Putting Antony Worrall Thompson's latest cookbook to the test (From Bournemouth Echo)

Putting Antony Worrall Thompson's latest cookbook to the test

11:39am Monday 22nd February 2010 in

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LIKE many celebrity chefs before him, Anthony Worrall Thompson is on a mission to show the nation how easy it is to cook.

In his latest cookery book, Antony Makes It Easy, the 58-year-old wants to prove that producing home-cooked food is just as simple as heating up a pre-packaged meal (let’s hope it isn’t as complicated as the baffling Gordon Ramsay Makes It Easy).

“The recipes here are what I would call real food, food that for the most part doesn't come out of any packets in ready-assembled, part-cooked ingredients,” says father of four Anthony. “It's food that you can cook easily from scratch.”

To see if Worrall Thompson’s book lives up to the promise, we put three of its recipes to the test.

Deciding on which ones to pick is tough, with 120 dishes on offer. After finally plumping for Roast Butternut Squash, Twice Baked Potato and the Warm Chocolate Nonsense pudding, we got to work.

There are two sets of ingredients for each recipe because Worrall Thompson has divided the ingredients into those which he thinks you'll have and those which might require a quick trip to the shops… hmm, is that really keeping it simple? For example, for the Warm Chocolate Nonsense, Worrall Thompson presumes you’ll have 250g of dark chocolate in the cupboard but that you'll need to buy whipping cream.

This way of separating ingredients is slightly unnecessary as everyone’s cupboards will be stocked with different products.

First up is the Roast Butternut Squash with Savoury Ricotta.

The butternut squash needs to be cooked for 50 minutes, and the ricotta mixture for the dish doesn’t take long to make. While it sounds simple enough, the recipe requires a food processor and without one there’s a need to improvise. Luckily, a blender is just as effective.

Once the cheese mixture is added to the butternut squash and put back in the oven for 15 minutes, the finished dish comes out looking not all that different from the picture of Worrall Thompson’s version.

The second dish – the Twice Baked Potatoes – is just as simple to make, but with the potatoes requiring an hour plus in the oven it’s not a quick meal.

Finally, it’s time to try the Warm Chocolate Nonsense. With chocolate, butter, sugar and whipping cream it’s not the healthiest of desserts but as a one-off treat, it’s not only delicious but quick and easy to make. Once in the oven it’s worth keeping an eye on the pots so the puddings don’t overcook.

Overall the recipes are successful. They are relatively simple to make and while they may not be as quick as a microwave meal, they certainly taste far better.

Try them yourselves: Twice Baked Potatoes

• Antony Makes It Easy by Antony Worrall Thompson is published by Mitchell Beazley priced £18.99