In The Mood For Food
Jo Prattt
Penguin
 Boys- look away now. This is quintessentially a ladies book. From the recipes to the girly cover In the Mood For Food is the cookbook for girls to pick up when they need inspiration for romance, easy to impress recipes and good old ‘I need something easy and to prepare’ days. Jo Pratt, contributor to Olive, BBC Good Food and Elle conjures up a recipe book that is unashamedly simple and endearing.
Not necessarily a book for hardcore foodies and without any of the recipes belonging to any particular cuisine, Jo offers simple and easy to follow recipes that all girls would be able to relate to. A perfect example would be ‘good intention Monday’ cue chapter In the Mood for Being Healthy where you will find recipes for Tuna, Cannelloni and Lemon Salad, Pan-fried Mackerel with Beetroot, Avocado and Potato Salad (this one has been tried and tested and is superb) to a ‘Superfruit’ Salad. Needless to say good intentions never last, this is where In the Mood for Naughty but Nice comes in and this, if proffering a personal opinion was certainly my favourite chapter. Recipes for a Triple Chocolate Hit which to you and me means a rich chocolate tart with chocolate orange pastry and malted milk chocolate ice cream – food does not get naughtier than this. A really impressive Pimm’s Trifle graces this section as do Rhubarb and Custard Ice Lollies.
In the Mood for Some Comfort covers all important hangover cravings – this translates into Baked Breakfast Baguette and Sausage and Fried Egg Hash. However the most revolutionary is the recipe for Lucozade and Orange Jelly – although this probably needs to be prepared with a little foresight.
Other chapters included are In the Mood for Being Extravagant details the impressively easy to follow Show Off section and if the way to a man’s heart is truly through his stomach, these recipes will have him eating out of the palm of your hand, like the Sundried Tomato, Parmesan and Olive-crusted Rack of Lamb with a Warm Green Bean and Pine Nut Salad. Sounds fiddly but Jo makes it surprisingly simple to follow.
This book is not about being clever or about being poncey, it’s about taking good honest food and having fun which seems to be what Jo Pratt does best.
Sam Swaine
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