Rum Drinks, 50 Carribean Cocktails, from Cuba Libre to Rum Daisy ~ Jessica B. Harris

It's a warm day. I've been working hard in the garden and now it's time to chill. Whether you've earned it with a bit of hard physical labour or you just feel like relaxing, it's hard to go past a cool glass of something to set you on the right track to relaxing. If that's where you're at right now, you need look no further than this handy little cookbook. Rum drinks has got your cool classics and tropical tipples covered, along with a few other very handy bits and pieces.

The book commences with a background to rum and it's influence on history, then follows on with a chapter on all you'll need to know to mix your drinks, including no less than eight various sugar syrup recipes, including how to make your own grenadine. There are garnishes galore, and if you were ever curious about your liquid measurement conversions you'll find what you need here. I would expect most readers will skip past these chapters and head straight to the recipe sections, though with the glossy historical photographs you may find yourself caught up reading before you get anywhere near making yourself that drink.

It's the rum drinks though that you're looking for, and the book has two chapters of these to delight and tempt you. Where to start though? The first of the two chapters contains your classics, so you might like to start with the Canchanchara - nice and zingy with lime juice and honey, or perhaps the timeless Pina Colada. The Punch à la Noix de Coco with its freshly grated coconut, vanilla bean, lemon zest and nutmeg is also a promising option, or of course you can channel your inner Hemingway with a cool Mojito.

Moving onto the chapter on tropical tipples a little more variety sneaks in, and you might go with a Yellowbird featuring orange and lime juice and Tia Maria, a Rum Bloody Mary, or even indulge in a Boa Noite with the tartness of passionfruit juice. Throwing caution to the wind the chapter even has a recipe for the good old Shandy, and in my books that makes it a winner - definitely my cooling drink of choice after working in the yard.

And once you've started to relax you're probably going to be thinking about something to nibble on - well no need to fear, the book has you covered there too, with a nice little chapter on Caribbean snacks. The Plantain Chips or the Coconut Crisps will go nicely with your Rum and Ginger, or if you were interested in something a little more substantial you might go with the Sugarcane Shrimp or the Dominican Fried Chicken to accompany your High-Octane Limeade. And if you're not sure what nibbles to have with which drink, the final party planner chapter has that all done for you.

This is a nicely put together book, recommended for anyone experiencing warm weather who might be thirsty. Not one for recovering alcoholics or children though.

- Kath

How to cook children, a grisly recipe book ~ Martin Howard and Colin Stimpson

I have to admit, I've never managed to cook any of the recipes within the book and I suspect that is probably a good thing from everyones perspective. That said, any home cook wanting a truly representative collection on their shelves really should take a look at Howard and Stimpson's offering. Although lightweight at only seventeen recipes, each of them provide the cook tempting offerings rarely found in other books.

The recipes are each preceded by a note from the general editor, Esmelia Sniff, detailing interesting points about the recipe's author and the recipe provided. These are quite useful when it comes to selecting a recipe, for instance in introducing Mad Elaine de la Moustache's recipe for Enfant aux Escargots et Grenouilles she notes "Her food's all right if you don't mind disgusting foreign muck". The recipes are all delightfully illustrated with pictures of the the chef or their preparations, though thankfully these are drawn rather than photographed, which might have the tendency to put you off your food. A fairly standard format to each of the recipes, they aren't hard to follow - an introduction by each chef, a list of ingredients followed by the method.

What is trickiest about the recipes isn't the method itself, but sourcing the ingredients. Whether you're thinking about making the Moppet Vindaloo with Paul-oww Rice and Samosas, requiring lots of hot Pippas, a boy called Sam and another called Paul, or the Apple Betty with Eyes-Cream, needing a girl named Betty, some rabbit poo and lots of nits, you are unlikely to have the requisite ingredients to hand. My son had a reprieve recently when I was tempted to make the Leg of Aberdeen Angus with Chloeflower Cheese and Tatties as we didn't have a Tatiana or Chloe to hand, much to his sister's dismay.

To truly get the best out of the recipes in the book, the right ingredients are key. Ugla Snoganov in her recipe for Classic Gingerbread makes clear that the selection of the two young redheads needed is important, noting that "If they're not ginger enough then you'll be left with a load of Auburnbread. Too ginger and you'll get an oven-full of carrot cake". Sage advice from an experienced cook.

In light of the challenges in recreating the recipes in the book, not to mention the lengthy gaol terms if you succeeded, my personal recommendation would be to treat it as inspirational, and then move on to a more mainstream book to find the recipe you are actually going to cook. The Irish Stu with Little Dumplings sounds tempting? I'm certain you'll be able to find an Irish stew and dumpling recipe that will do the trick, and I'm sure a nice paella recipe would do in place of the Pie-Ella.

Recommended for parents and their children wanting a giggle, and perhaps that group from Terminus in season five of The Walking Dead.

- Kath