Life's Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom: Really good food without the fuss - foolproof recipes, shortcuts and hacks

by Prue Leith

‘It’s taken me a long life to know for sure that life is for living, and that hard graft has to be worth it.
So, if you are whacked, short of time or just don’t like cooking, cheating is fine. I cheat all the time, and I LOVE cooking.’
— PRUE LEITH

Chef and TV legend Dame Prue Leith brings us the cookbook you’ve always wanted –  delicious foolproof recipes, with accompanying kitchen shortcuts and hacks, for a lifetime of easy cooking. 

Every recipe in this book comes with a handy tip, plus you'll find over 25 videos accessed by a QR code to help you learn a skill or get ahead.

Coined by Shirley Conran in her ‘70s bestseller Superwoman, 'Life’s Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom' is a phrase that every time-poor cook can relate to. In this clever cookbook, you'll find really good recipes without the fuss: recipes where a neat trick can save you time, recipes where the cheat versions taste just as good as the home-made, and recipes to help you avoid waste and save you money. How do you cook the perfect steak? What’s the best way to dice an avocado? And what about when it just all goes terribly wrong?

With recipes including Celeriac Rémoulade with Prosciutto, Rocket and Pine Nuts, Crispy Pork Belly, Buttermilk Chicken, Sushi for Scaredy-cats, Chocolate Almond Torte and Cherry Clafoutis, Prue’s handy hacks show you how a little bit of insight goes a long way.

Perfect for every home cook, the absolute beginner, or someone who has been doing it so long that cooking has somehow lost its attraction - Life’s Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom contains years of culinary know-how and inspirational meals, squashed into an accessible cookbook. 

Recipes include:

• Chicory, Pear, Hazelnut and Goat’s Cheese Salad
• Gunpowder Steak with Coriander Chutney
• Tomato, Chilli and Fennel Sugo with Spaghetti
• Herbed Salmon Parcels
• Brown Sugar Meringue, Roasted Pear and Salted Caramel Sauce
• Passionfruit Yoghurt Cakes
• Baked Camembert and Olive Wheel

• ISBN13: 9780711292505
• Publish Date: 10 October 2024
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Carnival
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Life's Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom is an appealingly cozy collection of recipes, tips, tricks, hacks, and time-saving advice collected by Prue Leith. Released 15th Oct 2024 by Quarto on their Carnival imprint,it's 224 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. 

The author has a wonderfully funny and wise attitude to cooking and life in general. The recipes are well written and each is accompanied by useful tricks which she's gleaned over her long career. The book is annotated throughout and there are QR codes which link to relevant online video content.

The recipes are arranged thematically: breakfasts, starters, mains, desserts, baking, and sides sauces & drinks. The appendices include table of content links arranged by subject: how to prepare vegetables & fruit, how to deal with eggs & dairy, how to deal with meat & fish, storage, staple/pantry stuff, etc. 

Recipes are written with a description, bullet list of ingredients in a sidebar, and step by step instructions. Ingredient measures are provided in both metric measurements and imperial (American). (Yay!).

The majority of the recipes are accompanied by one or more color photos (roughly 80%). The photography throughout is beautifully rendered and serving suggestions are appropriate, well styled, and appealing. Even simple dishes like neeps & tatties are pretty and appetizing. 

Five stars. Very well done. The video links are maybe a little trendy, but they're full of additional info which would've otherwise made this into a 700 page monster of a book. A+ for visual learners. Highly recommended for public library acquisition, home use, or possibly for housewarming/moving out present for a young person. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes