Book reviews - cookery books

The Great British Street Party Cookbook by Nancy Lambert

Bake (Make and Do) by Kathleen King

Priddy Books excel at producing colourful and practical books and this is no exception. The book opens up to stand like an easel, so it is perfect to use in the kitchen - no sticky fingerprints all ove the book! And if the pages do get ingredients on them, the shiny finish means they will simply wipe clean. THere are 20 recipes for all sorts of cakes and cookies, with clear step-by-step instructions and mouth-watering pictures of the finished product. The difficulty level and the time needed to prepare and cook are clearly indicated, so parents can help their children choose an appropriate recipe. Or parents may decide to cook the recipes themselves! THere are some unusual recipes, like cream cheese brownies, that I would love to try!

Mind-Blowing Bakes (Professor Cook's... ) by Lorna Brash

Fascinating Fruits (Professor Cook's... ) by Lorna Brash

Smashing Snacks (Professor Cook's... ) by Lorna Brash

Dynamite Dinners (Professor Cook's...) by Lorna Brash

Get Cooking! from Dorling Kindersley

50 tasty recipes - start the day; supersnacks; main meals and sweet stuff - make up this colourful and easy-to-use book. One of the best ways to get childfren to take an interest in food, where it comes from and what makes healthy eating, is to get them into the kitchen cooking for themselves. I particularly like the pictures of all the utensils - it's easy to tell a child to 'get a masher' but they may not know what they are looking for. The recipes are clearly laid out with photos of children demonstrating each step. Useful facts are included and there are ideas to try out in the kitchen. The layout is easy to follow. The recipes are healthy but still appealing and the photos are very appetising! 

Party Food (Make, Bake and Create) by Nancy Lambert

This is a great series from Top That! Publishing - designed for young cooks, but I think the recipes are good enough to inspire all cooks!  There are over 50 scrummy recipes here, for all kinds of parties. Get your child involved in preparations for their own party with easy to follow recipes for pizza baguettes, cheesy ham potato skins, dippy mozzarella sticks and much more. Each recipe is illustrated in appetising full colour and there is a 'Top Tip' for each recipe which help with cooking or give further advice. The recipes are easy to follow and the variety means there is something for every taste.

Sweet Treats (Make, Bake and Create) by Nancy Lambert

Start to Cook by Jane Chisholm

Get your children enthused to get into the kitchen and get cooking with this colourful and practical book from Usborne Books. It is a practical design, with a spiral binding allowing the pages to lie flat; tabs mark each section, and the pages are sturdy enough to withstand a few splashes. Each section is introduced with basic principles and then there are plenty of tasty recipes with step-by-step instructions and pictures showing every stage of preparation. The inclusion of allergy advice is helpful. An accessible and encouraging  book for young cooks who will find they can produce results of which they can be proud. It would make an excellent gift.

Twist It Up by Jack Witherspoon

What better way to inspire children to get cooking than a book by a boy who obviously really enjoys cooking? The book includes breakfast; lunch; school-night dinners; weekend meals; appetisers and sweets so there is something here for every young cook. The recipes are clear, perfectly pitched for their market and easy to follow, with mouth-watering pictures of the completed dish. The 'Twist It Up' box on each page give added ideas. Jack's introductions to each section show him as just an ordinary boy, with all the interests common to boys, so children will readily identify with him. 10 year old Jack is a two-time leukaemia survivor and the spokesperson for the Beckstrand Cancer Foundation.

Top 100 Pasta Dishes by Annabel Karmel

Another practical recipe book from the family eating expert. This time, Annabel turns her attention to meals based on pasta which is both easy to prepare and a healthy option. The first recipes are suitable for 7 months on and recipes for toddlers follow. Some of the toddler recipes can be adapted for the family, and after that section the book goes on to poultry, meat, fish and vegetarian recipes, all perfect for the whole family to sit down and enjoy together. Preparation and cooking times are given, along with number of servings and suitability for freezing. The ingredients are easily come by and the instructions straightforward. I like the fact every recipe is illustrated, so you know what the finished result should be! A really attrractive and practical book which every family will find helpful. 

 Whoopie Pie Fun by Claire Ptak

This book may well have you heading straight for the kitchen! I didn't realise that whoopie pies could come in quite such a wide-range of varieties. The book starts with basic recipes and goes on to more complex recipes with some innovative flavours you may not have thought of, such as rhubarb and custard, and frozen whoopie pies. THere are lots of ideas for fillings too, and these would be useful for all kinds of cake-baking. The instructions are clear and easy to follow and the colour illustrations are truly mouth-watering.

500 Baby and Toddler Foods by Beverley Glock

I was instantly attracted to this book by its chunky feel, attractive layout and appetising pictures. The book starts off very practically, with advice on weaning and an interesting section on foods to avoid, followed by advice on equipment and food safety. The recipes themselves are split into four age-appropriate sections. Each selection has a wide selection of recipes, all accompanied by photos of the completed dish. The recipes are clear and easy to follow and appetising for the whole family. At the end of each section there is an extensive list of variations on the basic recipe. This is an excellent book to be used for all the family, with a wide variety of straightforward recipes which will appeal to all tastes and encourage eating as a family. 

Top 100 Meals in Minutes by Annabel Karmel

Perfect for busy parents, this collection of brand-new recipes ensures you are secure in the knowledge that your little ones are eating healthy, well-balanced home prepared food. It starts with simple purees and finger foods, then moves on to introducing new flavours and textures. The book then gives practical recipes which can be enjoyed by the whole family, including some sweet treats. After the simple purees, some of the recipes are quite complex, but they are clearly explained so inexperienced cooks can develop confidence. Clearly laid out, with mouth-watering pictures, this is a practical guide to use from weaning onwards. I shared the book with the mother of a 6 month old, who was most impresed with the appetising pictures and the fact that the recipes can be used for the whole family and are really tasty, not bland baby food.

Do Try This At Home: Cook It! by John Milton

Children love to spend time in the kitchen and this entertaining and practical book will encourage this. Clear, step-by-step instructions, with comprehensive lists of ingredients and materials required, plus timings and difficulty level make this easy ot use. Plenty of scientific facts are learnt along the way - and some jokes too! This is one in a range of books produced by Macmillan in association with the Science Museum, so you can be sure they will be high-quality and reliable - try Do Try This At Home! as well. The three members of the Punk Science team present this book with great humour and I found the photos of them throughout made the book feel very personal.

What To Feed When by Annabel Karmel

New mums have so many questions and so many concerns about feeding their baby that they will welcome a new book from such a respected expert in the field as Annabel Karmel. This is such an attractive book that it is a pleasure to read, with its pastel backgrounds to every page and clear Q and A layout - over 300 questions are answered. Five sections - 0-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-18 and 18-36 months cover the key stages in feeding little ones. The advice is practical, easy to follow and shows a real awareness of mums' concerns. Reasons are given for the guidelines and these make practical sense and give parents a good basis for making their own decisions. There are recipes for each age group which ensure important food groups are part of the child's diet. An excellent book.

Cooking with Chocolate by Nancy Lambert 

This book had me wanting to get straight into the kitchen! More than 50 super recipes, all based on chocolate. The book starts off with tips on equipment and safety & hygiene. Each recipe is illustrated in full colour; there is a clear list of ingredients and the equipment needed; and the recipes are clearly described step-by-step. Showing the care used in ensuring the book is suitable for children, each recipe clearly indicates where adult help is needed. There are biscuits, cakes, desserts and sweets and many of the recipes will appeal to adult tastes as well as children's. A well thought-out and attrractive cookery series from TopThat - I hope there will be more!

Make, Bake and Decorate Fabulous Cup Cakes by Nancy Lambert

Cup cakes are really popular and so pretty to make - just look at the cover of this book to be enthused! There are, unbelievably, over 50 cup cake recipes in thsi book - I was amazed there are so many! Some are quite inspired - the spring cupcakes and football cupcakes for example - the football ones are great to encourage boys as well as girls into the kitchen. Try pirate cupcakes, under the sea cupcakes, jelly bean jam cupcakes and daisy cupcakes - just some of the unusual ideas. Children will be really proud of the results when they use this book. As with the other books in the series, there are clear step-by-step instructions and ingredients lists, together with guidance where adult help is needed.

Make Your Own Ice Lollies by Nancy Lambert

A huge range of ideas to create some lovely frozen treats - ice cream mousses, lollies and sundaes. The pictures are so mouth-watering, children will be inspired to get into the kitchen and produce some lovely summery treats. As with the other books in the series, there are clear step-by-step instructions and ingredients lists, together with guidance where adult help is needed. The only things I would like to see added to this excellent series would be an indication of the level of difficulty and the anticipated time required - and possibly a calorie count, although I appreciate there is a difficult balance to be achieved between this and ensuring that children do not obsess about calories and weight.