The Magic Book of Cookery by Danaan Elderhill
| The Magic Book of Cookery by Danaan Elderhill | |
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| Category: Spirituality and Religion | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A book which combines recipes and magic in a rather more literal way than is usually meant in such situations. It's interesting and curiously soothing. Danaan Elderhill popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 128 | Date: June 2012 |
| Publisher: AuthorHouse | |
| ISBN: 978-1468582147 | |
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Back in the seventeenth century in what was then the Kingdom of Bohemia there was a coven of witches. As was common at that time witches were hunted and they had to hide their beliefs. The Friends of Euphrosyne, as they called themselves, turned to this deity (she's one of the three graces and there to remind us to have fun) in their time of need and developed rituals which could be assimilated into social gatherings, allowing them to hide in plain sight. Their book - The Magic Book of Cookery - vanished along with the coven when they were discovered but Danaan Elderhill wants us to benefit from its ancient wisdom - and its fun.
The emphasis is on the thinking which begins the moment you consider your meal. The thoughts are the energy - the building blocks if you like - which add to the meal. The ingredients are not just flavours: they all have their magical properties and for this reason Elderhill advises going to smaller suppliers rather than supermarkets. It's in the small shops that you find the love and care - and where the interaction between you and the suppliers is so much more appreciated. Elderhill tells us about the rituals associated with preparing food and the reasons behind them, but don't wonder if this is going to be a problem. Many are soothing and rather pleasant. They often give a feeling of inner peace.
There are rituals to go with every occasion, but you should begin with the ritual to cleanse your house. Then you're ready to think about specific occasions. There's quite a variety too, from a dinner ritual to attract good health through to one to overcome financial difficulties. Each dinner has an associated recipe and the rituals are interwoven with the preparation of the food. It would be possible to prepare the food without the rituals, but I think that you would lose something of the energy. The recipes are tasty, mostly with readily available ingredients and require no special culinary skills.
I enjoyed the illustrations in the book. They're gentle, atmospheric watercolours in muted colours which really add to the feel of the book. I'd like to thank the author for sending a copy to the Bookbag - it certainly brought a little magic into my life.
For another cookery book with a little magic - although of a different nature - we can recommend Fairytale Food by Lucie Cash. We also appreciated Saved by Cake: Over 80 Ways to Bake Yourself Happy by Marian Keyes where it was the act of baking which brought about an improvement in mental health.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Magic Book of Cookery by Danaan Elderhill at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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Danaan Elderhill was kind enough to be interviewed by Bookbag.
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