Review: "Sizzle & Drizzle" by Nancy Birtwhistle

I’m a bit of a cookbook fan but I had to put the breaks on buying them because I was accumulating them just for the sake of it without ever actually cooking anything from them. That was until I found out my favourite winner from the Great British Bake Off, Nancy Birtwhistle brought out her own cookbook “Sizzle & Drizzle”.

I had a huge cull of cookbooks and decided to only keep those that were classics, made a nice book to read (besides the recipes) or were the books that had my most used recipes.

Great British Bake Off Winner

I’ve been watching the Great British Bake Off since it started, albeit seeing it on Australian television many months after it aired on UK television but enjoyed it nonetheless.

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It epitomises everything I love about baking. Every day people from all walks of life who have a love of creating food from basic ingredients. (Great British Bake Off is a very close second to my absolute favourite cooking show, Masterchef UK.)

There was something about Nancy when she appeared in the 5th series of Bake Off that I immediately warmed to. She is very down to earth and even though she may not have heard of baklava before, she got stuck in and did it and it came out beautifully. She has the basic skills across all forms of baking which allows her to create anything. And she is so neat, so neat.

She has a great sense of humour and the banter between her and judge, Paul Hollywood during the show, was very entertaining and good for a laugh.

I often think about what happens to the contestants after they appear on Bake Off and try to find them on social media to follow what they’re up to. When I found Nancy on Instagram, it was when I saw her in her every day life, tending her garden, cooking from scratch, preserving food, sharing handy home hints and being her true self, that I warmed to her even more.

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She’s very much a woman after my own heart. I see a lot of myself in her with the way I dance around the kitchen and do very similar with my cooking. The only difference is I don’t have a fruit and vegetable garden but one day Nancy. One day.

Review of “Sizzle & Drizzle”

When Nancy announced the release of her new cookbook/homemaking guide “Sizzle & Drizzle”, I grabbed a copy. I also had the opportunity to have a handwritten inscription by Nancy so of course I had her write “To my biggest Bakeoff fan in Australia”, which of course is true.

The book is hard backed with a dust cover. It contains 100 recipes within approximately 400 pages. Each recipe has a colour photograph (taken by Nancy) of the finished dish as well as a link to the video using a QR reader on your phone. You can also wipe clean the pages if you spill anything on them.

I watch re-runs of Great British Bake Off daily when I’m having my lunch and I just love it. I will never tire of it.

Where to get your copy

If you’d like to check out Nancy’s book “Sizzle & Drizzle” you can grab a copy here. If I was to write a cookbook and homemaking guide, it would be exactly like this. So many easy, straight forward recipes and fantastic home hints for the modern homemaker but with an old fashioned twist. A lot like me.

I’d also like to add that Nancy has self published this book. She had so many knock backs from publishers and decided to do it anyway. She took her own photos, drew a lot of illustrations herself and packed and shipped the books herself. She’s an amazing woman and I wish her every success!

Cooking for Busy Mums Cookbook

One of the best things about my blogging journey over the last 5 years is the number of people I’ve met and friendships I’ve made both online and IRL (in real life). One such person is Amanda Voisey from the blog, Cooking for Busy Mums. Amanda has been blogging now for over 6 years and started out with a Facebook page all those years ago. She had not long had her first born and had to come up with fast, fresh and family-friendly meals so started sharing them. The culmination of all those years of sharing her recipes has now come together in the form of her brand new “Cooking for Busy Mums” cookbook.

I first met Amanda, in person, back in May 2013 when we were both lucky enough to win our rounds of the Gourmet Garden Cook Off at the Good Food & Wine Show held in Brisbane. We were whisked off to Noosa for a 4 day gastronomic tour of the Noosa Region including plenty of hands on cooking opportunities. Amanda and I just clicked right from the start. We both have a passion for cooking, using fresh, seasonal produce and cooking hearty, healthy meals for our families that taste good. 

Homemade Crackers

One of Amanda’s recipes I’ve been wanting to try, like forever, is her homemade savoury crackers. That’s about the one thing I buy ready made from the supermarket and with all the rubbish they put in them, I don’t know why I haven’t http://www.facesoflyme.com/view_pets/profile/pet_webpage.php?def=1&pet_id=3146 made them before. (Stay tuned because I’ll be making this recipe very soon.)

There are over 150 quick and easy recipes in Amanda’s new cookbook with dishes from breakfast to light meals and side dishes, a whole variety of dinner options, sweet treats, snacks and a special inclusion of reader’s recipes. 

The “Cooking for Busy Mums” cookbook also has a comprehensive section at the front explaining the standard Australian measurements, how to balance family nutrition, her favourite kitchen appliances, tips, pantry lists and what should go into a healthy lunchbox. I’m sure Amanda’s two young boys are very spoilt and envied by all the other young children at school when they see what’s in her boy’s lunchboxes.

All of the recipes are easy, fast, fresh, frugal and tried and tested on her family. Amanda is a busy Mum, like most of us, and works part time outside the home and still manages to cook from scratch and share her recipes. She deserves every success with the release of her new cookbook after years of sharing her wealth of knowledge.

If you’re looking for a cookbook that will fast become one of your favourites, be sure to grab your copy as soon as possible. Her book goes on sale on 25 May 2016 and is available at all good book stores.

Congratulations Amanda! 

 

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of the “Cooking for Busy Mums” Cookbook for review. All photos, thoughts and opinions are my own.