Food News – Gran’s Table

Mother’s Day can be about painful memories for those of us who don’t relate well to our biological families. Despite this, Love & Food at Gran’s Table [RRP$49.95] may still hold some value.  While Kiwi cook Natalie Oldfield’s book definitely celebrates grandmothers, it’s also about showing love “through simple, everyday actions” – something we can all do with our urban families of choice. What you’ll find within is a collection of recipes by sixty grandmothers from around the world. Being grandmothers, most of these recipes come from a time period before pre-packaged food, which is quite in tune with the contemporary food trend about ‘cooking with ingredients your grandmother would recognise’. So expect to find great recipes for Mustard Pickle, Lemon Cordial and Three-Fruit Marmalade. You’ll also find lots of comfort food, made on few ingredients, and generally inexpensive ones at that. Biscuits, sweets, baking and desserts are well represented, with the Boston Bun and Lil’s Saffron Buns both piquing my interest. The global nature of the recipes means Lebanese comfort food Riz Bi Jaj (chicken and rice) and Irene Elfriede Deckert’s Swabian Potato Salad from South-West Germany, are likely to get a run in my kitchen too. Interspersed with the recipes are stories about the lives of these female home cooks, including what making food means to them. www.granstable.com.au