Mary Berry - Cook and Share: 120 Delicious New Fuss-free Recipes

One of the great joys of cooking is sharing the results. Whether you are cooking for two people or for a gathering of friends and family, sharing is above all what life is about. And theres no better way to share than with homemade fresh food. Its a way to treat those close to you and to make people feel special. Sharing life, lessons and food has always been important to me. And as my family has grown and now that my grandchildren are young adults who are more creative with their food and have more adventurous tastes, my food has evolved and changed, too.

As it is a book about sharing, Ive included Brunch and Sharing chapters for the first time to give a variety of recipes for informal gatherings everyone together in the kitchen, passing the food around. Life is so much less formal nowadays, even for me and my husband. All my life I have loved the classic three-course dinner party, but we are doing structured parties less and less, and we are more keen on relaxed get togethers, often in the kitchen or outside when the weather is good. I do hope you find some inspiration in these pages for a gathering of your own. Ive included a photo of every single recipe, which is so helpful and will give you an idea how to serve the recipes.

Nowadays, there is so much choice when it comes to kitchen equipment. All ovens are different and there are so many to choose from, whether gas or electric, single or double, fan assisted etc. Some ovens take a long time to heat up, while others are hot in no time. It is so important to make sure that the very first thing you do is preheat the oven, especially with baking, as cooking at an accurate temperature is imperative. A slight change in temperature will affect the look, rise and texture of a bake. In your oven a brownie may take a slightly different time to bake than in our oven, so make a note in your cookery book of any difference in the timings, so you know for next time. I love a recipe book that has handwriting in it or use sticky notes. At home where we test the recipes, I have a very normal under-the-counter, fan-assisted double oven. It is a moderate oven that is the most popular nationally no fancy ovens or equipment here! My recipes are for you to cook at home, so I make sure that we test everything with the equipment you would have. I talk to suppliers to find out what the bestselling equipment is and what type of food is the most popular. I want to use new ingredients and the old classics, so I can always (hopefully) give you a book with recipes youll love to cook as a home cook. I leave the fancy food and equipment to the chefs, who I admire greatly.

I feel that many home cooks get stressed in the kitchen, so be kind to yourself and give yourself time. Once I have decided what to cook for a simple supper or special meal, the pressure is off deciding what to cook is the big decision! When it comes to following recipes, I always say read the recipe at least twice before you start. Concentrate on each step of the recipe, from the ingredients list to checking which dishes or tins are used. And go through the method carefully, checking that you have everything you need. Theres no sense in starting the recipe if you have the wrong size tin! And check if you need to marinate any of the ingredients ahead, or whether theres something simple you need to do, like removing butter from the fridge so it is easier to mix. It really does help if you take your time to read the recipe through carefully. Then, when you come to cook the dish, youll know you are all set up and there will be no surprises. When you open the cupboard for five spice powder, for example, you wont discover that there isnt any! But, equally, before you start shopping for a recipe, check you dont have three jars of five spice powder in the cupboard already!

Although, saying that, swapping ingredients is ok sometimes! If you are making a casserole and the recipe calls for white onions and you only have red, that would be a good swap. And switching root vegetables can work, too. This way, you can add your own stamp on a recipe. But dont swap too much or the recipe may not work! This is another occasion when making notes in your cookery book will help; if youve tried a variation to a recipe, write it down and remind yourself of the success or not for next time.

So, I hope you enjoy this new book, Cook and Share. Take time to cook, share and enjoy the dishes and enjoy yourselves! Share a moment with friends over a cup of tea and a white chocolate shortbread biscuit (see ). However it comes about, spend time with the people close to you and you may even get some recipes shared with you in return!