, but I read that there is extensive opening programme in the USA, so for anywhere else in the world, keep your eyes peeled or come this way clutching a wish list for a spot of famous London Xmas shopping.