I still have some copies of The Dinner Book – every recipe easily put together with just 5 ingredients and today I received an email from someone who still enjoys cooking from it. She confessed that she got carried away when writing it … but it does make me think of the many other Take 5 recipes I have up my sleeve. Once cooking is in your blood, it’s there for life. Thank you Mary:

“Margot’s Take 5 Cook Book is a sumptuous delight, graced by Kent Baddeley’s luscious photographs and creating a total feast for the eye and taste. The layout is brilliant! No longer for me the complications of Nigel Slater or chefs whose fabulous recipes take hours to digest, read and reread. Margot’s method is pared to the essence by the constraints of her brief, yet retains an elegant finesse.

As a lover of fish, I was delighted this collection contains tried and true gems – but with a difference. Margot’s take on Thai-styled seafood, Mammie’s chowder, tuna, smoked fish, crayfish, fish pie, fish cakes, terrine, kedgeree and ceviche are all irresistible and delicious.

There are soups of all kinds that raise the ordinary to another level. And for last minute treats who could resist Margot’s strawberry shortcake, roasted sugar plum tart, phyllo cigarettes, maple hearts or banana soufflé? There are plenty more ideas involving children such as baby quiches or pizzas, chicken pies, kebabs and crazy ice creams. Fun to prepare and wonderful to consume.

The recipes conveniently present seasonal food and generous tips for creating outstanding dinner parties with a section on how to avoid gaffes. And I haven’t even mentioned those classic mains, all using the beautiful, natural ingredients that New Zealand is so blessed to have in abundance.
But it’s Margot’s flair and passion that inspires this publication. Such a gorgeous mix of international recipes that are food for the soul and pure joy for those with whom her creative gift has been shared. A triumph!”