Subject: What to do with old cookbooks From: Heather
Like Jacob Smith [June, p130] and Debbie Kenyon [July, p14] I love my books but there came a time when I didn’t have room for them all. I copied my most loved recipes from each and gave five (yes five!) huge boxes to my local college, which was delighted to receive them for their catering students. I know the books have gone to a good home and I’d urge anyone to do the same with those they don’t need.
Subject: Smash burgers From: Jayne Clayton
Life-changing recipe – wow, they worked beautifully [July, p58]. Picture attached: sorry, it was too delicious to wait!
Subject: Sensory appreciation From: Clare
Your magazine brings me much joy, even though I haven’t been able to taste or smell anything for three-and-a-half years. For me, meals are about texture. I can sense salt, pepper, chilli, sweet and sour but that’s all. I’ve had glimpses of taste in the past few months, but they’re gone as soon as they arrive. For now I’ll keep subscribing and I hope that one day I too can enjoy the many flavours and smells. If you can, remember how lucky you are.
Subject: Waiting with bated breath From: Gilly Poultney I loved George Egg’s hilarious piece ‘Waiter: a word in your ear’ [July, p130]. My pet hate is when they wait until you’ve taken your first mouthful, then breeze past saying “Everything okay with your food?” while you choke trying to tell them about your chewy steak – by which time they’re back in the kitchen. We once went to a restaurant with eight others and the waiter took our orders without pen, paper or iPad. This was disconcerting as we all ordered different starters; how could he possibly remember? It wasn’t until we received our food that I was able to relax. He’d got every order correct, but the anxious wait negated what should have been a positive experience.
Subject: Messy memories From: Frances Miele Every time I cook a new recipe, I hand my partner a pen after dinner and we scribble together in the margins of our cookbooks. The scribbles take many forms: often praise, notes for second attempts, and sometimes laments for experiments gone awry. Like Jacob Smith [June, p130], we’re in our 20s and surrounded by screens, but we love digging out these old copies and remembering both the recipes and our evenings together. We couldn’t ever throw out our cookbooks – they know too many of our secrets.
STAR PRIZE
This month’s star email wins a Magimix Le Micro Mini Chopper, worth £60 Small, powerful and easy to use, the mini chopper purées, grinds, blends, liquidises and, of course, chops. With an 800ml capacit
