It’s Sunday, cookbook review day,

It’s Sunday, cookbook review day, this week it is The Pie King, & all-round great chef Calum Franklin @chefcalum’s #ThePieRoom @bloomsburycooks that’s taking London & the world by storm, inspiring everyone to talk about the great pies of London. From the book I made the Gala Pie (p79) & the #macandcheesepie (p124, but with roasted peppers not tomatoes), plus made classic puff pastry (p63) & shortcrust pastry (p56). Husband David @whitehouseofwhitehouse ground the pork (oooh…err Mrs), & requested the eggs firmer than #oeufsmollets. Delicious. The Mac’n’Cheese pie slices very well cold & can be reheated on a tray. Gala pie froze in slices too, just thawed in fridge to serve.

Pros: #ThePieRoom is an immensely inspiring book, as it also covers the tavern dishes served at @holborndiningroom @rosewoodlondon, that conjure romanticised menus of a never-so-well-fed old London. Have been reading Joseph Vecchi’s ‘The Tavern is my Drum’ ( #odhamspress 1948) on the food of elegant London, & in the early 1900s posh restaurant eating was rather French (think Sole Richembur, Wild Duck à la Presse). Whereas in Franklin’s reimagined smart London it’s suburban England that’s celebrated & woven into recipes, Coronation Chicken Pie (p206), Beef Cheek & Kidney Suet Pudding (p156), Onion, Thyme & Stout Gravy (p254), Chip Shop Curry Sauce (p253), & Golden Syrup Steamed Pudding (p213), with just a smattering of France & USA. Photographs by @johncareyphoto are at their strongest when staging the drama at Franklin’s pie workshop.

Cons: Pies are often large & grand, beautifully so, would have liked more small pies, perhaps more inventiveness with the pastry recipes like variations on puff & shortcrust. Would have liked even more pastry & pie know-how than there is. Dramatic how-to photographs by fill the sections where perhaps greater written detail – on ways to bake your pie crust to get that restaurant look – would have been good. Would have liked more sweet double-crust pies. Index is basic.

Overall: #ThePieRoom will be one of the hot books this Christmas, no doubt, & as a beautiful inspiring gift for a meaty cook it’s a clear winner.

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