Cook For Syria Recipe Book

by Clerkenwell Boy (Editor), Clerkenwell Boy

Clerkenwell Boy and Serena Guen originally came up with the idea to curate one charity dinner, with one chef, in aid of UNICEF UK's humanitarian work helping children and refugees affected by the crisis in Syria. This quickly became a large-scale banquet with six headline chefs which sold out within in days. Leveraging the power of social media, top chefs, cookbook authors and families with links to Syria were encouraged to share their favorite recipes online with a #CookForSyria inspired twist—so that anyone could host their own charity supper club or bake sale, or just learn about the amazing cuisine and culture of Syria. As recipes flooded in, it made sense to share these beyond social media and in the form of a beautiful not-for-profit recipe book. All profits from the sale of the book will be donated in aid of UNICEF's Children of Syria Fund. Contributors include Amelia Freer, Angela Hartnett, Anna Jones, Chetna Makan, Ed Smith, Ella Woodward, Elly Curshen, Fergus Henderson, Hemsley+Hemsley, Henrietta Inman, Izy Hossack, Jamie Oliver, John Gregory-Smith, José Pizarro, Kylee Newton, Lily Vanilli, Martin Morales, Nuno Mendes, Olia Hercules, Selin Kiazim, Skye Gyngell, Symmetry Breakfast, Yotam Ottolenghi, and more. Includes metric measures.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction

232 pages, Hardcover

Published June 1, 2017

Reviews

[MichaelK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for Christmas in 2022, and over the past year I've made a handful of recipes from it. The book was first released in 2017 to raise money for UNICEF's Children of Syria Fund; the recipes and photos were donated by the various contributors. It's a gorgeous book with great pictures throughout, and the wide variety of recipes means there should be something for everyone.

When it came to actually using the book, I did find that same variety somewhat hampered my enthusiasm for it. The recipes vary considerably in all senses of the word: there's diversity in taste, texture, style, complexity - but also quality, both in terms of the food produced and how well-written the recipes are. Different contributors write with different levels of clarity. Many recipes are quite time-consuming or require a lot of ingredients, and are not conducive to being made on a busy schedule or worknight. There are also plenty of typos which increasingly annoyed me as I noticed more and more of them. This is all a shame because I really wanted to love this book far more than I do.

My favourite recipes of those I made were:
Freekeh Salad with Almonds and Pomegranate - Saima Khan (pg86)
Mushroom Broth - James Walters (pg118)
Spinach & Lentil Soup - Jack Monroe (pg124)

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fantastic cookbook!
The recipes are amazing, and the best thing of all is that ALL of the proceeds are used to help children in Syria. Everyone should support this awesome initiative!
Check out their website for more information.
“We hope that through the #CookForSYRIA campaign we will not only be able to raise much needed money for Unicef’s Children of Syria Fund, we will also increase awareness of the plight of children in the war-torn country. Through cooking, sharing recipes and the power of social media, we invite everyone to help make a difference and positive contribution towards this important initiative.”

[Pieta Hyland · Rating 5 out of 5]

With little notes from the chef beautiful to read and cook from

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational. Some great recipes, some a little too cheffy for me, but lots to try.