FOOD FILENow that the school book list has been filled, attention turns to a seasonal literary treat - the pre-Christmas cookery-book launches. More food and wine titles will be sold between now and December 25th than for the rest of the year, and the big publishing houses have a star-studded line-up in store, most of them with October publication dates.
Many of the big names have their fingers in the pie again, with bankers due out next month from Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Gary Rhodes and Nigella Lawson. Oliver is taking a worthy stance with his take on simple family meals (The Ministry of Food, published by Michael Joseph, £25). Ramsay has moved to HarperCollins for his next book, on home entertaining (Gordon Ramsay: Off Duty, £25). Rhodes has a recipe for every day of the year (Gary Rhodes 365, (Penguin, £25), while Lawson concentrates on cooking's biggest day of the year, December 25th (Nigella Christmas, Random House, £25).
Books destined for the coffee table rather than the kitchen counter are due from Heston Blumenthal (The Big Fat Duck Cookbook, Bloomsbury, £100); Ferra Adrià (A Day at elBulli, Phaidon, £29.95); Joel Robuchon (The Complete Robuchon, Grub Street, £25) and Thomas Keller (Under Pressure, Artisan, £50).
Closer to home, there is a lot of interest in Richard Corrigan's new book, The Clatter of Forks and Spoons (Fourth Estate, £30), which The Bookseller describes as being "dense with well-written prose". Tom Doorley was closely involved in the planning and early stages of this one. Cornucopia at Home (Atrium, £30) is the title of a new book from the much-loved vegetarian restaurant of the same name in Dublin's Wicklow Street. Rachel Allen is back, on TV as well as in bookstores, and she's tempting the nation with sweet treats (Rachel's Baking Secrets, HarperCollins, £20).
In the UK, Quadrille is launching Skye Gyngell's second book, My Favourite Ingredients (£25), as well as the eagerly awaited first book from Anthony Demetre, Today's Special (£20), giving a taste of his hot London restaurants Arbutus and Wild Honey.
A place for everything
Ever wondered why your kitchen is bursting at the seams with kit, some of it rarely if ever used? According to the Dutch design house Royal VKB, when we buy new kitchen implements, we don't get rid of the old ones, in case the replacements fall short. Royal VKB, now stocked in Brown Thomas kitchen shops, claim to make products that perform better, so we always prefer them. And unlike a lot of kitchen equipment, the products are good to look at, too. Knife blocks are a case in point - in general they're poorly designed and fail to accommodate the cook's battery of favourite, often ill-matched, knives. Which is why I fell for Royal VKB's sleek, matt black, multi-purpose block (€60). The flexible polypropylene pockets snugly hug a range of implements, so now my knives have a home to go to, rather than sitting in a heap on the worktop.
WEB WATCH
www.wineandtapas.com
So, you're just off the plane in Dublin airport, and already recalling wistfully those long, lazy lunches in chiringuitos on the beach, and tapas chased with small glasses of ice cold fino . . . You can recreate some of your favourite Spanish dishes by stocking your larder with ingredients such as bomba rice, piquillo peppers, smoked paprika and saffron, from this Irish company.
Deliveries can be made nationwide.