Details of these books

Here is more about each of these books:

Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin - published by Knopf 1988.

A chapter on 'feeding the fussy' begins with: "I will never eat fish eyeballs and I do not want to taste anything commonly kept as a house pet". She devotes another chapter to Black Cake - a concoction of Jamaican fruit and rum ('it seems the right thing to make two and give one to someone you feel strongly about'). On Fried Chicken she says 'mine is the only right way - no egg, no crumbs, no Rice Krispies.' Her version makes people want to stand up and sing 'The Star Spangled Banner'.

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel - published by Black Swan 1989.

Not for the faint of heart or stomach, this is a celebration of Mexican traditions. Esquivel tells a story in  monthly instalments, giving recipes for chorizo, turkey mole and chillies in walnut sauce. It would be hard to finish the book without wanting to go into the kitchen.

Family Life by Elizabeth Luard published by Bantam Press 1996.

A wonderful evocation of bringing up four children in Spain. You learn how to make chocolate truffles and Tortilla Espanola, but more than that, you read about birthday parties and village celebrations. The book includes an unforgettable account of the death of the author's daughter.

Comfort Me With Apples by Ruth Reichl published by Random House 2001

The story of her family begins with the most extraordinary chapter, describing her mother as not only a bad cook, but a positively dangerous one.  The recipes aren't compelling but the memories are.

Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl

If you want a frosted chocolate cake that will serve 25 you will find it amid tales of her life as a restaurant critic.

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl published by Century 2005.

A delicious account of her time spent as an undercover restaurant critic with recipes from Matso Brei to Moules Marinieres.

A Drizzle of Honey by David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson published by St.Martins 1999.

At the height of the Spanish Inquisition in the fifteenth century, servants were encouraged to spy on their employers.  By revealing the foods they cooked for the Sabbath and Festivals, they contributed valuable evidence and revealed many 'conversos' or hidden Jews.

Apricots on The Nile by Colette Rossant published by Bloomsbury 2001

A memoir with recipes - a child is abandoned by her French mother and settles into a food-centred lifestyle in Cairo, sharing mornings at the bazaar and lavish afternoon bridge parties with her grandmother. Marrowbones with onion confit and stuffed vine leaves help the young girl to adapt to life in Egypt in the 1930s.

Toast by Nigel Slater published by Fourth Estate 2003.

The author became a chef and best-selling food writer (Real Fast Food, Real Cooking and Appetite). In Toast a finicky little boy with asthma develops a lifelong passion for food. The evening when he takes a waitress to a fancy hotel and orders steak tartare by mistake instead of Steak Diane must be one of the funniest and most poignant accounts of a meal in a restaurant.

Angela's Ashes - by Frank McCourt published by Simon and Shuster 1996.

A child grows up in Ireland with a mother who is struggling to feed her family. The accounts of the father spending what little money they have on drink and the funerals of the children will stay with you long after you close the book.