Telegraph Weekend 23rd October 2004
Read it and eat: Aga Seasons and The First-time Cook
(Filed: 23/10/2004)
Casilda Grigg reviews new cookery books
Aga Seasons by Amy Willcock (Ebury Press, £20).
Metropolitan readers wedded to ready meals and takeaways will
be familiar with that stab of envy when visiting country friends
who possess labradors, Agas and views of rolling hills. But
all too often, a trip to the country is a floury extravaganza
of toast, pies and pastry quite fatal to the urban waistline.
Modern approach to an old design: Amy Willcock
Amy Willcock, a young mother from Chicago, is that rare creature,
an Aga specialist with a modern approach that is never heavy
on the carbohydrates. In this, her fourth book, you'll find
pan-fried scallops with chilli, baby carrots glazed with balsamic
and panna cotta with baked rhubarb.
Willcock's mantra is to support local markets and farm shops,
and buy organically and in season if you can. Woe betide the
air-miles-in-her-shopping-trolley friend who invites her to
dinner.
"Nothing drives me madder than when I go to someone's
house and they serve asparagus in midwinter.''
The tone is practical and reassuring. Chapters are separated
into seasons, with a handy list of seasonal foods at the start.
There are golden rules for Aga success, such as keeping the
lids down and cooking mainly in the ovens, rather than on the
hotplates. Refreshingly, Willcock urges cooks to ignore the
"health police'' and use salt where necessary.
Recipes range from the sweetly rural (lamb in a hay box) to
the luxurious (langoustines with tarragon, truffled scrambled
eggs). Most importantly, several of the dishes can be left in
the oven while the anxious host sinks into a hot bath. Try lamb
with fennel, sea bass baked in foil, or chicken with thyme and
rosemary.
Back to Press Office