Cook Your Way Through London
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So you couldn't make it to the Olympic Games in London. No sweat — as they're fond of saying across the pond, "Keep calm and carry on." Better luck in Brazil, perhaps, in four years, or if winter sports are more your speed, even sooner.
Peter Prescott and Terence Conran have released an update to their definitive guide to eating in London, Eat London, cleverly dubbed Eat London². Why should you care when you're stuck here? Because it's bound to be helpful no matter which side of the pond you're on. If you're already over there, and looking to conclude your trip with a flourish before heading back stateside, Eat London² highlights over 300 of the best restaurants, cafés, and shops to visit (all plotted out by neighborhood on a fold-out map) with all the good essentials accompanying each entry — address, telephone, website, and a brief blurb about the establishment.
And if you're "stuck" here in the good old U.S. of A. (watching the Games in HD and flipping between NBC's dozen or so channels is so much better than dealing with crowds and having to trek from event to event, anyway), you can cook up the best that modern British cuisine has to offer. The book is packed with great recipes — over 60 of them — from the best and up-and-coming chefs in London.
With a book like this though, there is one question that does inevitably present itself: Is it more of a guidebook or a cookbook? Well, there is one thing that may keep this book from being a rough-and-ready guide: its size. At 7 ½ by 9 inches, and weighing nearly two pounds, it's a bit on the hefty side and is probably more at home sitting on a desk at the hotel, or in a kitchen at, well, home. So, it's probably well suited to a dreamy cook, desirous of a trip abroad, someday at least, or a traveler who likes to plan out their whole day, jotting down places to go before leaving the room, and then traveling light — without any books.
Whatever you decide to call it though, it's pretty clear that this book, with its wealth of information, is a valuable resource for travelers and cooks alike.
Kedgeree
This recipe for the British breakfast classic comes from Prescott and Conran's very own Albion Café, located in up-and-coming east London.
Devilled Kidneys
Here's another popular, straightforward classic British dish from the Albion Café.
Fig Tart
It's rude to leave without having dessert first. At least have a little bite. This dessert recipe comes from Tinello, a high-end Italian restaurant run by brothers Massimiliano and Federico Sali.
Will Budiaman is the Recipe Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow him on Twitter @WillBudiaman.