B O O K R E V I E W S what was virgin territory back then (there were really no cookbooks or programmes available, nor websites sharing recipes) I found the easiest way to eat simply and sustainably was with this nifty kitchen device. Seriously, www.foodtechnology.co.nz 25 Melie Ferrier is a baking genius and a young girl to be watched closely. At just 17, this University of Auckland science student not only has a thriving cake business, but has recently put out this debut cookbook featuring a stunning collection of creative cakes and sweet treats she is particularly fond of. Her story started when her mum presented her with a cookbook on her eighth birthday, and took off when she made a cake for her friend’s 15th birthday that was so admired she starting baking cakes at night and on the weekends to sell to customers. Now with 10,000 Instagram followers, Ferrier sells stunningly decorated cakes that are in hot demand through her blog melieskitchen.squarespace.com. In this delicious cookbook, she shares recipes for pretty cupcakes, layered cakes, pastries, cookies, slices, fillings, icing and She taught us how to quit sugar in eight weeks, then went on to teach everyone how to cook delicious essentials in a simple way. Now Sarah Wilson is back to give us mindful, sustainable and economical practices to bring back the ‘slow’n’low’ approach of slow cooking which creates densely nutritious meals with no or very little sugar. A New York Times bestselling author and entrepreneur – and former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine – Wilson says her journey away from sugar led her straight to her slow cooker. “I bought my first electric slow cooker for $39 around the same time I quit sugar (2011),” she says. “As I ventured into THIS MONTH’S LUCKY SUBSCRIBER, Brett Hopwood of Pharma Pac will receive all three books reviewed on this page. a slow cooker is sustainable in every sense… time, money and the environment.” The book shows readers how to use the slow cooker, create simple staples and clever sides, start the day with hearty breakfasts and weekday ‘dump’n’runs’, cook soups and stews, curries and comfort classics, how to make offal, and how to bake sugar-free cakes and puddings. If you’re a fan of fashion and beauty – and you’re under 30 – you might recognise the name Tanya Burr. A hugely successful English blogger, makeup artist and author, Burr has nearly 3.5 million subscribers and 15 million monthly views, and is what you’d call a YouTube sensation with her own make-up range. Following the hugely successful ‘Love, Tanya’, the 25-year-old has just released her first cookbook ‘Tanya Bakes’, in which she share yet another passion…baking…with recipes that have been passed down through her family. No category is spared – cakes, puddings, loaves, pastries, staple bakes and special occasions – and Burr has aimed to provide something for everyone, however experienced you are in the kitchen. Delicimo recipes include Cornflake Choc Chip biscuits, salted caramel brownies, rhubarb and custard muffins, and pistachio cake with lemon curd. Ideal for anyone wanting a gift for an internet-savvy Generation Y. toppings; and includes hints, tips, tricks and step-bystep photography. With additions like Peanut Butter Fudge and Marshmallow Bars, Lemon Curd/Almond and Honeycomb Crunch Cake, and Panna Cotta Buckwheat Tart with Thyme-Roasted Strawberries, you can see why any novice or experienced baker would love to read this book from one of New Zealand’s innovative young bakers. Ferrier will be 18 when this book is published, and well into her studies around food science after leaving secondary school at the end of Year 12. She is clearly a young woman destined for great success. Baking, she says, is relaxing…if she ever feels stressed, she escapes to the kitchen to create and unwind. I QUIT SUGAR SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK TANYA BAKES MELIE’S KITCHEN I QUIT SUGAR SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK, by Sarah Wilson (Macmillan, available now, $29.99) TANYA BAKES, by Tanya Burr (Penguin Random House, available now, $40) MELIE’S KITCHEN, by Amelia Ferrier (Penguin Random House, available now, $40)
FT AUG 16
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