Harry Potter Official Wizarding World Cookbook: Spellbinding Meals from New York to Hogwarts and beyond! (Official Harry Potter Cookbooks)

As a very enthusiastic cook, I initially picked up this book while out browsing with my kids, finding it strange to see a cookbook among the anime and graphic novels. I was immediately intrigued by the odd collection of recipes which appeared to include British home cooking, American-Polish dishes as well as a French section. After seeing it on Amazon for a much better price, I was convinced by two enthusiastic kids to buy the book. As an experienced cook, I was sceptical, but at first sight the book had a lovely mix of recipes which included baking (breads, pastries, pies, biscuits and cakes), cocktails which can be easily turned into mocktails, pies, soups and various interesting dinners which are easy to prepare. Personally, I am enjoying the book very much as I find the often bizarre and heroic attempts of the writers to link a particular recipe with a Harry Potter theme a source of great amusement. For example, Zouwu Chees Souffle suggests that, in line with the beast it describes, this fluffy soufflé might make you purr with delight. I’m fairly sure I’ve never heard Nigel Slater use that phrase. But, don’t be fooled, the recipes in this book are delicious, and I’ve now made over 15 of the dishes in this book and they were all fantastic; and enthusiastically received by the whole family. The Kowalski Bakery’s Fluffy Cinnamon Buns are now a household staple, which I make at least once a week. The only criticism I have of the book is that, due to the Happy Potter theme, there is less space for technical instructions, and I’ve ended up botching some of the baking due to a lack of clear instructions – the pictures below show my first attempt at the Kowalski Bakery’s Fluffy Cinnamon Buns, where I used a container which was much too small. In a nutshell, I’m not sure if this book will satisfy Harry Potter fans, but the recipes are fantastic.

I purchased this as a stocking filler for my partner but I think I will be making most of these myself! Great book for all the Potter fans, some cracking recipes for cooking and baking with the family before you sit down for a HP movie marathon for the 1000th time. Quality hardback with hardy glossy pages for the inevitable ingredients splashing over them.

Firstly, like two other reviewers, this arrived damaged.Secondly, but more importantly, this book is complete crap. For a series with so much famous food and drink (butter beer, fizzing whizzbees, pumpkin juice) you'd expect this to contain recipes for things that actually appear in the books and films, but not one of the above, or any you can think of, are actually included. No one has made the effort to actually be creative and there's just been some absolutely atrocious potter-themed words slapped onto an existing recipe book.You'll have a good laugh at the pathetic recipe titles, but save yourself the money and just look at my pics instead.

This is the book for Harry Potter food dreams! The recipes are invented and appealing. The instructions are clear and very visually appealing.

Great food.

As mentioned in other reviews, I was bitterly disappointed that nearly no recipes reflected what is actually mentioned in the magical world Jo Rowling created. There is a goldmine of inventive ideas should someone have bothered to try (I have seen online creators cook aunt Petunia's violet cream cake for the Masons, fever fudge from Fred and George's skiving snackboxes, Hagrid's rock cakes, chocolate frogs....). The two recipes I will concede might actually be related are the fry-up seen being plated on Dudley's birthday in the first film and the pierogi for Jacob and Queenie's wedding day. This just feels like a money grab rather than something true fans might enjoy. Indeed, some of the recipe names are so tenuous, you'd laugh if you weren't crying!!!

Great product to enjoy with the kids

I was so looking forward to this book coming out. I'm so upset the book arrived with a scratched cover.