My Favourite Cookbook: Lucas Hollweg’s Good Things to Eat
Good morning campers, and welcome to Wednesday. Today I have the delight of introducing the wonderful Amy from Slice of Sunny - I discovered Amy's blog in the early stages of my own blogging journey and I haven't looked back since. The blog's tagline - 'Eat, Explore, Enjoy' - sums up exactly what to expect and I particularly enjoy her monthly instagram highlights posts - why not head over and check them out? Today Amy introduces her favourite cookbook, which has now been added to my Amazon wishlist in the hope that some lovely person will buy me it soon...
There are so many variations of cookbooks available right now that it can be difficult to find one fantastic all-rounder. But I’ve found it – and it’s called Good Things to Eat.
A quote from author Lucas Hollweg inside the front cover sums it up perfectly: “This is a book about favourite things to cook and eat … It’s about the food that makes me hungry and happy, the food that makes me go ‘yum’.”
Lucas’ book is a seasonal delight, divided into the standard chapters, like cakes, roasts, spaghetti – and some more unusual ones, like chops, gratins and summer and winter soups.
I bought this book three years ago when I moved out of home after graduating, and moved in with my boyfriend. I spent a long time choosing my first proper cookbook, and I’ve never regretted spending some birthday money on this.
When I got it home I sat down and marked up pages and pages of recipes to try, and it’s really helped instill a love and excitement for food in me.
Good Things to Eat has become a firm favourite in our kitchen. We’ll turn to ‘Lucas’ (as we call the book) for help when we’re in need of something a bit nicer than our everyday dinners.
We’ve even formed new traditions around the recipes. Every near year’s day, we’ll sit down to a steaming bowl of pork goulash with a dollop of sour cream on top. No matter how bad the new year’s hangover is, the smell of that goulash cooking can revive anyone.
Other favourite recipes from the book fall into my own ‘comfort food’ category: macaroni cheese, and risotto – which it turns out I’m amazing at making!
Roast sweet potato and goat’s cheese salad is also a winner, taken from the winter salads chapter – and the chilled tomato and cumin soup, from summer soups. Even the cakes are good: the chocolate marmalade slump cake went down very well at work.
This book introduced me to new flavour combinations that I use even without thinking now. It’s perfect if you’re falling in love with the kitchen and love good home cooking.
Good Things to Eat is Lucas’ first book, and he regularly writes about what’s in season in the Waitrose Kitchen magazine. The book is even listed in the Telegraph’s ‘Hidden gems: 10 lesser known cookbooks we can’t live without’.
The introductions to each chapter are personal, and I defy anyone not to do as I did and mark all the pages they’d like to make. The photography is wonderful and simple too, and the emphasis solely on the food.
Thank you for having me on Creative Countryside. It’s been lovely to share my favourite cookbook with you! What’s your favourite?