An Unexpected Cookbook: The Unofficial Book of Hobbit Cookery review

I received an early copy of Kitchen Overlord’s An Unexpected Cookbook: The Unofficial Book of Hobbit Cookery. The book consisted of different types of meals: Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Elevenses, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, and Supper.

I chose the following to make with my baker friend: Pork Hand Pie (Second Breakfast), Pan Fried Tater Cakes with Onions (Luncheon), Hot Buttered Scones (Afternoon Tea), Roasted Green Beans (Dinner), and Boxty on the Griddle (Dinner).

I’m not much of a baker. I know how to cook, but when it comes to baking – I fail. So, I invited my friend who bakes often to help me with that portion. You do need some sort of cooking/baking experience to make some of the recipes because some of the stuff is time and detailed oriented in order to work.

Chef Chris-Rachael Oseland really put a lot of thought about what Hobbits, Dwarves, and Elves would have eaten in Middle-earth. She did her research on Tolkien and his inspiration behind the world of The Hobbit. Her introduction details her research on what meals were chosen and includes ingredient substitutions for those who have dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, paleo). Very thorough.

PORK HAND PIE

The directions to make the pork was very easy to follow and was done within 10 minutes.

The pork and flavoring was delicious. The spices were a good mix. I’m not much of a fan of nutmeg, but it was definitely a nice pinch. I could had eaten the pork by itself, but I had to stuff them into the crust pastry.

My friend made the crust pastry and when she stuffed them, there was more pastry than meat. It was still delicious. There was also a problem with portion/serving size. My friend made the portion amount of the crust pastry and we had more pork than dough.

PAN FRIED TATER CAKES WITH ONIONS

This took a while to make because you needed to make them individually on the pan. I also used olive oil, which burns faster than other oils and caused some of my tater cakes to burn. So I had to switch to canola oil to make it work. These were delicious – potato cakes. Again, serving size wasn’t mentioned, so I ended up making only a few and had to make more batches for my party.

HOT BUTTERED SCONES

Directions were straightforward, but my friend had to add more water than what was in the directions to prevent it from being dry. Other than that, the recipe was easy to follow and may had been an ingredient error on our part for why it didn’t come out like an English Muffin texture.

ROASTED GREEN BEANS

Easiest and best tasting recipe ever. It didn’t take long to make either. If you want greens with your meal, make this. It’s fast and easy. Directions were easy to follow and less ingredients.

BOXTY ON THE GRIDDLE

Again, do not use olive oil. It burns faster, even at low heat. So I used canola oil and it cooked better. The directions were easy and they came out great. Instead of bacon, I used sausage pieces. It was still delicious.

Overall, the recipes really felt like Middle-earth times. I could actually use some of these recipes for my British Invasion parties. Oseland is very detailed in her recipes and provides photos to help you know what they should look like. The only problem with the recipes are not knowing the serving sizes, but the more, the better!

If you are planning a Tolkien party in honor of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, this is the recipe book for you. Hobbits, Dwarves and Elves alike will enjoy the meals you will make!

Kitchen Overlord’s An Unexpected Cookbook: The Unofficial Book of Hobbit Cookery comes out on November 1st through Kitchen Overlord’s website.

Rating: 4/5 Atoms