Reviewed by Christine Salins
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More Food, Wine & Travel Books
Reviewed by Christine Salins |
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Home | About Christine Salins | Food | Restaurants | Wine | Travel | Photo Gallery | Events | Destinations | Links |
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There would be few kitchens in Australia that don’t have at least one cookbook from The Australian Women’s Weekly test kitchen. And there’s good reason. The recipes are always dependable and achievable, even by novice cooks, yet interesting enough to appeal to all tastes. The Best Food Collection features more than 100 of the magazine’s most requested recipes, and what a mixed bag it is, from Pork Ribs with Honey Sesame Marinade to Fudgy-Wudgy Chocolate Cookies. Other big thick glossy books from the same stable, Great Casual Food and Great Cooking Classics are also worth checking out. ACP Books, $34.95 each, available from bookshops, newsagents and www.magshop.com.au |
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Sally and Gordon Hammond provide plenty of inspiration for far-fetched travel in Weird and Wacky: 100 places and things to do that you’ll hardly believe (New Holland, $16.95). From the Cheese Rolling Festival in England, to the Wife Carrying Festival in Finland and an underground hotel in Coober Pedy, it’s a pandora’s box of weird, wonderful, whimsical and outlandish things to see in the world. |
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The hotels featured in Cool Hotels (Periplus/Simon & Schuster, $45) are simply too beautiful for words. The first in a series of hotel guides focusing on Asia, this edition showcases hotels in India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, chosen for their cutting-edge designs and unique character. This is a lovely book for the coffee table, but it will also have you reaching for the phone to book your next overseas trip. |
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Published in a ring binder rather than book form, New Dairy Culture is intended as a reference source for food professionals. Produced by Dairy Australia, it has comprehensive information on milk, cream, butter, cheese, yohgurt and icecream, with descriptions, serving suggestions, nutritional information and classy photography. The book costs $90. For information on how to obtain it, phone 1800 655 441. |
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Trivia buffs and would-be contestants on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? will appreciate The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country In The World (Lonely Planet, $49.95) for it includes all 192 on the United Nations’ list of defined countries. Those of us with itchy feet will savour it for its evocative photographs, quirky information and its gentle reminder that despite troubled times, the world truly is an amazing place. |
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Those who enjoy taking to the open road should pop a copy of On The Road (New Holland, $29.95) into the glovebox. Lee Atkinson, a former editor of motoring magazine The Open Road and past president of the Australian Society of Travel Writers, has compiled this book of 40 great driving holidays, from the Great Ocean Road to the Savannah Way, Nullarbor, Flinders Ranges and Tasmania. Just one small issue: the inside cover blurb says it covers every state and territory, but the Australian Capital Territory doesn’t get a look in, despite having some lovely drives. |
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“I like lemons. The lemon is bold, sassy, sexy, beautiful and a bit dangerous – the Cleopatra of the kitchen,” writes Brian Johnston in Sicilian Summer (Allen & Unwin, $24.95), a memoir of a sojourn the Sydney travel writer spent in Sicily with a local family. It has all the elements that make up a good story, from family dramas and village politics to history and religion, but it is Johnston’s descriptions of the local food that really stand out. The island’s colourful history and its thousands of years of occupation by Greeks, Romans and Arabs are skilfully woven into the tale. |
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How did two backpackers with 27 cents to their names end up running a multinational company? It was all thanks to passion, according to Maureen Wheeler, one half of the Lonely Planet duo. She and husband Tony tell their fascinating story in Once While Travelling: The Lonely Planet Story (Viking, $32.95), a mix of autobiography, travel book and history of the travel publishing company that has become a global phenomenon. |
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The thing that I’ve always loved most about Victoria is how many things there are to see and do in such a small area. The most compact of all the mainland states, it has some terrific food and wine regions within 90 minutes’ drive of Melbourne. The essential touring companion for anyone wishing to explore them should be The Food & Wine Lover’s Guide to Melbourne & Surrounds (Hardie Grant, $39.95). Not only does it paint a portrait of the places, produce and people, but it has recipes using regional produce and a guide to restaurants, wineries, accommodation and food stores. |
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