If you are not a mother (or mom, to use the American parlance) you might be forgiven for ignoring this book when browsing the mass of books in the cookery aisle at a bookstore. That could be a bit of a mistake...

Billed as a book featuring a hundred recipes that every mother would need for weekday meals, it is fair to say that the recipes could equally be suitable for everyone else too. Good, simple, tasty recipes that don't require a lot of planning. What more could you want? As per the book's branding, children and family are in focus, with information looking at family-friendly, stress-reducing matters such as fussy eaters and child-friendly food. It is not so-child-focussed to make a non-parent start to feel nauseous though!

Fresh, diverse ingredients stand to the fore here, yet this is not one of those shouty, campaigning books that soon can get on your nerves. Granted, there is a lot of interesting information and background primers concerning the healthy ingredients and how they all 'fit' - but these are easy to skip if required and go straight to the recipes. Recipes are not just split into meals, but also into various situations such as comfort food, mixed company food and (with a groan from every frustrated parent) the bake sale. Navigation is key and you can easily dip in and out of the book by chapter, by side navigation or through the excellent index.

Some books were just designed to flick through for additional inspiration. This is one of them. The pictures are practical and powerful without being showy and arty-farty. Straight-to-the-point, practical information is easily accessible, perhaps with a nod to the busy lifestyles parents (and increasingly non-parents invariably have nowadays). Everything about this book screams accessibility. You need not be a kitchen goddess or super mum. Just grab a few minutes of relative peace (or take it to the lavatory and bolt the door whilst you consult matters). Due to the information and great recipes that 'bulge' out of this book it feels like there is a lot more than a hundred recipes. Hopefully it will give you confidence to try cooking, rather than warming up pre-made food, and to encourage your children, your partner or your friends to try something new as well.

Not all "food by moms" needs to be a variant on toddler mush or child-friendly something and fries. Here your children (or any dinner guests) can eat like kings and queens and you need not feel like you've been slaving in the kitchen for all of the day. You might even start to enjoy this cooking lark! One word of advice. Some similar books are rather basic with their approach and you might start to think that this book is too fussy and impractical. Keep the faith... get this book... get cooking!

The MOM 100 Cookbook, written by Katie Workman and published by Workman Publishing. ISBN 9780761166030, 352 pages. Typical price: GBP7. YYYY.


// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //