Photo by Sam Folan
There is something very old-fashioned about the the title of Claire Thomson’s new book, but there is nothing remotely fusty or quaint about the recipes in it, which are as vibrant as the book’s cover. It is huge in scope — more than 400 pages — and written to cover just about every eventuality. You could cook non-stop from this book for, indeed, a year, without ever getting bored! With over 200 recipes, and with an expansive flavour palette, it is a boon for those in a cooking rut. And while it is impossible, in this small space, for me to give an indication of the book’s range and variety, I can tell you that the recipes I have earmarked include Crab Noodle Broth; Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Green Olives & Parsley, Tzatziki & Flatbreads; Rhubarb and Custard Cake; Tray-baked Potatoes with Mushrooms & Chestnuts & a Slosh of Sherry; Marsala Chicken with Roasted Garlic, Raisins & Almond; Guinea Fowl with Porcini Bread Sauce (an idea of genius!) & Cavolo Nero; and Fried Chilli Butter Sesame Eggs with Kale on toast, which I very much wish I were eating right now!
The recipe I’ve chosen to share with you, and which I am itching to make, is Thomson’s Caramel Apple Cake, which appropriately enough comes from the Autumn section.
Home Cookery Year by Claire Thomson (Quadrille, £30).
Photography: Sam Folan
