2008-06-21 absolutely scrummy!

This book is excellent. I am fairly average at cooking and have enjoyed making a number of the recipes which are simplier than they first appear.
Because the recipes are mainly from "normal" people throughout the country (rather than chefs and cooking experts) they are not complicated and do not rely on odd ingredients that are difficult to come by.
The basis for the book is that we should be using (as far as possible) ingredients from the fairtrade scheme which is an excellent scheme providing growers/farmers light at the end of the tunnel. I'm not the best person to explain the fairtrade system obviously but basically the farmers are ensured a fair price for their produce ensuring that they (an their community) are not living in poverty. The book is a collection of recipes which include one or more fair trade product.
As the previous reviewer mentioned, the recipes lean heavily on bananas... that's not necesarily a bad thing and when you have tasted the Banana Choco Mocha cake you'll be so glad you bought the book!
The book has not only opened my eyes to new recipes but also the amount of fair trade products out there that you perhaps don't notice in the supermarket but will certainly start looking for!
I bought this book as a birthday present to myself and now I'm being forced to buy another since my sister (who's an excellent cook) "borrowed" mine!