Grub Street – The Bell Bookshop

Beaufighter boys

Emma — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

A departure from the Cold War for the Boys series! Researched many years ago by the author for a project which did not come to fruition, Beaufighter air and ground crew gave freely of their stories which ranged from complete memoirs to brief anecdotes. And there were a plethora of original photographs for him to choose from.

Graham Pitchfork has built on these reminiscences to trace the roles of Beaufighter squadrons spread across all the theatres of World War Two operations. From home bases, through north-west Europe, North Africa, Malta and the Mediterranean to the far Far East and south-west Pacific, the Beaufighter served far and wide as did the crews of the RAF, RAAF, SAAF and New Zealand and Canadian squadrons. All are covered in this quite unique book to be savoured by all those interested in the war in the air from 1939-1945.

Margaret Costa’s Four Seasons Cookery Book

Emma — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Originally published in 1970 and re-issued by Grub Street for the first time in 1996, our new edition hit the bestseller lists and went on to sell over 20,000 copies and its reappearance was praised by contemporary cookery stars like Nigel Slater, Delia Smith and Simon Hopkinson. Also in that year Margaret Costa was honoured at the prestigious Glenfiddich Awards.

Margaret Costa came to prominence by replacing Robert Carrier as the Sunday Times cookery writer, and although this was her only significant book, it’s hugely influential and was named by Observer Food Monthly as one of the Top 50 Cookbooks of All Time.

The book has stood the test of time and indeed many of those writers who praise her also admit that they have taken their inspiration from her wonderful writing. The book is organized according to the seasons, and within each one there are also themed chapters such as Olives, Comforting Breakfasts or Proper Puddings. This is a modern classic which no cookery collection should be without.

Shackleton boys. Volume 2 True stories from Shackleton operators based overseas

Emma — Mon, 02 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000

After World War II the Royal Air Force went through a considerable downsizing, but retained an essential maritime reconnaissance role for the protection of British interests overseas. These areas were primarily the Mediterranean, Middle East, Far East to Hong Kong and all associated trade routes linking them to Britain and each other. With the arrival in service of the Shackleton from 1951, re-equipment with the new type initially concentrated on the home fleet of Coastal Command. The first overseas station to get them was Gibraltar in 1952, followed by Malta, Singapore, Aden and finally Sharjah.

In addition to their daily routine of maritime patrols, the overseas squadrons took part in a number of significant operations. From dealing with rebellion in Aden, Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence to the Indonesian Confrontation, the Shackleton played a vital peacekeeping role.

There was even a permanent detachment on the island of Gan for search-and-rescue cover for aircraft transiting to and from the Far East.The last overseas RAF Shackletons were based at Sharjah until late 1971, with a detachment from the UK remaining in Singapore until 1972.

The only other operator of the type was the South African Air Force, who flew eight examples of the MR.3 from 1957. The survivors were finally withdrawn from use in November 1984. Thus, after almost thirty-three years the Shackleton’s overseas story was essentially over.

Following the outstanding success of Volume 1, published in 2018 and still available, Steve Bond has garnered another exceptional group of Shack operators who delight in giving the reader their tales of derring-do. Another one for the Boys’ kitbag!

French Provincial Cooking

Emma — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Elizabeth David’s books belong in the libraries of everyone who loves to read and prepare food and this one is generally regarded as her best; her passion and knowledge comes through on every page She was one of the foremost writers on food in the latter half of the 20th century and this book has her most celebrated writing. French Provincial Cooking should be approached and read as a series of short stories, as well written and evocative as the best literature. The voice is highly personal and opinionated, sometimes sharp but always true and always entertaining. Here is a long essay on French cuisine, offering background stories and sketches of recipes more than the slavishly didactic type of recipes that most modern readers might be used to today. For many Elizabeth David was the first to introduce us to the French notion of la cuisine terroir, sometimes interpreted as `what grows together goes together’. For David, this is the heart of regional cooking, and the thing which most distinguishes it from cooking in haute cuisine restaurants where diners arrive at any time or any season and expect to be able to order any well known French speciality. One of the passages which best characterizes David’s approach to a lot of cooking is her opening statement on the perfect omelette: `As everybody knows, there is only one infallible recipe for the perfect omelette: your own.’ The book starts with a short essay on each of the major culinary regions of France, starting perhaps not surprisingly with Provence which is blessed with an abundance of produce. The largest portion of the book consists of chapters on cuisine by type of dish: Sauces, Hors-D’oeuvres and Salads, Soups, Eggs and Cheese, Pates and Terrines, Vegetables, Fish, Shellfish, Meat, Composite Meat Dishes, Poultry and Game and Sweet dishes. The book is all the more valuable in that it paints a picture of a cooking style which existed before modern equipment such as the food processor. Most importantly, the recipes work if your aim is to produce the most excellent food imaginable. What initially may seem to be annoying details (e.g., for omelettes, eggs should not really be beaten at all, but stirred, whereas for scrambled eggs, they should be very well beaten ) are actually secrets to be treasured, that elevate a good dish to a superb one. The lesson is that good food should be done simply, but it takes care, attention to detail, and frequently, time. A hardback edition of French Provincial Cooking has been unavailable for many years and Grub Street is re-issuing it because of overwhelming demand. It should become as popular an edition as the best-selling Elizabeth David Classics.