Cafe cooking with Rosie Lovell

Rosie Lovell is a young cafe owner in buzzing Brixton market serving up all manner of good food to her regular customers. Brixton market has recently become quite the foodie mecca and Spooning with Rosie serves as a great reflection of that.

It’s full of her quirky, eclectic personal stories and anecdotes and feels as much confessional diary as cookbook. This gives it a distinctly honest feeling.

In keeping with current trends, food for all seasons is represented here – but this is surely just a facet of cafe life – catering the hungry masses on freezing winter mornings at one stage, while serving the up light salads during the balmy summer months.

There are also ideas for all times of day and all kind of events present, from the ultimate sausage sandwich to crowd pleasing cakes. The recipes are approachable for cooks of all levels – it’s unfussy, cafe-style food.

Spooning with Rosie is packed with twists on classic combinations like a modern take on potted salmon, Roasted salmon and fennel pate and some inspired new combinations, for example risotto Milanese with morcilla, a traditional rice dish perked up with spicy Spanish blood sausage. These are inspirational ideas for the home-cook.

Her amicable voice shines through the book – talking to the reader more as friend than anything else.

This is a book filled with global inspiration but perfectly suited to a small kitchen – cooking with few ingredients and few pots and pans. The star recipe must be the inspired mascarpone mojito cheesecake, an unctuous sounding crossover between classic American pudding and South American cocktail.

Lots of cookbooks these days are good to look at – this one actually makes you want to hit the kitchen and get cooking.

Spooning with Rosie by Rosie Lovell, published by 4th Estate, £18.99