Ainsley Harriott's Gourmet Express Book

Another TV series, another book. The energetic Ainsley Harriott rides back into our kitchens on board the Gourmet Express, fizzing as always with ideas and enthusiasm. His mission this time is to persuade us away from the freezer, the microwave and the telephone at the end of a long day, when we're tired, stressed and hungry. He wants to show us how we can eat well and imaginatively, with little more effort and at considerably less expense, by cooking for ourselves instead of reaching for a ready-made meal or phoning for a take-away. As he points out, "food has never been more exciting or inspiring than it is today". Given intelligent shopping in supermarkets and food shops, and a judiciously maintained store cupboard, we really only have ourselves to blame if our diet becomes a bore. It certainly won't do that with Ainsley around. He has the most amazing knack of coming up with interesting, tasty, fresh-sounding food, time after time, sourced it seems from all round the world. True to his theme, the current book concentrates on fast food, with lots of snacks and street-food type recipes: Celtic Samosas (the insides are green and white), Paper Potato Pizza, Café Chilli Beef Tacos are a few of these. There are a number that require a bit more time and attention (a cracking Shepherd's Pie, for instance), but most dishes come in at well under the hour for both preparation and cooking. Fans of Ainsley Harriott will know what to expect, and they won't be disappointed. As ever, the book is beautifully produced and clearly laid out, a pleasure to use. There is the usual quota of pictures of Ainsley, some striking a more pensive note than hitherto (connoisseurs will be interested to note), and the punning recipe titles have the requisite love-them-or-loathe-them pizzazz. -- Robin DavidsonRead More