Saturday August 20th is Australian National Bookshop Day; a chance to celebrate with our community of readers, authors and customers all that we love about what we do.  Bookshops all over the country are hosting events big and small, funny and serious but always with books, authors and readers in their hearts.

There are many great events going on around the country - you can check them out on Facebook - or just drop into a local bookstore - there is sure to be something fun going on!

For our part we will be celebrating on Saturday with Bubbles and lots of tastes throughout the day.  Amanda will be baking up a storm from books new and old and a few of our friends will be helping out too.   We expect the odd chef and author to drop in and say hullo (they do most days!).

Please join us throughout the day: after breakfast or before lunch; on the way to the football or before an afternoon coffee - or just because you have a moment -  and raise a glass with us  to the health of independent and community bookstores and the communities we live in.

Every customer will receive a booklet listing many of our favourite chef/authors’ favourite cookbooks, books and bookshops; food for thought for your next visit to a bookshop or two.

Please also buy a ticket (or ten) in our ‘Grand Cookbook Library Raffle which will be drawn at the end of the day on Saturday.  Donations are flooding in of classic and new release cookbooks and the window will fill during the week with a display of all the donated cookbooks up for grabs.  Already there are a number of classic references in the prize, and rumour has it there might even be a copy of Modernist Cuisine in the mix…!  (Here’s an early picture…)

This will be the one raffle you just have to win!

All the proceeds will be donated to two charities dear to the hearts of booksellers around the country - the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation so dig deep!

Tickets are $5 and can be bought instore.  Donations are also welcome.

Thanks in advance to our sponsors: Murdoch Books; Pan Macmillan; Random House Australia; Penguin Australia; Hardie Grant Books; Harper Collins Australia; & many more to come.

Released in the UK to coincide with the release of his new 4 part BBC series on regional Spain, this is for our money - a worthy cookbook!  While we wait for the series down under (apparently early 2012 - and possibly earlier if you can find the DVD) there is plenty to cook from this book.

Normally we are cautious about TV/cookbook adaptations, but there’s something about Rick - maybe we fell in love with his dog Chalky - maybe its his uncomplicated honest outlook - maybe its his love of sustainable and local produce that forms the basis for the local, simple cuisine he loves to cook  - whatever it is, we can’t help but get excited about another Rick Stein cook book!

Most people associate Rick with seafood recipes, and there are a good few in this book - but the heart of the book is Spanish regional cuisine - both traditional and contemporary.  Some dishes are Rick’s interpretation and others come from the people he meets during his travels.  Many will surprise as he has made an effort to ‘get off the beaten track’ and whilst the obvious recipes are included, there are many that are interesting.  Our list of recipes to make is already long: Fresh Broad Beans with Black Sausage & Garlic Shoots; Pot-roasted Chicken with Chorizo, Leeks & Cider; Pearl Barley Stew with Morcilla, Bacon & Wild Fennel; Pork in Almond Sauce; Veal Pork, Serrano Ham & Porcini Mushroom Cannelloni - to name just a few.

The book is filled with large rich photographs, but for us, after the recipes, its Rick’s text that is most rewarding,  In an age where some publishers often take the adage ‘a picture is worth a 1000 words’ as a reason to cut the text in a cookbook to an absurd minimalist position, Rick continues to provide thoughtful, enriching introductions to most of his recipes. Perhaps because the book is a companion to the series where he is talking to us on camera, the book feels personal, conversational, almost in camera…

There is a useful glossary of ingredients, cheeses, cooking implements and basic recipes as well as a directory of suppliers (including a number of Australian & New Zealand suppliers)

Who: If you like Rick Stein, you’ll love this.  If you cook from Movida, Moro, or love bold Mediterranean flavours, you’ll find something to cook.  Armchair travellers will also be rewarded

When:   Due 1 August 2011

Price: $49.95

A New Cookbook - Tropical Cuisine

Over the years we have had occasional ‘taste’ workshops with local growers and producers.  Next Tuesday, we are lucky to have Clare Richards visiting from cyclone swept Cairns in far North Queensland.

Clare is a cook, recipe developer, cooking school teacher & committed tropical locavore based in Cairns after spending a decade in tropical and Northern Australia.

Recently published, Tropical Cuisine: cooking in Clare’s kitchen is one of the best self-published books we have ever seen.  Defined by strong design, and filled with beautiful photographs, sumptuous recipes, and a treasure trove of detailed useful information about tropical & Australian food products, this is a beautiful and practical cookbook.

Only published late last year, and already an award winning cookbook, Tropical Cuisine is currently in the running for a Gourmand ‘Best in the World’ Cookbook Award going up against cookbooks from Sweden, France and Brazil.  The awards will be announced in March at the Gourmand Cookbook Fair in Paris where hundreds of cookbooks from all around the world compete for recognition.

On Tuesday, Clare will be chatting to us about tropical produce, self publishing a gorgeous cookbook, and the effect of Cyclone Yasi on local food producers.

Please join us for a taste of the tropics, a look at unusual tropical produce and learn how to support our local tropical produce industry.

As usual, bookings are essential.  Places are limited to 30.  The event is free.

Telephone Bookings are Essential: +613 8415 1415

7pm Tuesday  22 February @ Books for Cooks, 233-235 Gertrude St Fitzroy

If you can’t attend, we can organise signed and/or personalised copies of this beautiful cookbook for you.

Copies will be available for purchase on the night.

Please RSVP by telephone after 10am