![\"cookbook](\"http:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/img\/10-mins-to-table.jpg\")
Well, that sounded a tall order! Was this going to be a lot of hastily-chopped salad? Perhaps a collection of toast recipes? Probably publicity for the world\u2019s most expensive can-opener. No, these are very good recipes that will only take you (well, OK, a very practised you) 10 minutes or so. Admittedly we are not talking casseroles, slow braises or chunky roasts but very sensible food that will have even those who hate the inside of a kitchen signing up for a bit of cooking.<\/p>\n
You might know the author, Xanthe Clay, from the Telegraph where she writes for the weekend section and regularly contributes to the paper. She also has a weekly webcast on Telegraph TV. Xanthe had a Saturday Telegraph column, Readers Recipes, which ran for eight years; this was the inspiration for her first book, It\u2019s Raining Plums.<\/p>\n
We all know what it\u2019s like to be strapped for time. Life is a constant juggle with work, family or social activities and it\u2019s often meals that suffer. It\u2019s tempting to take the quick option of \u201cinstant\u201d food. We all do it but how daft is it to buy fast food that actually takes longer to prepare than its fresh home-cooked original. We see frozen pasta with sauce that takes as long to cook as regular pasta, and you could use that time to make your own additive\/E-number-free sauce.<\/p>\n
Now, I love cooking but I am aware that there are many out there who do not. There is no shame in that but you can honestly have a meal on the table in less time than it would take you to shake a Martini and phone Wayne at the pizza shop. You\u2019ll save a packet, and your body and your bank manager will thank you. These dishes are tempting, economic and fast.<\/p>\n
There are 80 10-minute dishes here… well, actually there are also 30 dishes that take less than 5 minutes to make. The chapters are divided by food type and there is something here for everyone, with plenty of fish and vegetarian options.<\/p>\n
I was expecting a lot of spaghetti but there is, in fact, only one recipe for pasta… and that is for home-made pasta. Yes, it can be done in a few minutes with the use of a food processor and a good pasta machine, but you might need to be a confident cook to tackle that one. The other recipes are surprising in their sophistication and good enough to serve to guests.<\/p>\n
Rare Beef with Radish, Cress and Pea Salad is hearty and smart. As Xanthe points out, you could add some baby new potatoes if you can spare just a few minutes more. Fresh Sardines with Parsley, Spring Onions and Jersey Royals is light and delicious, and these little fish are some of the cheapest around.<\/p>\n
The most stunning recipe is for Speedy Fish Soup. It isn\u2019t too expensive to make as it uses salmon and pollack and just a few prawns and mussels. It looks amazing and would be a lovely dinner party dish. You\u2019ll spend more time laying the table than cooking.<\/p>\n
10 Minutes to Table is a book full of ideas for meals that are not a compromise. No more excuses for buying TV dinners, buy this book instead.<\/p>\n
10 Minutes to Table
\nAuthor: Xanthe Clay
\nPublished by: Mitchell Beazley
\nPrice: \u00a314.99
\nISBN 978 1 84533 495 6<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Cookbook review by Chrissie Walker \u00a9 2018<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Well, that sounded a tall order! Was this going to be a lot of hastily-chopped salad? Perhaps a collection of toast recipes? Probably publicity for the world\u2019s most expensive can-opener. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20434,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,22],"tags":[2230,2229],"class_list":["post-8202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-cookbooks","tag-10-minutes-to-table","tag-xanthe-clay"],"yoast_head":"\n