Christmas Countdown: Day 16 - Egg & Spoon: An Illustrated Cookbook


The Pipi Café tucked away in the New Zealand village of Havelock North is not as proprietor and chef, Alexandra Tylee purports, a cake or dragon or dog but rather a pretty pink institution of fine pizzas and local cuisine. And fortunately for us, she is also a cookbook of the most divine proportions.

Egg and Spoon: An Illustrated Cookbook looks less of a cookbook for kids than a regal creation resplendent in its deep red, egg adorned cover. It is the gold crown atop the boiled egg however that hints at rich, tongue in cheek things to come. Tylee wastes no time in getting to the point orientating would-be cooks with kitchen layout and utensils before strutting confidently onto the most important meal of the day, breakfast.

Each recipe is allocated a full two page spread, dividing method and ingredients into neat eye-catching panels with nifty informal suggestions scattered throughout offering alternatives, tips and tricks and useful hacks. Tylee flavours each entry with her unique humour-infused candour, sharing anecdotes and memories; the very stuff good meals are made of.

As promised, this cookbook is fully illustrated; every recipe is faithfully depicted in full sumptuous colour, not photographs. Occasionally the completed dish is portrayed, other times, individual ingredients dance across the pages in a marvellous smorgasbord of description and art. If the recipes aren’t tantalising enough (and they really are!), the pictures alone will have you drooling and turning pages begging for more.

There are chapters devoted to smaller meals, larger meals, baking, celebrations and in-between meals which smack with school-aged child appeal. I wager this cookbook will become a stalwart kitchen companion for many teens and young adults leaving home as well because it covers the basics, the favourites and the slightly exotic-sounding must-tries. The recipes are super easy to follow and have GF, V, DF recommendations and suggestions to cater for most dietary choices. There’s even a Keeping Safe in the Kitchen chapter that highlights the obvious in a way that is non-condescending and relatable for first-time cooks. Superb!

Egg and Spoon is a cookbook all about inclusiveness and enriching not only ones palate and food knowledge but also ones confidence and abilities in the kitchen. I absolutely LOVE it right down to the thoughtfully included TWO page-saving ribbons, because one is never enough, right! This makes a luscious gift for Christmas or indeed anytime for young (and not so young) people with even the merest interest in feeding themselves. And yes, in case you were wondering, there are instructions for boiling aforementioned egg.

Title:  Egg & Spoon: An Illustrated Cookbook
Author:  Alexandra Tylee
Illustrator:  Giselle Clarkson
Publisher:  Gecko Press, $37.99
Publication Date:  October 2020
Format:  Hardcover
ISBN: 9781776572984
For ages:  8+
Type:  Non Fiction, Cookbook

Buy the Book: Gecko Press, Boomerang Books, Booktopia

Comments

Norah Colvin said…
What a great name for a recipe book. It sounds delicious!
22 December 2020 at 20:52
DimbutNice said…
It reads and tastes it too! :-D
22 December 2020 at 21:24
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