My first, my latest and my favourite

This post, written for We Don't Eat Anything with a Face's bloghop, probably says rather too much about what I like to cook and what I like to eat.

My first cookery book was Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course.

Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course

You will see by the lack of a cover and the general state of it that it has been well used over the years. It is one of the few cookery books that I have kept which isn't vegetarian. It falls open at the page for Fruit Crumble and the food stains on that particular page hold the history of many a delicious, warming pudding.

Fruit Crumble

My latest cookery book is the deliciously illustrated Muffins Galore by Catherine Atkinson.

I have yet to cook anything from the pages of this gorgeous book but I have leafed through it quite extensively, with much salivation. Just looking is a Calorie free indulgence.

My favourite cookbook, and probably the reason why I have yet to try anything from my latest acquisition, is Muffin Magic by Susannah Blake.

For me, this book demystified the art of muffin making and as you can probably see by the pink post-it strips marking the pages, is responsible for several new family favourites. I love that  the book supports the Battery Hen Welfare Trust. Having kept chickens for a while, I really appreciate what lovely creatures they are and I find it heartbreaking the way they are treated for the benefit of the human demand for cheap eggs and meat.

The espresso muffin recipe is a firm favourite with my caffeine addicted student daughter. She is coming home for a visit soon so there will definitely be a batch of these in the oven to mark the occasion.

So that's it - my first, my latest and my favourite cookery books. I leave you with a picture of the results of a mammoth baking session that qualifies why Muffin Magic earns the accolade of 'favourite' amongst a shelf bowing under the weight of contenders.