Title: My Darling Lemon Thyme
Author: Emma Galloway
Publication Date: April 1st 2014
Synopsis: As this is a cookbook, I think I will just explain a little about the aim of the cook and the recipes contained within. Galloway originally started a blog, documenting gluten-free vegetarian recipes that she created for her family after discovering that she and her two kids had quite a few food intolerances. This cookbook follows on from that - containing recipes that are allergen-friendly and good for you.
My thoughts: Firstly, I don't think I can talk about this book without mentioning how beautiful it is. The photography is simple and beautiful, and has an instant calming effect for me - something that I value highly in a cookbook! The photos are interspersed generously with the writing, but nothing feels overwhelming or confronting - just gentle and encouraging.
I love when authors of cookbooks take the time at the beginning of the book to talk a little about their own journeys with food, and also to talk about their most important ingredients. It helps a lot to know how to store certain flours - particularly when you're gluten-free and are having trouble understanding the difference between wheat flour and buckwheat flour.
The recipes all looked so good that I had to take the time initially to sit down and go through it front-to-back, bookmarking all the recipes I'd like to try. I ended up with a crazy amount of tags peering out at me, but that just made me feel happy - that Galloway had managed to entice me with so many recipes, when I often tend to find only one or two that look truly good in books that are allergen-friendly.
I will say that I feel a little daunted at the prospect of hunting down the different flours needed for a lot of the recipes in this book - and that is probably simply because of my lack of energy. I had originally hoped that this cookbook would contain less obscure flours so that it might be friendly for those with chronic illness that are looking to make a diet change, but it can be difficult to balance healthy, good food with easy-to-make recipes.
I also have a few reservations about the sheer quantity of sweet foods in this book - I often have a sweet tooth, and I love that there are so many delicious looking desserts in here that mostly use healthy sweeteners, but it only makes some of the savoury recipes look all the more complex. As someone who doesn't often have the energy to tackle a recipe with a huge amount of ingredients and instructions, I worry that I might end up just living off of sweet things alone! (Which probably sounds good, but I know might lead to bad things.)
Overall, this book is a delight to peruse and has multiple recipes that are the most delightful meeting of healthy and comfort food. Galloway's voice throughout the book is gentle and encouraging, and seeing her kids enjoying the food in many of the photos just makes me feel all the more excited about the possibilities contained within this beautiful tome. I feel both excited and content to have this book among my collection, and look forward to trying more recipes as time goes on.
I received a copy of this for review from Harper Collins (Thank you!).
You would like this book if: you love beautiful cookbooks with delicious recipes; you are looking for some allergen-friendly recipes that don't contain a HUGE amount of obscure ingredients.
Rating: 7.5 /10
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