The Little Paris Kitchen

Baker & Taylor interviews: Rachel Khoo

Rachel Khoo

Rachel Khoo has written two cookery books published in French. Her third book, written in English, The Little Paris Kitchen is also the name of her first TV series, which began airing on the BBC on the 19th March 2012.

Moving to Paris in adulthood, she undertook a three-month patisserie course at Le Cordon Bleu where she gained a pastry degree while she was working part time as an au pair, then worked in cookbook store La Cocotte and ran baking workshops.



Baker & Taylor caught up with Rachel to find out more about this new enigmatic culinary star:

What is your favourite recipe?

It really depends how I'm feeling or what mood I'm in. For instance I'm suffering from a cold at the moment, so I really crave the "Bouillon de poulet avec des quenelles de volailles" -  Chicken dumpling soup (p.61). It's real comfort food and reminds me of my Austrian Grandma who used to make a similar soup. I make French dumplings in my version instead of Austrian ones.

Who inspired you to cook?

My mum.

When can we expect your next cookbook to be launched?

It's a little too early to be talking about dates for the next book. I'm just trying to recover from 18 months of intense work (book, home restaurant, tv and promotion). In addition to the UK launch of The little Paris kitchen, the book will also be published in Holland, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Denmark and the US so there's plenty more promotion to do over the next 12 months.



 Whilst testing all these wonderful recipes, you must have had some that haven’t worked out quite how you imagined?

Yes, for instance I came up with an idea of a tartiflette pizza (tartiflette is traditionally a cheese and bacon potato bake). I even illustrated the recipe with how I would make it and what it would look like. But when it came out the oven, it was a disaster. I ended up testing the recipe further and that's how it turned into tartiflette nests (p.37 in the book).

What was is it about Paris that you fell in love with?

The twice weekly fresh food markets in each neighbourhood and the small independant shops like my local family run butchers, cheesemonger and bakery are what I fell in love with. This kind of grocery shopping is not just about getting your ingredients for your dinner but it's a way of learning about all the amazing French products as the sellers are passionate about what they are offering and want to share their knowledge. Another big difference between London and Paris is that even when I was on an au pair salary I could afford to shop at the fresh food markets and small independant shops.

What advice would you give to anyone who dreams about following in your footsteps?

Go for it but be aware that there'll be a lot of hard work involved to make the dreams come true. All good things come to those who work really hard not to those who wait.

What is your top 5 must have items in the kitchen?

My first kitchen in Paris had a 2 ring hob and that's it (no oven). So you can get away with very little and still cook a delicious meal. My top 5 items would be: a sharp chef's knife, heatproof spatula, big pot, heavy based frying pan and a chopping board. 

What book are you reading at the moment?

Blood, butter and bones by Gabriella Hamilton.

What is your all time favourite place you have visited?

Very hard to say but a place that I always love to visit is Feldkirch (a small town in Vorarlberg, on the border to Switzerland) in Austria. My mum's side of the family live there. I have many fond childhood memories associated to the place plus it's like being on the set of a Heidi movie (mountains, cows and lots of fresh air).



The Little Paris Kitchen is available now.

Exclusive only to Baker & Taylor UK, the latest Stationery and Gift books in the 'KEEP CALM AND...' series

Included in this promotion are the following:



Keep Calm And Carry On, flip over sayings gift book.



A selection of 3 puzzle books, Crossword, Wordsearch & Sudoku



A selection of 4 spiral bound notebooks:

The package can be tailored to suit your needs!!

Please visit http://www.baker-taylor.co.uk/ and click on 'Promotions' for more details.

OCTAVIA HILL

  inspirational women

Octavia Hill (3 December 1838 – 13 August 1912) was an English social reformer, whose main concern was the welfare of the inhabitants of cities, especially London, in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Hill was a moving force behind the development of social housing, and her early friendship with John Ruskin enabled her to put her theories into practice with the aid of his initial investment. She believed in self-reliance, and made it a key part of her housing system that she and her assistants knew their tenants personally and encouraged them to better themselves.

Another of Hill's concerns was the availability of open spaces for poor people. She campaigned against development on existing suburban woodlands, and helped to save London's Hampstead Heath and Parliament Hill Fields from being built on.


Hampstead Heath saved by Octavia Hill



She was one of the three founders of the National Trust, set up to preserve places of historic interest or natural beauty for the enjoyment of the British public. Hill's legacy includes the large holdings of the modern National Trust, several housing projects still run on her lines, a tradition of training for housing managers, and the museum established by the Octavia Hill Society at her birthplace.







The trust was concerned primarily with protecting open spaces and endangered buildings of historic interest; its first property was Alfriston Clergy House and its first nature reserve was Wicken Fen.



Wicken Fen acquired by the National Trust in 1899

Read more about this inspirational woman; the most influential women of the Victoria era.



 The weekend of the 2nd June is a proud and historic day, marking 60 years of The Queen's reign.

Official message from Her Majesty released by Buckingham Palace on 6 February 2012, the 60th anniversary of The Queen's Accession to the throne

Today, as I mark 60 years as your Queen, I am writing to thank you for the wonderful support and encouragement that you have given to me and Prince Philip over these years and to tell you how deeply moved we have been to receive so many kind messages about the Diamond Jubilee.

In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighbourliness, examples of which I have been fortunate to see throughout my reign and which my family and I look forward to seeing in many forms as we travel throughout the United Kingdom and the wider Commonwealth.
I hope also that this Jubilee year will be a time to give thanks for the great advances that have been made since 1952 and to look forward to the future with clear head and warm heart as we join together in our celebrations.
I send my sincere good wishes to you all.
ELIZABETH R

 Here at Baker & Taylor (UK) Ltd we are hanging out the bunting, chilling our pimms and looking forward to the Diamond Jubilee weekend celebrations!

To get us in the mood we have the Street Party Cookbook, along with two beautiful titles which gives us an insight into the world's most famous woman who has graced her realm impeccably for sixty years.          

                                                                                      

                                                                                                                        

                            

National Gardening Week 16th - 22nd April

A new National Gardening Week aims to get Brits sowing, hoeing and mowing in 2012.

National Gardening Week will get the nation growing

Set to take place on 16 to 22 April, nurseries, garden centres, garden clubs, charities, schools and the media are all being urged to get involved.

The initiative was devised by the Royal Horticultural Society, which will give away 20,000 gardening starter packs with free seeds.

Gardeners will be shown how to make horticulture their career, and daily gardening question and answer sessions will take place on the social networking website Facebook

RHS director-general Sue Biggs said National Gardening Week would “open the doors to gardening and inspire everyone to give it a go”.

“Gardening is life-enhancing, it’s vital for the environment, creates beautiful spaces and best of all is great fun. I hope the week encourages more people to benefit from this wonderful pastime,” Sue said.

ITV’s Love Your Garden presenter, Alan Titchmarsh, was quick to back the event. “This week is about highlighting the importance of gardening,” said Alan.

“I hope the gardening world, from horticultural colleges to charities and gardeners, embraces the opportunity and uses it to promote the importance and joy of growing plants.”

The following great titles are available from http://www.baker-taylor.co.uk/ to help give inspiration for National Gardening Week!!



Keeping The Kids Occupied This Easter

Engross your child with an activity book!!

Entertaining your kids can be a tricky business at the best of times, and it's even more difficult during holidays.

At Baker & Taylor Towers we have put our thinking caps on and come up with some great ways to keep your kids busy, whatever the weather and their age.

So, if you're desperate to drag them away from the TV, or are trying to stop them from destroying your home, the following books have been chosen to give you that respite you need, and all are available on our fantastic website, please visit us at www.baker-taylor.co.uk, or for more news and updates, follow us on Twitter @BakerTaylorUK.

LEGO titles are incredibly popular at the moment, and with these activity titles you can Build your very own LEGO City minifigure, read the stories, and complete the puzzles. Perfect for 5-7 year old LEGO fans!

Babies and toddlers will love the adorable pictures, and reading with your child will help them learn to recognise numbers and letters. These books are perfect for little Hello Kitty fans everywhere!

Become a nature explorer with these great titles! From keeping caterpillars to learning how honeybees actually communicate, read the handy spotter's guide to get expert tips on where bugs lurk or try any of the 30 fun projects.

There are hours of doodling fun packed into these books, designed to keep bored children busy for hours! From doodling the parrots in the rainforest to designing your own dog show, to deciding what creatures are swimming in the coral reef, there's plenty of fun to be had. No drawing skills are required, all it takes is a bit of imagination and a pencil!



Collins Gem Nature Counterpack

The Collins Nature Guides are comprehensive, photographically illustrated reference books that are perfect for any lover of nature and the outdoors. This brand new Counterpack comes complete with a brand new display kit, including: 2 Meters of Collins Nature Guide Bunting, display grass, Shelftalker, and the counterpack that displays all 8 titles.

The titles included are:

Please visit us at: http://www.baker-taylor.co.uk/ for more great products. 

Fantastic Price Offer In Time For Spring