Theresa Storey is a great cook. Anyone who has ever bought one of her jars of jams and chutneys, sold from her Green Apron market stall, will know that already. Here is a cook whose instinct, and accuracy, with flavours is unerring. Ms Storey seems to always know the right moment: when to pick the fruit; when to stop the cooking; when to seize the day and the flavours of the day. Her book runs from marmalade to prune tarts, via mojito marmalade and Batley cake and Finnish blueberry pie. Fruit on the Table displays Ms Storey’s capacious confidence in the best possible way: she makes you feel that you can confidently pull off every single recipe, that your own Busy-Day cake will be just the ticket. There is a relish not just in the recipes themselves, but in the chatty and wise writing: “Sometimes you just need cake, and you need it now”; “I love rhubarb jam, but it’s a pain to make”; “We ate a lot of these cookies as kids because when you grow a lot of pumpkins you need to eat a lot of pumpkin!”. This book is a sheer delight, and it's going to make Theresa Storey Ireland's most famous producer of preserves.
O'Brien Press €19.99
