Indulge in an afternoon tea inspired by the Wizarding World with the favourite afternoon treats of wizards and Muggles from your favourite best-selling franchise. With more than 50 recipes, from 'Lavender Brown's Lavender Cake' to 'Professor Trelawney's Divination Tea' and stunning full-colour photography, as well as behind-the-scenes facts from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films, this cookbook offers step-by-step instructions on creating a bewitching afternoon feast.
Introduction
Harry Potter is an absolute behemoth now, with books on every aspect of the Wizarding world, every kind of toy and homeware you can think of, video games, movies, an upcoming TV show - there's no sphere of life that hasn't been touched by it. The fact that there's so much, though, means that individual titles can be very very specialized, as with this title, which focuses solely on food and drink suitable for a tea party.
Overview
The book is clear that these recipes are inspired by the Wizarding World; almost nothing here actually appears in the canon, but they all have the feel of something that could easily exist in that world, as well as being quite British. It doesn't adhere to any particular diet, but there are plenty of gluten free, vegetarian and vegan recipes, all noted both on their pages and in a list at the back. The illustrations are taken from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies, and there's plenty of gorgeous photos of food as well.
Content and Organization
The recipes are organized by type; there's Sweet Fingers Treats and Sugary Nibbles, followed by Savoury Teatime Finger Foods, then Teatime Candies, Snacks and Take-home Gifts, and finally Teatime Tipples, Hot Drinks and Magical Mixes. Candies is the shortest with only nine recipes; enough for a little treat without being unhealthy. After the recipes there's a list of all the recipes with their gluten free, vegetarian or vegan status highlighted, some safety tips, a measurement conversion chart and an index. I found the chart helpful as, like many people, my cookware has been collected piecemeal over time and different items use different measurement systems!
Recipes
There are plenty of recipes here, but they're all for snacks; this isn't the book to turn to if you want a full meal, but for a fun buffet table or party it would be perfect, with lots of choices to tailor to your guests or preferences.
Each recipe is carefully laid out, with the gf/v/v+ flag at the top along with the number of servings the recipe should yield. Ingredients are neatly together in a box. The recipe starts with a brief explanation of what inspired it or how it fits into the world of Harry Potter. The actual recipe is laid out in carefully planned and clearly explained steps, and there's a quote from a movie or book and sometimes a note about the history of the recipe or something from behinds the scenes of the movie. I found those really fascinating to read as I was flicking through.
Ease of Use
It might be because this book was published in America, which is not where I live, but I thought some of the equipment and ingredients needed were quite specialised. However, there's almost always a substitute that can be made. For instance, there's a waffle recipe that calls for a mini heart shaped waffle iron; in the absence of that, I'm guessing any waffle iron would do. Likewise, one recipe called for chiffonade fresh mint, which I had to google to figure out was a way of cutting mint leaves, not a specific type of mint! In general, though, the recipes use common or easy to obtain ingredients and equipment, enough that anyone should be able to follow them.
Cooking Experience
I tried at least one thing from each part of the book for this review (and I plan to try plenty more in the future!) I did slightly misread one recipe but that was my fault, and the biscuits still turned out mostly ok. Although mine didn't look exactly like the pictures in the book, they still looked pretty good - and with practice I'd get closer - and they tasted amazing. I'd have no qualms sharing these with my friends and family.
Design and Layout
Visually the book is amazing, with photos adorned almost every recipe. Longer recipes have two, usually one of the food and one from a movie. The recipes are laid out in a very readable way; nothing seems cramped together or shoved in tightly. It's a very pleasant book to look at.
- Variety and originality of recipes
- Clear and detailed instructions
- Beautiful photography and design
- Fascinating behind-the-scenes information
- Some specialized equipment and ingredients might be hard to find (but there's usually a substitution)
- Not suitable for total beginners
Conclusion
I really enjoyed using this book, and even just flicking through it is great fun thanks to the wonderful pictures and behind the scenes information. I wouldn't give it to a total beginner, but anyone with basic knowledge should be fine, and any Harry Potter fan would appreciate it even if they don't cook!
Further Reading/Viewing
Insight Editions, the publishers of this book, have several other Harry Potter themed titles - including an amazing Chocolate Frogs kit which I will be reviewing in the next little while! They also have a huge range of other Harry Potter titles. There are literally hundreds of other high tea recipe books, including this traditional one and this pop culture one!
Harry Potter Afternoon Tea Magic is available now. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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