Amy Cotler

**I received an ARC of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

This cookbook is beautiful and delightful! Every page has sweet artful touches, fun historical and contextual facts relating to the book, and delicious and authentic recipes. I always loved The Secret Garden and was a little worried that a cookbook would not be able to do it justice. I was wrong! I hope to buy a hard copy of this soon to share with my daughter as we read The Secret Garden together. I know she will love all the applied learning, as well as the delicious rewards at the end! I definitely recommend this book, especially to parents who may be reading the original book with their kids. It really does add a whole new dimension of fun learning!… (más)

I absolutely love bookish cookbooks! They make me happy in my heart. :) The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is one of my favorite classic children's books. I've loved the story of a sad little girl discovering a hidden, overgrown garden and bringing it back to life since I was a little girl myself. So, of course, I jumped at the chance to review the new edition of this cookbook!

This book is definitely going into my collection of bookish cookbooks! Each section of the book has a bit about the Victorian traditions regarding food, serving food, and cooking meals. Each recipe is accompanied by a bit of background, color photographs and illustrations, and a concise, easy to follow, recipe. The layout is easily readable, and visually appealing. The recipes are varied, ranging from main courses to tea and lighter fare such as cucumber sandwiches. It also includes some dishes from India and picnic foods.

Lovely cookbook! And definitely an awesome companion for a much beloved classic book!

**I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book from Quarto Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own**… (más)

I read Francis Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden after my mother told me she had read it as a girl, and that her mother had read it as a girl. It was the only book my mother ever mentioned having read as a child.

The beloved children's classic story tells the story of Mary Lennox who had lived a life of ease in India; after cholera takes her family, she is sent to live in England. Adjusting to her new life, the lonely girl meets local boy Dickson and together they discover and revive a neglected garden. Although rife with dated colonialist and racist attitudes, the basic story of regeneration is timeless.

Food plays an important role in the book, and cookbook author Amy Colter shares recipes inspired by the story, newly revised and updated to appear with the release of the new The Secret Garden movie. Quotations from the novel regarding food are interspersed.

Colter's chapter introductions informs readers on many subjects from the typical Victorian meals to what was in a kitchen garden to the history of tea.

So many of these recipes are homely and wholesome and nostalgic.

Chapters include:

Yorkshire Breakfasts; Coddled Eggs are so simple--why don't we made them every week? I do make my own cocoa mix--this recipe has a dash of cinnamon!
A Manor Lunch; this casual meal could include Potato Snow, Roasted Chicken with Bread Sauce, or Welsh Rabbit.
An English Tea; I am now dreaming of Warm Cranberry Scones with Orange Glaze and Fruit Tea Loaf!
From the Kitchen Garden; Wholesome fresh food including Sweet Glazed Carrots and easy Summer Berry Pudding.
Dickon's Cottage Food; Tattie Broth, Pease Pudding, Yorkshire Oatcakes--this is my idea of comfort food!
A Taste of India; Exotic recipes from Colonial India includes Fruit Lassi, Mulligatawny Soup (which I make frequently!), and Fresh Magno Chutney.
Garden Picnics; Including the easy to transport Cornish Pasties, brought to my home state of Michigan by immigrants working in the copper mines--a complete meal.
This is a delightful book.

I was given access to a free egalley by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.… (más)

I read this cookbook courtesy of the publisher, via Netgalley.

I ADORE bookish cookbooks, and this one is 1) based on one of my favorite childhood books, 2) highlights recipes from one of my favorite places on the planet (which I visited in person this year!), Yorkshire, 3) incorporates loads of interesting historical and cultural anecdotes along with relevant book excerpts, and 4) does this all in a gentle, breezy tone that is perfect for middle grade readers AND adults to enjoy.

I really wish this book had existed when I was about 11 and reading Frances Hodgson Burnett's books. I can imagine reading this cookbook and trying out the recipes with my mom or grandma!

The very organization of the book is educational, especially for kids, with sections on Yorkshire breakfasts, manor lunches, English teas, kitchen gardens, cottage food, Indian dishes, and garden picnics. I want to try a number of recipes. I've made Parkin before, but the version in this book looks very good--and doesn't need golden syrup, which is great, as it's hard and/or expensive to get in America. I also have my eye on the Jam Roly-Poly, and Cornish Pasties, and others.

This is the kind of cookbook that's fun and informative to read, even though I have yet to give the recipes a try.… (más)