Nanny Ogg's Cookbook

So we all know he is a great author, but who would have believed he could cook too? Well I for one am now thoroughly convinced. As long as you avoid any recipe by B. S. Johnson, that is. I have tried a few of the recipies in this book, and they were a big hit everywhere I took them, especially the spotted dick. The ingredients were unusual in some cases, but if a military commisary can have them, mine did, then most any large grocery store will. The lessons on life in the back of the book were funny, and not entirely unreasonable. This is truely the perfect book for anyone who wants to make their life more like those who live on Great A'Tuin.

This is a hysterical read, especially for Terry Pratchett fans. Nanny Ogg's is so much more than a cookbook, and there aren't that many recipes, but what recipes they are! Although they've been heavily edited (by the Vice Squad, probably), the inferences are still there for those with sufficiently filthy minds - yet it's all in surprisingly good taste. There's lots of additional information on etiquette with various species, advice to young ladies on courtship matters, etc. all with Nanny Ogg's, shall we say, robust attitude towards life. Truly a funny book. The recipes themselves are not the real draw, and the traditional ones are a bit heavy for me (like Clooty = suet dumplings). But some of the recipes, such as the infamous Strawberry Wobbler, must absolutely be tried, preferably at your next Girl's Night Out get-together. And the cartoons! the drawings alone will have you in fits of giggles. This is a must-own book, and that's high praise coming from someone too cheap & short on cash to buy very many new books.

My most recent discovery is from the Science Fiction / Fantasy section of the bookstore, "Nanny Ogg's Cookbook" by Terry Pratchett. The author of the book is the author of a fantasy series entitled Discworld, where elves and witches inhabit the world, with a largely satirical approach. Nanny Ogg is one of Discworld's main character witches. The cookbook is very funny and mainly British cuisine, which may explain why this book was so hard to find in the USA. The recipes are entirely in metric and some of the ingredients would be unknown to the average American cook. Yet, the book is lovely! There is even a section on the table manners of dwarves, pixies, trolls and scarecrows! Some of the recipes in this book that you may be interested in trying are: Mrs. Gogol's Clairvoyant Gumbo, Traveller's Digestives, Strawberry Wobbler and Sergeant Angua's Vegetable Stew With Dumplings. If you are a fan of Discworld, or are interested in an amusing, yet interesting stab at being a cookbook, then try this one.

This heavily edited version of Nanny Ogg's Cookbook made me wish for the days when I was in Ankh-Morpork with me mum and she'd ...OK, so that's going a bit too far. Please forgive me. The recipes are all in metric units but that's no real trouble for a resourceful American cook! I have tried several, they came out quite well! The honey mixture for the porridge is delicious. I also liked Rincewind's potato cakes. The gumbo recipe was amazing! Technically, I suppose that I have also had the Librarian's recipe but that is quite probably splitting hairs.But odds are that you aren't buying this for the recipes. You're buying it for the wit and wisdom of Terry Pratchett. You get that in spades! The way Leonard of Quirm makes a cheese sandwich had me laughing out loud! The sections on etiquette were divine. My personal favorite was about Death but then again, I've always loved that character.Check it out! You won't regret it!