by Rosl Schatzberger
Jessie's Fund 2008 . ISBN 0953912116 - ISBN-13 9780953912117 . £12.95
From Jessie’s Fund, 01904 658189, or www.jessiesfund.org.uk

Another subtitle could be 'A life in recipes'. Glazed baked potatoes ready on the stove for a schoolgirl's lunch in her mother's Viennese fashion shop; Marillenknödeln (apricot dumplings) cooked on a primus stove in Prague as the family fled to England; potato cakes cooked on a camping stove by two young Austrian friends; the yeast cakes served by the bride's parents at the wedding breakfast in Oldham for the same young couple. The core of this book is grounded in Viennese domestic cooking. Rosl Schatzberger's mother passed on her Viennese recipes to her teenage daughter during the privations of the Second World War producing 'delicious, nourishing meals' and an 'impression of abundance'.
During a long and varied life the author has cooked for her family and friends and helped others to gain self confidence through cooking. The recipes are not exclusively Austrian, but there is always a touch of 'Austrian Magic'!
The book is a delight to read, the recipes are clearly set out; someone starting from scratch could produce authentic dishes using these recipes. The instructions for the Panier that coats a real Wienerschnitzel are spot on. Rosl shares the secret of a good Gulasch: ample quantities of Hungarian sweet paprika, once difficult to find in Britain but now Waitrose Organic Paprika gives that rich authentic flavour!

Reviewed by Janet Britnell