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If You Ask Me: Flo’s Virtual Bookshop

Wednesday, 18 December 2024 08:00

By Flo Whitaker

This month, Flo Whitaker admires the talents of celebrity ghostwriters; a mostly anonymous tribe who can churn out prose on any subject – then sell it by the yard

Try walking into any bookshop in December and you’re in danger of being crushed by mountainous stacks of vapid celebrity offerings. Cookery publications are the worst offenders, with close-up shots of artfully torn lettuce and interviews with ‘inspirational’ chefs who think nothing of trekking the Himalayas to secure a single jar of honey from a Nepalese shaman. Looking for a Christmas gift for a foodie in your family? Have a browse in Flo’s Virtual Bookshop...

M.E.A.T. (Men Eating Animals in Tents)

An Alaskan catch ‘n’ cook extreme survival guide, featuring some beardy blokes off YouTube.

Mrs Welby’s Hotpots

Tasty budget recipes for when your partner suddenly finds themselves unemployed.

Get Stuffed with Nigella Lawson!

Can’t be bothered this Christmas? Simply squeeze into a plunging, glittery top, make a gallon of weapons-grade punch, serve cheap supermarket nibbles – and no-one will care.

My Little Book of Household Management: Liz Truss

(Limited print run.)

Pickles, Stews and Mere Trifles - My Life in Food: Boris Johnson

(Guardian review: ‘Whiffy - with a bitter aftertaste.’)

Victoria Beckham’s Egg-White Cookbook

It’s what you really, really want this Christmas! (No, it isn’t. Ed.)

Vegans; Boiled, Baked or Barbecued? Recipes for a woke-ridden age: Jeremy Clarkson.

(Sommelier Monthly review: ‘Overpriced whines. Nice tractor pictures’.)

Kanye West’s Bumper Book of Tripe

Impenetrable ramblings, but a thoughtful gift during these fuel-poverty times. (1,500 pages - will burn for 12 hours.)

Like Nanny Used to Make – A History of Nursery Puddings: Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Having flung aside our EU shackles, Rees-Mogg argues for the return of traditional British food additives such as arsenic and lead.

Fifty Shades of Beige - Mindful Yoghurt-Weaving with Gwyneth Paltrow:

(Review: ‘I’d rather have a gin and tonic’ - Mary Berry.

When Rudolph met Bambi

A Christmas rom-com foodie fusion by experimental chef, Heston Blooming-eck. You’ve seen the movies - now eat the cast!

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