Book review: Sugar & Spice

What a lovely idea – a recipe book for children. And, what a good and balanced choice of recipes, which are not just suitable for children to use, but also cater for the sort of food that appeals to them.

I’m tempted to lay claim to being a “children” just to justify having the book on my kitchen shelf.

Jesting aside, this nifty book has 150 recipes of everything from celebration and themed birthday cakes, yoghurt ice cream, sweets, muffins and cupcakes, to light and main meals (butternut soup, tortilla steak wraps, sweet and sour chicken, macaroni cheese) savoury tarts, pizza, snacks and unbaked treats.

The book opens with an explanation of different flours available and some tips and guidelines on successful baking as well as the basic equipment needed in the kitchen to produce the recipes. What will be very handy for little bakers is the conversion table from millilitres to teaspoons, tablespoons and cups.

The instructions are easy to follow with step-by-step pictures, and recipes have a rating symbol so that a parent sees at a glance whether a child can tackle the task on his or her own or will need adult supervision.

Most of the recipes also list variations on the basic recipe, giving one even more options.

For the very young there are several unbaked treats they can make, including sticky toffee apples, marshmallow crispy bars, coconut ice, easy chocolate oat cookies and even play dough.

With Christmas on our doorstep, this would make an ideal present to keep kids away from their electronic gadgets and busy in the kitchen for a few hours at a time.

Sugar & Spice (With Snowflake it’s nice) by Heilie Pienaar is published by Sunbird