Forgotten treasures for modern bakers

Great British Bakes

Simple recipes for cakes, biscuits, pies, puddings and desserts that celebrate Britain's glorious baking heritage, from Great Birtish Bake Off favourite, Mary-Anne Boermans

Brilliantly researched from a true foodie

A book that’s as fascinating to read as it is to bake from

An immaculately researched and fascinating book which would be a worthwhile addition to any cookery book shelf

Daily Telegraph Top 10 Cookbooks for Christmas

A combination of beautiful recipes and intelligent writing (think Claudia Roden, Diana Henry, Nigel Slater et al) ... a very special collection that would make an excellent gift ... grown-up and classy

A wonderful book of historical recipes ... one to take home for a closer read

This book has some very surprising things in it. Possibly the most interesting baking book of the year? ... This one's a keeper

There is a new Queen of Cakes ... [Mary-Anne] epitomises all  that is great about GBBO with a passion and enthusiasm for British  baking that is enough to fill up her fantastic new cookbook ... succeeds in bringing baking history to life while making it completely accessible for the 21st century baker

A clever little book which gives recipes for all sorts of yummy things such as chocolate meringue pie and honeycomb gingerbread and the date they were conceived

The maverick of the competition. Her technical ability and experimental methods make her stand out

A really interesting collection of long-forgotten recipes, lovingly adapted for modern-day kitchens. Mary-Anne's passion for these recipes really comes across in this delightful book

If you fancy some old-time food cooked without preservatives and laced with a liberal dollop of history, then this is the book for you

Mary-Anne Boermans was a finalist in the 2011 series of The Great British Bake Off and is now a successful food writer. She has been cooking and baking for more than 40 years. She is passionate about home cooking and has amassed a library of almost 1000 cookery books, with an emphasis on traditional British recipes. Her first book, Great British Bakes, won the guild of Food Writers First Book Award 2014. She lives in Worcestershire with her husband and daughter.

*Winner of the Guild of Food Writers First Book Award 2014* 
 
Food writer and baker extraordinaire Mary-Anne Boermans has delved into the UK’s fine baking history to rediscover the long-forgotten recipes of our past. These are recipes that fill a cook with confidence, honed and perfected over centuries and lovingly adapted for use in 21st-century kitchens. 
 
Here you will find such tempting delights as Welsh Honey Cake, Lace Meringues, Rich Orange Tart, Butter Buns, Pearl Biscuits and Chocolate Meringue Pie. They are triple-tested recipes that do not rely on processed, pre-packaged ingredients and they are all delicious. And Mary-Anne reveals the stories behind the bakes, with tales of escaped princes, hungry politicians and royal days out to sample the delicacies of Britain’s historic bakeries. 
 
This very special collection sits confidently among the best of British cookery writing, with recipes that have stood the test of time and that will both surprise and delight for years to come.

Mary-Anne Boermans

There’s something to learn on every page and the recipes will have you itching to get cooking

Mary-Anne Boermans believes passionately that traditional British food, refined over centuries, can be tastier, healthier, more exciting and easier to prepare than anything mass-produced. Moreover, by following the collective wisdom of our culinary ancestors we can both save money and drastically reduce food wastage. 
 
DEJA FOOD is a return to the food of times past. It is how we used to eat, being inventive with the less expensive cuts of meat, using richly flavoured leftovers to create stunning new dishes, making the most of seasonal ingredients served simply and deliciously in ways we have forgotten. It’s frugal, but full of flavour, deliciously different, yet proudly traditional. 
 
This delectable collection includes recipes for meat, poultry, game, offal, vegetable and fish. There are skinks, hashes, puddings and pies. Goose, shrimp, parsnips et al will be potted, stewed and fricasseed into hearty, flavourful food that stands up to the best modern recipes. And Mary-Anne will reveal the fascinating stories behind the dishes. 
 
DEJA FOOD is real food, perfected over centuries, that is just as mouth-watering today as it was then.

Mary-Anne Boermans

Praise for Deja Food

There’s something to learn on every page and the recipes will have you itching to get cooking

Books by Mary-Anne Boermans

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