DAIRY Diary 2024 and Four Seasons Cookbook Set Review
DISCLOSURE – THESE ITEMS WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Shetho
These two attractive, practical books arrived in one bundle packaged in cardboard and delivered by Royal Mail.
The Dairy Diary is A5 in size and is ring bound. It has a hard cover with a lovely country garden picture which wraps around the front and back. Inside the front cover there is a pocket for notes which contains a sheet of stickers so that important dates such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and appointments for doctors, hairdressers and car service can be marked. There is a year planner, address section and over 50 pages of useful information including, home budgeting, gardening and crafting tips, stain removal and metric conversions. The paper is good quality. The diary is in a week to view layout starting on Monday which is my preferred format. There is a good amount of space to record daily appointments, although the sections are not ruled, so for people like me it might be difficult to keep writing in line. Each weekly double page includes a recipe complete with a photograph of the dish. Also included with my diary was an accessories pack which has more memorable date stickers, a page marker and a pen holder. I would describe this more as a desk diary than one to be carried in a handbag.
The Four Seasons Cookbook, which is published by Dairy Diary also in a hard backed cover and a photograph of pears and prunes in red wine. It measures 27.7 x 20.7 x 4cm and has 176 colourful pages. It is a real delight with each recipe taking two pages, one for the ingredients and method and the second for a picture so if you are like me and want to know what the finished dish should look like it’s great. It is conveniently divided into four chapters, one for each season of the year. It recognises how our eating habits change according to the time of year and promotes the use of seasonal English produce. It contains such a variety of recipes with dishes to suit a wide range of taste from drinks to jams and chutneys, cakes and savoury treats all using British ingredients. Many of the recipes include tips and suggestions for alternative ingredients to suit different diets. In addition to recipes for the seasons of the year the book also includes a number of dishes suitable for feasts and festivals such as Burns Night, Shrove Tuesday, Easter and Christmas. Recipes range from snacks and soups to dinner party dishes. There is a ribbon bookmark which makes it easy to keep your selected page. The book introduction says, ‘this collection of delicious recipes celebrates British ingredients and reflects how the seasons influence the way we cook and what we eat.’
I would recommend these two books as a great Christmas gift idea. They could be used as one gift or would equally make two individual gifts for the food lovers in your life. I for one would be very happy to receive either or both books.
Rating: 5/5
Website: Dairy Diary & Cookbook Set
Price: RRP £19.99