Product Description

The ultimate Christmas food book from the best-loved and most respected cookery writer of recent times, including previously unpublished material. Throughout her pioneering career Elizabeth David often talked about wanting to compile a short Christmas book. Over the years she collated recipes, articles and notes into a file and even went so far as to write an introduction for the book. Beautifully written and illustrated, ELIZABETH DAVID'S CHRISTMAS contains the full file of around 150 recipes and is designed to take the strain out of providing festive food. All the classics are here: mincepies, stuffings and turkey, as well as simple first courses, party dishes and a range of desserts that make this book an irresistible festive fare.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #130426 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 214 pages

Review
The celebrated food writer, who died in 1991, apparently always meant to write a book called Food for Christmas and had not only collected recipes and useful quotes but written the introduction, which makes clear her preference for smoked salmon and a glass of champagne without all the commercial fuss. She even regretted the failure of Cromwell's regime to suppress the whole thing, as clandestine festivities would have been much more fun than enforced jollifications. Her recipes vary between the deliberately old-fashioned, like spiced beef or suckling pig, and those intended to be innovative, such as the family recipe for chocolate ice cream instead of Christmas pud. A welcome revival that fills a gap for those who have thumbed too many times through Delia Smith's Christmas.

About the Author
Elizabeth David was acknowledged as the best and most scholarly food writer of her time, and even today is considered by most to be without peer. She died in 1992.

Customer Reviews

Simply Elizabeth David.
During her life, Elizabeth David (ED) accumulated a vast number of recipes, notes and writings relating to Christmas fayre.
Although the lady did go on to write an introduction, sadly the accumulation of this paperwork materialised after her death, in 1992.
The result is a super book of 224 pages, compiled by Jill Norman, a well-known writer in her own right.

The book includes around 150, tried and tested recipes, written in the simple ED style and designed to take the stress out of cooking for the 'Big Day', before and after!
All the favourites are included - from turkey, mince pies and stuffing, to ideas for lighter dishes, thus making this one of the best and complete books dedicated to Christmas cooking, ever.
A great addition to your 'Elizabeth David' shelf, or a very good 'first' if new to the author!

Perfection
I cannot praise this lovely book too highly. It has all the David magic - exquisite prose, trenchant opinions and luscious recipes: some are of academic interest but nonetheless fascinating; most are dishes of simplicity but also subtlety and finesse. The closing essay 'Para Navidad' is perhaps one of the most perfect writings about food I have ever read. Congratulations too, to the book designer and the photographer. The beautiful cover is a true indicator of the delights within and Elizabeth David, who had a keen visual sense, would have loved the photographs which are not so much of cooked dishes but of simple, pure, beautiful ingredients that make you want to dash off to the kitchen and set to. This is the second book that the editor, Jill Norman, has compiled since ED's death, using the author's notes and files, and a worthy successor to "Is there a nutmeg in the house?" Both show great skill and a light hand - ED's unique voice rings clear and true from every page. Brilliant!