Reviews: Two Tempting Cookbooks

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We asked Emma Rutherford to review two tasty new arrivals to Aotearoa’s cookbook genre. Read on to see what she had to say about them.

Tails of Tangleby Gardens, by Sue Heazlewood

It is hard for me to resist purchasing beautifully produced recipe books and Tails of Tangleby Gardens, written by Sue Heazlewood, is definitely in this category. This is the second children’s recipe book written by Sue, inspired by her home of Tangleby Gardens and the playground set up for her grandchildren to use. On her website Sue notes that she loves to see children learn to cook, and this also inspired these books.

Tails of Tangleby Gardens 2 is a Christmas story set in Tangleby Gardens (located outside of Christchurch). The book is written in the tone of traditional English children’s books, with a lot of adventures followed by comfort meals and baking. Each chapter advances the story and, at the end, features a recipe. Each recipe comes with a QR code that links to an online version of it. Initially, I was uncertain why the QR codes were necessary, but I quickly appreciated the benefit of using an online recipe and keeping the book in good, readable quality.

The recipes feature baking, meals and a few home favourites like playdough and fruit platters.

The illustrations perfectly match the tone of the book. Every page is illustrated and the recipes are accompanied with a combination of charming photographs and digitised book characters.

The recipes feature baking, meals and a few home favourites like playdough and fruit platters. My children found the recipes simply written and easy to follow. The cheese puffs were enjoyed by a group of hungry pre-teens in the school holidays and the jam tarts were a quick favourite. I made the chocolate mousse to share with friends and was reminded why it can be such a simple, but impactful dessert! At the top of the page, each recipe has a visual scale to indicate their complexity—with one (very easy), two or three (some help needed) tomatoes.

The story is aimed at younger readers/listeners, likely appealing to those under seven. It commences with the animals of Tangleby Gardens preparing for Christmas by choosing a tree to cut down and making decorations. Each chapter includes recipes related to the story, and in an effort to maintain children’s interest, most chapters include an exciting event such as Molly the cat getting stuck at the top of the Christmas tree and travelling ducks spending Christmas at Tangleby when their car breaks down.

As the story takes place over a number of chapters, it is most suitable as a book read by adults to children. Locations around the South Island are featured, including a mention of Kaikoura and a trip to Dunedin to visit Larnach’s Castle. I’ve attended a number of events at Larnach’s Castle and I thought the main ballroom was beautifully depicted within the book by Illustrator Jane Smith.

The book being firmly set in New Zealand means that there are no snowy Christmas images and many of the recipes fit in well with summer meals.

The book being firmly set in New Zealand means that there are no snowy Christmas images and many of the recipes fit in well with summer meals.

Unsurprisingly, this book has been nominated in two categories of the 2023 Gourmand Awards for Food and Drink Culture: Illustrations and Oceania Children Books. Another related book—A Table at Tangleby Gardens—was also nominated in the Entertaining section. I’d recommend this book for anyone wanting to create some special Christmas time rituals with their children.

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The Quokka Logic and Baking Book, by Karen McMillan

“All good things must come to a beginning.”

This is an example of ‘quokka logic’—the heart of Karen McMillan’s Elastic Island Adventures series of children’s books featuring quokkas.

I was unaware of quokkas prior to reading this book but I enjoyed learning about ‘the world’s happiest animals.’ These nocturnal critters are sometimes described as ‘mini kangaroos’ and they reach up to 50cm in height. When looking at photos of quokkas online, their appeal is obvious. Karen McMillan encountered quokkas while travelling in South-Western Australia, and from that the character of Mrs. Quokka was developed.

I’m personally fascinated by New Zealand cookbook history and enjoyed the photos taken from the original handwritten recipes.

The straightforward and simple recipes featured in this book are in the style of the classic Edmond’s Cookery Book and are easily followed by children aged 8+. For me, the appeal of this recipe book lies in the stories behind the recipes. Most of the recipes in this collection come from family recipe books handed down through generations. In the book, these are attributed to Mrs. Quokka while those from Jase the quokka come via other friends and family. I’m personally fascinated by New Zealand cookbook history and enjoyed the photos taken from the original handwritten recipes. Given the familar-feeling recipes, family photos and charming illustrations of quokkas sharing their ‘logic’, this is a likeable recipe book to flick through.

The recipes are written simply on the left of this bound book and opposite each one is a clear photo of the final product framed around the outside. My children and I enjoyed testing the recipes, and the book is already a little bit sticky after tackling the honey biscuits and raspberry cupcakes. None of the somewhat retro recipes require exotic ingredients and can be achieved by those who have cupboards well-stocked with baking ingredients. Given this, I’m confident this book will be used frequently in our home.

Finally, this is just a fun cookbook to have. The quokka logic is displayed in quotes on each page and made me smile. Children who love absurd humour will delight in the quokka-isms with our favourite being “two wrongs don’t make a salami sandwhich.”

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