The Doctor Who Cookbook

Rating:
Summary: A Practical Collectors Item
Review: "The Doctor Who Cookbook" has to be one of the most unique collectibles there is. I picked this book up in a garage sale as a kid, it got me onto Doctor Who actually...

Various actors, writers and crew from Doctor Who have contributed recipes, including Terrance Dicks, Colin Baker, Robert Holmes, Peter Davison, Jon Pertwee, John Nathan-Turner and Elisabeth Sladen. There's a dish for everyone, everything from soups, fish dishes, meat dishes, meals for vegetarians, desserts, and even the odd cocktail. Each recipe is given a fitting Whovian name, and comes with a profile of the person who provided it.

Accompanying many of the recipes are amusing illustrations by Gail Bennett, some of them silly, some of them surreal, all of which should give the hardcore Whovian a giggle or two. Among my favourites are the 2nd Doctor and Jamie eating a giant mushroom, the White Guardian giving the Black Guardian a pie in the face, the frog-like Monarch cooking his own leg over an open fire and lets not forget the picture of a soup full of "Krotons". The cover is pretty amusing too, with various Doctor Who monsters dressed up as restaurant staff.

As far as the actual recipes go, they're not bad. I've cooked a couple up. The recipes for the most part are easy to follow, a couple of the recipes have surreal nonsense words substituted for the real ingredients, for that exotic, spacey feel. Oh, and the results taste pretty good too. Mind you, being 1980s English cooking, a lot of these recipes look very fattening, (theres a LOT of cream used in the desserts for example), so if you are watching your weight you may want to use some healthier substitutes.

In the middle of the book are large coloured photographs of Colin Baker (6th Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri Brown), Fiona Cumming (A Doctor Who director) and Fraser Hines (Jamie McRimmon), each busy in the kitchen. I haven't seen these pictures published anywhere else.

This book is for the hardcore collectors only, but for those who are, they will appreciate getting their hands on a copy, I'm sure.

Rating:
Summary: Well, it was for a good cause
Review: "The Doctor Who Cookbook" was conceived as a fundraiser for some charity (I don't have the book in front of me right now, so I don't remember which). TDWC, like many celebrity and TV show based cookbooks, is of interest to rabid fans only. In addition...well, I'm going to indulge in a bit of cultural bashing here and say that British cooking is not something that most non-Brits like. Also, there's the cringe-provoking tendency to give the items cutesy Who-based names. I guess the writers assume that all Who fans are aged 9 and under....

For the total whacko Who fan who owns everything already.

Rating:
Summary: Well, it was for a good cause
Review: "The Doctor Who Cookbook" was conceived as a fundraiser for some charity (I don't have the book in front of me right now, so I don't remember which). TDWC, like many celebrity and TV show based cookbooks, is of interest to rabid fans only. In addition...well, I'm going to indulge in a bit of cultural bashing here and say that British cooking is not something that most non-Brits like. Also, there's the cringe-provoking tendency to give the items cutesy Who-based names. I guess the writers assume that all Who fans are aged 9 and under....

For the total whacko Who fan who owns everything already.