Since the temperatures are often dipping below freezing at the moment, it’s not surprising our thoughts turn to comfort food, something satisfying, familiar and warming. This book is produced by Grit, an American magazine, using traditional American down home style recipes (although the inclusion of Toad In The Hole was a surprise), but most of the dishes will be familiar even to a European audience. This book isn’t remotely pretentious. There aren’t scattered pictures of the author in various homey or twee situations, which seems to be the trend these days. The food takes centre stage here, which is as it should be.

There is a mix of sweet and savoury dishes with perhaps more leaning towards the savoury side. There are 10 chapters of recipes from Breakfasts, Casseroles, Cookies and Candies, and even a chapter on Jams, Jellies and Preserves.

With around 230 recipes, it is great value for money. I often find when I flick through a new recipe book, maybe only 1 in 5 recipes might catch my eye, but I would be happy to have a go at most of these. They are very much my style – good old fashioned home cooked dishes.

There is a photo for almost every dish, and while small, they are more than adequate. The only thing I didn’t like about them is the inconsistency of style, as most credit stock image websites. I can only assume these were used when the recipe originally appeared in the magazine.

Obviously with this book being produced by an American magazine with an American audience in mind, all the recipes use cups. Although I do have a preference for weights rather than measures, this should not deter you, as cup measures are very easy to get hold of these days online. The temperatures are only in °F, but again, don’t let this deter you as you can easily find a conversion online.

Most of the ingredients are available here in the UK, although an inexperienced cook may not understand some of the alternative American names for everyday things. I have a handy comparison list on my FAQs that will give the British name for ingredients or a substitute. None of the recipes are that complicated so are perfect for cooks of all skill levels.

Although not all, many of the dishes are fairly high in fats or carbs, so if you are still trying to shift that post-Christmas weight, then maybe this isn’t for you. However, comfort food isn’t about being healthy, it’s about putting a smile on your face and that ‘Mmmm’ sound as the fork leaves your mouth.

This book is available now from Voyageurpress.com