Would you like to help us test recipes for the Mumsnet Cookbook?

[CatherineHMumsnet]

Shhh .. don't tell everyone but we're working on a top secret new project in the form of The Mumsnet Cookbook and we need your help.

We'd like to get together a Mumsnet Cookbook cookery group to stop us from piling on the pounds help us test these shortlisted recipes.

Each volunteer will be allocated a recipe which they'll then cook for their family and give us some feedback on how easy, hard, good, bad, expensive etc they are and whether they'd make it again. All the recipes chosen were submitted over the years by Mumsnetters, so there shouldn't be any outlandish or particularly difficult to source ingredients - and they should all be pretty easy to make (we hope!).

As a thank-you, we'll be putting everyone who helps out into a prize draw to win a Bloomsbury cookbook.

And if that's not enough of an incentive, everyone who helps will have their *Mumsnetter nickname featured in the cookbook's acknowledgements.

sure there's not room for a little un catherine? I was thinking this could be a bit of excitement in my otherwise rather dull life :)

Thanks for the swift response, I may try it both ways, you never know, it may be a revolutionary new method probably a disaster though

I could do turkey

she said in a small and keen voice

Do what to Turkey? I think its been stuffed already.

Toomanyworriedsonhere - I'll DM you details.

Ifancyanewname - will PM you.

have done my 1st recipe, but under NC right now, are there any others you need testing, Catherine

i signed up under the name UnChartered btw

Ahah, finally found this thread again!

DD, DH and I will humbly force ourselves to make the delicious sounding chocolate cake recipe this weekend and then eat enough to be able to provide an appropriately in depth review covering all elements of construction and consumption.

It's going to be tough, but we'll manage. Somehow!

HerofftheInternet - nothing right now, but will keep you posted.

preferably low fat at i've eaten most of the one i tested

ok

Spirael - it's so good to know there are people like you out there, willing to go that extra mile, consume those extra calories...

Don't be silly, if you make it yourself then it has no calories. Everyone knows that.

did my picture come out ok, Helen

it's on a new phone, causing much 'hilarity' here

RuleBritannia - have sent you a PM, may have a recipe for you to test.

Are we getting a second recipe each once we've done the first one or have they been spread out over twice as many volunteers? I have only got one recipe so far (I am cooking it tonight)

HmmmM. Bran flake bakey thing a flop! As noted in one review - still in the oven two hours later and still a sloppy gloop! What a waste of lovely prunes and apricots! I will try it again, but I do bake an awful lot and don't generally fail!

Do we leave feedback here or on the recipe pages?
Bran bakey thing staying in ovn until morning. Maybe it will have solidified by then.

leonie - my recipe is ice cream extravaganza
www.mumsnet.com/Recipes/i/5748-Ice-cream-extravaganza

Potentially interested in a swap - but not if it involves hot yogurt or offal!

Oh yes.
Now one of my kids is dairy-free but we are pro's at adapting a recipe ( except cheese sauces).

Are you also going to have some one-line helpful hints in this book top secret project?

Things like...

If it's burnt call it caramelised [recipe name] rather than burnt.

If it's looking a bit rough and ready call it rustic [recipe name].

If it's got too much salt in then [I don't know - hoping someone out there might!]

If it needs tarting up a bit throw some apples in and call it Somerset [recipe name]

Make fruit salads sound fancy when entertaining by giving them a theme and a name (eg Traffic light - use red, yellow and green fruit, Pimms Summer Salad- use fruits normally based on Pimms drink & throw Pimms into the syrup, Rainbow - lots of different coloured fruit, Caribbean - use coconut water as syrup, include pineapple, bananas and melon and rum if it's just adults eating it...)

Meant to say that you can probably tell that part of my cooking strategy has developed from the techy principle of 'don't call it a bug, call it a feature' - however that's probably not a good one line tip for the book project...

Do you need any more volunteers? I have only just found this thread and would love ot do it

If it's got too much salt in it, then chuck in a cut-up, peeled potato. It will 'soak' up the salt. Then remove potato.

Disappointed not to find this thread earlier.