The Secret Garden Cookbook is a charming cookbook, full of lovely food photography, whimsical illustrations, and lots of historical context for the recipes being offered. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as The Little Women Cookbook, probably due to both preferring the original book better but also to feeling like the recipes were more closely tied into the story in that cookbook. With The Secret Garden Cookbook, the author gave plenty of context for why the included recipes would have been appropriate to the story, and I really enjoyed the cultural and food history of the time and place in which The Secret Garden is set. But I didn't feel like the book mentioned many of the recipes specifically, so making a themed cookbook from the original story was a bit of a stretch. It could as easily have been a cookbook about the food of several novels set in this time and place. So basically, it was interesting reading, but didn't blow me away. Additionally, the text, at least in the advanced digital copy I received from NetGalley, was small black lettering on a white background, and not particularly easy on the eyes.

I am also sad because, as befits recipes from this era and region, there's not many of them that would suit my dietary restrictions. You will find hardly any gluten free recipes, and most recipes are also heavy on animal products. While I'd love to try a jam roly-poly, I just don't think it's going to happen for me. I did find two recipes I'd like to try, a raspberry vinegar (similar to our modern vinaigrette, but thicker and sweeter, and apparently used as a common condiment at the time) and Pease Pudding. but that was about it. Many of the rest sounded tasty, and I don't want to discourage someone who is truly an omnivore from checking this cookbook out. But if you have dietary restrictions on gluten, dairy, meat, or eggs, I wouldn't suggest reading this book in search of useful recipes.

Instead, read it for the historical tidbits. They really could be fascinating, from the varying diets of the social classes and ages, to gardening and cooking practices among the social classes. I was especially struck by the mention of an ochre-red liquid being placed on the tops of garden walls to keep out hungry or mischievous intruders. I presume this is where the phrase "caught red-handed" got its origin.

In short? This is a charming little cookbook, and a quick fascinating glimpse of culinary and gardening and social life in the era and region of The Secret Garden. If you read it with that in mind, prepared for a lovely and interesting book, I think you will enjoy it too.

Thank you to #NetGalley for giving me access to an #advancedcopy of #TheSecretGardenCookbookNewlyRevisedEdition . This is my honest opinion.

I read this cookbook courtesy of the publisher, via Netgalley.

I ADORE bookish cookbooks, and this one is 1) based on one of my favorite childhood books, 2) highlights recipes from one of my favorite places on the planet (which I visited in person this year!), Yorkshire, 3) incorporates loads of interesting historical and cultural anecdotes along with relevant book excerpts, and 4) does this all in a gentle, breezy tone that is perfect for middle grade readers AND adults to enjoy.

I really wish this book had existed when I was about 11 and reading Frances Hodgon Burnett's books. I can imagine reading this cookbook and trying out the recipes with my mom or grandma!

The very organization of the book is educational, especially for kids, with sections on Yorkshire breakfasts, manor lunches, English teas, kitchen gardens, cottage food, Indian dishes, and garden picnics. I want to try a number of recipes. I've made Parkin before, but the version in this book looks very good--and doesn't need golden syrup, which is great, as it's hard and/or expensive to get in America. I also have my eye on the Jam Roly-Poly, and Cornish Pasties, and others.

This is the kind of cookbook that's fun and informative to read, even though I have yet to give the recipes a try.

I'm not sure what the revised edition has it seems about the same size, like 10 pages shorter, i wonder if they updated the recipes after 20 years, or changed the photos and graphic design

[maybe they got the cringe worthy vegan and vegetarianism]
since i was interested to see how much Yorkshire was in this one

here's some of the stuff

Porridge
Coddled eggs

Cheese muffins
flour - cayenne - eggs - cheddar

Little sausage cakes
pork - sage - marjoram - nutmeg

Cocoa
cocoa powder - milk - sugar

Yorkshire pudding
eggs - drippings - flour

Roasted fowl with bread sauce
whole chicken - breadcrumbs
half and half cream - cayenne

Potato snow
baking potatoes - parsley

Welsh rabbit
cheddar - dry mustard - bread

Cabinet pudding
candied cherries - candied orange peel
soft ladyfingers - coconut macaroons - raisins
eggs - milk - heavy cream

Jam roly poly
Jam sauce (lemon added)
A proper pot of tea
Scones

Cucumber sandwiches
cucumbers - white bread - butter

Fruit tea loaf
tea leaves - mixed dried fruits
raisins - flour - eggs

Lemon curd tartlettes
eggs - lemons - butter - flour
berries of your choice

Brandy snap baskets with whipped cream
light corn syrup - ginger - whipping cream - extra things

Fresh spring peas with mint
mint - peas - extra things

Glazed carrots
carrots - chicken stock

Summer pudding
raspberries - bread - extra things

Cranberry fool
cranberries - heavy cream

Apricot fool
apricot jam - heavy cream

Raspberry jam
raspberries - sugar

Raspberry vinegar
raspberries - white wine vinegar - sugar

Molded spiced pears
apple juice - raspberry preserves - cinnamon stick
cloves - gelatin - Bosc pears

Strawberries and cream
strawberries - sugar - clotted cream

Tattie broth
butter - onions - potatoes - carrots

Pease pudding
split green peas - onions - bacon - Worcestershire sauce

Yorkshire oatcakes
oatmeal - yeast - extra things

Cottage loaf
yeast - bread flour - extra things

Dough-cakes with brown suga
bread dough - dark brown sugar - extra things

Parkin
oatmeal - flour
ginger - brown sugar
treacle - milk - eggs

Mango lassi
mangoes; yogurt; ground cinnamon; honey

Peach lassi
canned peaches in juice; yogurt; ground ginger; honey

Sooji
semolina

Little bacon and coriander pancakes
eggs; cilantro; curry powder; bacon; mango chutney

Fresh mango chutney
mangoes; shredded ginger; raisins; apple cider vinegar

Mulligatawny
rice; curry powder; chicken stock; chicken breasts; coconut milk

Florence Nightingale's kedgeree
white rice; eggs; smoked haddock; Parmesan cheese; bread; butter

Roasted potatoes and eggs
eggs; new potatoes

Currant buns
milk; all-purpose flour; ground cinnamon; nutmeg; yeast; eggs; dried currants; sugar

Crumpets
flour; milk; yeast

Cornish pasties

Ingredients: all-purpose flour; lard; beef chuck; onions; turnips; new potatoes; dried thyme; eggs

Chocolate picnic biscuits
rich tea biscuits; butter; dark corn syrup; cocoa powder

..........

The new edition has

Warm cranberry scones with orange glaze
flour - unsalted butter - old-fashioned rolled oats
dried cranberries - oranges - yogurt

Fat rascals
flour - unsalted butter - old-fashioned rolled oats
oranges - yogurt - currants

Why no oatmeal?

Many people of my vintage would certainly remember reading the book called the "Secret Garden", and what a fascinating and wonderful story it was.
This captures the food of the time, food that is no longer made but can now be tried. With simple recipes, lovely photos and interwoven with the snippets from the Secret Garden. Beautifully presented and easy to make, a great cookbook which invokes the times of the Victorian era.

For me it was spoiled by being an American book when the Secret Garden is set in England. Ingredients, terms, spelling and unnecessary explanations were distracting.

A delightful cookbook that not only relates to the classic story but also offers bite-sized history lessons about what life (and food!) were like during the story's time period. Great for adults and kids alike. The recipes appear easy to follow and not too difficult to find ingredients for.

This would be a nice cookbook for anyone who loved reading The Secret Garden. It is a cute idea and gives you a bit of backstory to the recipes which I see as being very classic British. Unfortunately I didn't find much originality in the recipes especially ones for a pot of tea so it's more a novelty cookbook then a practical cookbook as I've seen many of these recipes before.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Harvard Common Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Amy Cotler's 'The Secret Garden Cookbook' is a collection of classic English recipes (jam roly poly, crumpets, Cornish pasties etc.), ideas for breakfast, lunch, picnics and afternoon tea, and even a 'Taste of India' section (mango chutney, fruit lassi etc.) that transport you to the kitchens at Misselthwaite Manor.

My first thought was that this book would make a great gift! It's perfect for anglophiles, book nerds, and anyone that loves The Secret Garden or as a not-so-guilty pleasure gift to buy for yourself. The photos of garden scenes and illustrations of robins, plants, and garden tools are adorable and I would proudly display it as a coffee table book. I would describe the book as charming, cozy, and joyful. The design, especially the photographs, are clean and fresh and have a calming effect.

An exemplary children's literary cookbook. Recipes are historically appropriate, and yet palatable, with a particular emphasis on Yorkshire's regional cuisine. Simple and lovely illustrations throughout, solid historical background and textual excerpts. My only quibble is the lack of bibliography/further reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press for The Secret Garden Cookbook – Inspiring Recipes from the Magical World of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden by Amy Cotler. This book has an introduction and seven chapters based on the type of meal – Yorkshire Breakfasts, A Manor Lunch, An English Tea, From the Kitchen Garden, Dickon’s Cottage Food, A Taste of India, and Garden Picnics. The book is filled with garden pictures and quotes from the book. Each chapter starts with a description of what it is about and how it applies to the book. It was fun to read.

Some of my favorite recipes from the book include: Savory Muffins Spiked with Cheddar Cheese, Yorkshire Pudding, Roasted Chicken with Bread Sauce, Sweet Glazed Carrots, Raspberry Vinegar, Little Bacon and Cilantro Pancakes, and English Crumpets. There is a great index that lists both recipes and ingredients. Overall the recipes are simple and easy to make with nothing really spectacular of different, but they do represent the book quite well. I think this book would be great to use to plan a lunch or dinner with a book club that has just read A Secret Garden.

With 50 recipes related to this favorite children's book, Amy Cotler has dedicated her revised selections to "good appetite, good food and good health." Divided into seven sections, from simple picnic fare to elegant tea time finger foods, with an emphasis on farm to table fruits and vegetables, this book also allows us snippets from the original book text, so we can relate the food to the times and experiences.
We learn about the history and traditions as well as about the food and preparation ways themselves.
From Indian fare to ways the English desired their food prepared and presented, this is a testament to the times and households, as well as showing how important good nutrition and fresh food are to remaining healthy.
I found the trivia passages at the bottom of the page to be quite interesting as well.
We learn fun facts about everything from class differences to entertainment options to medical cures and weather related trivia.

This book tempts me to reread the classic tome and cook or bake along as I read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for sharing this title with me.