It’s so funny when you’ve been waiting months to finally talk about something this close to your heart. Something that took blood, sweat and tears to create. Today is the day I can finally share more about my new cookbook, which is officially released today!
As you’re all probably well aware, I was blown away by the response to my first cookbook My Darling Lemon Thyme and it was super clear very early on that a follow-up book was a must. I actually wanted my first book to be set out in seasons, as this is how I’ve always cooked, but I didn’t want the little things like drinks and breakfasts to slip through the cracks, as they so often do in books of this kind, so instead I settled on presenting my first book by meal times. I’m super proud of what I shared in my first book and it’s been amazing to hear back from so many of you who have made an astonishing number of the recipes. You have no idea how much hearing that has meant to me as my main goal when writing the book was to create recipes that are approachable and delicious, recipes you want to actually cook, not just look at.
When the opportunity arose to start working on a second book I knew right away that it would be a seasonal book, offering a little glimpse into my kitchen throughout the year. I’ve also given loads of tips to keep in mind when dealing with fruit or vegetable gluts (especially common at this time of the year!) and you’ll find a bunch of staple ‘base’ recipes that I use regularly at the back of the book as well.
Right, now that you’ve watched the book trailer (!) lets get to all the good bits about this new cookbook of mine shall we?…
– It’s 251 pages long and contains 100 recipes.
– I created, styled and photographed all the recipes in the book. Every recipe has a photo.
– The book is 100% gluten-free, vegetarian and fad-free.
– Each recipe has a little dietary label under the title stating if it’s vegan or dairy-free as well. Many recipes that aren’t vegan have a ‘vegan option’ label and then I give options to make it vegan in the head notes of the recipe.
– Around 90% of the recipes in this book are new and have not been seen previously on my blog. I’ve included a handful of blog favourites and there’s a few new-and-improved versions of some of my blog recipes as well (eg a killer update of my most viewed recipe, Black bean brownies, which I’ve made into a flourless torte).
– The book is set out in seasons, starting with Autumn. Perfectly timed for our current season…
– Many of the recipes are dairy-free and vegan. With many more easily adapted to be.
– Just like in my first cookbook, there’s a detailed explanation of all the ingredients that I use, should you not be overly familiar with gluten-free flours etc.
– My recipes use seasonal produce, gluten-free grains, good fats, unrefined sweeteners and both dairy and dairy-free alternatives. I use basic ingredients, nothing too fancy or expensive. You will not have to buy 50 different ‘super-food’ powders to create my recipes.
– All the food you see in the book was eaten by me and my family (and friends!) after the photos were taken. I don’t use stylist tricks or fake food to photograph.
– I’ve got two handmade pasta recipes in this book, a lovely Beetroot Gnocchi and a Toasted Quinoa Tagliatelle. I’ve also got a handmade (and even hand cut as I don’t own a pasta machine!) Buckwheat Egg Noodle recipe (that’s served with a carrot + ginger broth, it’s one of my favourite recipes in the book).
– All my recipes are free from guar gum and xanthan gum.
– Each chapter contains both savoury and sweet recipes.
– Some of my favourite recipes are: Saffron Buttered Pumpkin w/ Herbed Brown Rice (the cover dish!), Roasted Kumara, Persimmon + Rocket Salad w/ Jalapeno Dressing, Shiitake, Peanut + Tofu Dumplings, Feijoa + Apple Shortcake, Tamarillo Sponge Pudding w/ Dairy-free Vanilla Custard, Curried Lentil Hand pies, Sauerkraut, Chocolate-dipped Hazelnut Biscuits, Silverbeet + Feta Gozleme, Beetroot Chocolate Cakes, Dairy-free Olive Oil + Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream, Spicy Tofu Noodles, Black Pepper Tofu w/ Cucumber Pickle, Labneh w/ Apricot Puree + Salted Nuts and Dark Chocolate, Pistachio Halva Ice Cream Bites.
It’s now available in all good bookstores throughout New Zealand and Australia.
I’m also selling signed copies, which you can order here. I can post worldwide, although if you live outside of NZ you might be best to wait until it’s available on the Book Depository in May, with free worldwide postage. We don’t have confirmation just yet, but I’m hoping there will be a US edition in the works soon too. A few of the big department stores in Australia are now stocking my book, Big W and Myer are two that I’m aware of.
You can also buy online from various online bookstores
New Zealand:
Mighty Ape
Fishpond
My Darling Lemon Thyme (signed copies)
Australia:
Angus & Robertson (Bookworld)
Booktopia
Fishpond
Boffins
ABC Store
Myer
Advance praise for A Year in My Real Food Kitchen-
‘I love stepping onto the real food kitchen with Emma – it’s a delicious universe of healthy, whole recipes that are always simple to make and completely satisfying’ -Sarah Britton, author of My New Roots.
‘When it comes to healthy, vegetable-focused gluten-free cooking, Emma’s delicious recipes are always my first stop. Inspiring, original and truly approachable… A Year in My Real Food Kitchen is brimming with great ideas to keep you and your family nourished through every season’ -Amy Chaplin, author of At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well.
Cookbook GIVEAWAY! Competition has now ended- The winners are Sue from Seven Oaks Street Quilts + Deb from Debs-doodlings. Please email me emma(at)mydarlinglemonthyme(dot)com
To be in the draw to win one of two copies of my cookbook, please leave a comment below telling me which season is your favourite and why. I’ll pick the winners using random.org, entries close Monday 4th April at 5pm (NZ time). Sorry, entries are only open to New Zealand and Australian residents. I’m also giving away two copies on my Facebook page and two also on my Instagram page, so head on over there for more chances to win!
my thoughts often turn to baking and the joy of curling my hands around a
steaming mug of tea. Afternoon tea was somewhat of a thing in our house growing
up, the mugs of earl grey tea with a dash of milk and honey were often
accompanied by slabs of mums banana cake with carob icing, or her peanut
brownie cookies that were always slightly singed on the bottoms from the
coal-range wood-fired oven she cooked in for much of my childhood. This pretty
cake, with its toasted hazelnut crumb and generous pieces of jammy end of
season plums is exactly the kind of thing I love to sit down to and savour with
friends and family, over multiple pots of tea. If you can’t buy ground
hazelnuts, simply toast whole hazelnuts at 180C (350F) for 8-10 minutes until
golden, before rubbing off the skins, cooling and grinding in a small food
processor until fine. If you go this route, skip toasting the ground nuts in a
pan. If you’d like to see a video of me making this cake, click here.
(starch)
loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper. Combine
ground hazelnuts and almonds in a medium frying pan over medium heat and toast
5-8 minutes, stirring often, until lightly golden and aromatic. Remove from the
heat and transfer to a bowl, set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Add
sugar, arrowroot, baking powder and salt and whisk to evenly combine.
Pour into dry ingredients and mix to form a smooth batter. Pour into prepared
tin and arrange plum halves, cut-side up, over the batter. Bake for 45-55
minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from
oven and set aside to cool in the tin. This cake stores happily for 2-3 days in
an airtight container, or in the fridge for even longer.
83 Responses
My favourite season in general is Autumn, but my favourite season for cooking has to be Summer – the produce just can't be beat. Does that count?
Nga mihi ki a koe Emma, love your blog and your first cookbook, use them both so much in my whanau. Find them very practical and always have the ingredients. My favourite season is autumn which we are in at the moment. You ahve the end of summer fruit and veges but also the very exciting autumnal ones like feijoas, more apples, fresh walnuts, autumn raspberries. It truly is harvest season, I came bacik from my parents with a bootload of harvested goods and then picked heaps of tomatoes, raspberries and zucchini when I got home. I feel truly blessed at this time of year. And I haven't even begun to talk about the chillies I will pick and all the dofferent condiments that I might make with them.
I love Winter. My boys wrapped up all warm and cosy for adventures in the forest and puddle splashing biking trips, followed by home for a hot chocolate and some warming winter food. We love your recipes and My Darling Lemon Thyme is a staple in our house.
Spring, because it has a sense of new beginnings …you never know what's around the corner!
My favourite season has to be spring because of all the plentiful natural bounty that is available. Plus, being a cross over between two contrasting seasons, you can get away with cooking warm, wintery comfort foods AND fresh, light summery foods! The best of all seasons!
Hello Emma
I'm Cindy Wei, I'm 14 and I live in auckland, nz. I love to cook and learn about food cultures and eat out. I started following your blog in 2014. My favourite season is autumn, because me and my mum love to look at autumn leaves and have picnics. I also love autumn because I always feel inspired to bake. I make apple pie, oatmeal, scones and tarts in autumn. I also love to roast butternut squash and make autumn grain salads. Here is my blog: cindyavocado.blogspot.co.nz
So looking forward to getting your new book in the mail! I found it on Fishpond with free shipping to the US. Your first book is full of recipes I use all the time. Tonight I'm making the lentils with sweet and sour cabbage. (And I made your apricot and coconut bites from the blog this afternoon!)
My favourite season has always been Autumn. When I was little it was because it meant my birthday would be soon, now I love how it signals the end of the long hot sticky Brisbane summer! So excited to see you new book, I have loved cooking from your first and giving it as a gift as well. Those friends will get getting copies of your new one this year!
My favourite season is definitely summer, best weather and best produce!
Congratulations on the new book, it looks absolutely lovely. My favourite season is Spring – lots of wonderful fresh produce, slightly warmer weather and the promise of bright days ahead.
It looks like it's going to be a wonderful follow up to your first book (which I think is the best!!!). Such an accomplishment — congratulations! All of these amazing pics are killing me! I can hardly wait until May!
looks lovely. could I use honey for the sugar? It would make it SCD friendly (i think).
I haven't tried it with honey, but I'm sure it could work. I'd use less than the sugar amount though and drop the temperature to 160-170C.
This book looks amazing – I use your first cookbook all the time and can't wait to cook all the beautiful recipes in this one. My favourite season would have to be Autumn… Love it when the weather starts to cool and I can start making soups and stews again!
Congratulations Emma, I can't wait to see the next book if its anything like your first one. My favourite season is definitely autumn, though its hard to go past summer produce… xxx
Congratulations on the launch of your new book Emma! It looks gorgeous! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.
I just love Spring! The fennel, the pea sprouts, the brassicas, the Beetroot…. All those amazing colours. Just a delight. Ps congrats on your book release 🙂
My gosh Emma this looks just amazing! Living in Perth every season seems great but I am a huge fan of Spring, it seems so peaceful! Though my pumpkin has just gone nuts & I am loving all the pumpkin recipes in the new book (I have it on loan from the Library) so maybe I'm being converted into an Autumn lover 🙂
My favourite season is Spring because I can plant all my seeds, start my seedlings, and begin to nurture a garden yield that wil last me all through the next Winter! So excited to see the new book!
Summer would have to be my favourite season. I love the abundance of tomatoes and zucchinis that we have in our garden, and getting huge watermelons at the farmers market. Plus, days are long and nights a balmy, the perfect weather for eating outdoors.
I know it's a cop out, but I'm loving Autumn right now. The change from the hot Australian summer, to darker, cooler days. The autumnal fruits, Asian greens and quinces.
Congratulations Emma! I know writing a book is huge HUGE, let alone doing all the photography and styling yourself!
My favourite season is Autumn, I love the cooler nights while still lovely warm days and lots of produce still abundant.
What a follow up – wow Emma!
I actually love winter. The contrast to those hot Perth summer months is truly glorious. The jeans and jackets that I pull out from my wardrobe to warm my body and the warming soups and stews we cook on slow for hours warm my belly, while night beside the fire at my Nan's soothe my soul. It's glorious.
Definitely summer. After two years living in Canada, including during their worst winter since '79 where itw as -42C on the way to work and my hair frozen when I stepped outside, I can't get enough of languishing lizard-like in blazing heat (slathered in sunscreen).
Congratulations Emma, it looks beautiful! I have your first book and it is well worn and well loved! I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this one too.
My favourite season is definitely summmer – for days at the beach and long balmy summer evenings.
My favourite season is definitely autumn – and we're here!!!! After a scorching summer in Perth it's such a relief!
Congratulations on your new book Emma, it looks so beautiful! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. Here on the Gold Coast my favourite season is winter, gorgeous sunny days and strawberries available in June, love it!!
I'm excited, your first book opened up a new world of cooking for me. My favourite season is autumn, when the weather is cooler and there's more rain for the fruit and veges, the transistion where you can still hold onto some of those summer dishes or dive in hearty winter ones too. 🙂
Congrats on your second book Emma. I use your first one all the time and I'm sure this one will get just as much use. I love summer because of all the yummy salads you can make and of course those gorgeous summer days at the beach slurping on a smoothie!
Looks stunning Emma! I love summer because you feel relaxed, can spend time outdoors with family and friends (especially having picnics, BBQs, and late night dinners), and feel light and fresh.
I love summer- just so much fabulous fresh produce in the garden, orchard and just fantastic berries
I've always loved summer because it's when the days are the longest! There's just something about sunshine that always brightens my mood and makes me feel happy. I also love all the fresh summer fruits that I get to pick up at the farmer's market here in Hong Kong. There's such a wide variety and during the summer, I love making smoothie bowls, vegan ice cream, and all sorts of delicious plant-based recipes!
Congratulations Emma. Your new book looks great.
My favourite season is Spring. Looking at my newly planted vegetable gardens and blossom on the fruit trees, I can imagine just how wonderful it will be when I start harvesting the produce.
Definitely winter! who doesn't love snuggling up on the couch with a doona and a hot drink watching netflix with friends and family:)
I love Autumn because the feijoa season is here 🙂
Emma, congratulations!!!! I adore your first book and this looks like a mighty fine follow up to it. Seasonal cooking is simply the best. Summer is my favourite season, without a doubt. I love the heat and the beach, not to mention the first tomatoes of the season, cherries, mangoes, berries and all the other delicious food in season at the time.
I've been waiting with baited breathe for your new book…My Darling Lemon Thyme is my fav go to as ALL the recipes work out perfectly. My fav time of the year even though I live in a subtropical climate is winter…as this season allows me more inside time for cooking & sharing and it is the ultimate comfort season
I'm really, really bad a picking favourites – I love the sunny days, crisp mornings & pretty leaves of autumn, frosty mornings & cosy clothes/comfort food in winter, new growth, blossoms & bright skies in spring & fresh fruit, long days & light clothes in summer…
If I really have to choose, I'll go with spring though, although I couldn't tell you exactly why.
My favourite season has to be autumn … where all the nourishment and careful gardening of summer provides a beautiful array of vegetables that satisfy during the beautiful shift from warm to cool x
My favourite season would have to be winter. I love the feeling of a cosy knit against the skin, with a hot mug of tea clasped firmly between my hands to warm up. There's nothing quite like it. Even if I don't win a copy of the book, I well definitely be buying one – Love the work you do Emma!
Summer = warm sun, afternoon swim and figs.
Congratulations on your second book! I love your blog, and love your food philosophy. My favourite season is this time of year…end of summer, beginning of autumn. Can't get enough of all the chillies, basil, corn, tomatoes at the end of summer, and love the new season plums, apples and different types of mushrooms that bring in Autumn. so many delicious dishes to make!!
Congratulations Emma! Your book looks gorgeous! It was so nice to hear your voice in the trailer too 🙂 Best of luck with the launch. Love, Amy xo
Summer, just heading to the beach with the kids late afternoon until early evening on a hot day watching them catch waves and then watching them try to stop the waves crashing onto their sandcastle, finished by a stroll up to the ice-cream shop for a whopping scoop with cream and nuts in a waffle cone.
I will keep my eyes open for the US release of your book. I must have your book! I love your recipes, your photos, & your posts. You capture the joy & beauty of seasonality, deliciousness, & family in such a lovely way.
Congratulations, Emma! I am thrilled for you and so very excited for your new book. We have friends coming to visit from Australia in a couple weeks so I will have them bring me a copy. I cook from your first one often and it has been a popular seller in my store. I can't wait for your new one to arrive in the States so I can carry it for my customers!
Favourite season – autumn! Crisp cool mornings and evenings – blue sky windless days – deciduous colors – harvesting and preserving – sounder sleeps with the feather duvet back – and a feeling of everything calming down and getting ready for some winter hibernation, while still holding signs of the promise of spring. PLUS! … A brand new seasonal cookbook to enjoy! – thanks Emma – I love it! Xx
So so excited for you Emma! Congratulations on a gorgeous second book! Cannot wait till it comes to the US. Still loving you're first one I just got my hands on, what a gem. You are amazing. <3
Thankyou for a chance to win! I do love Spring …. everything starts to grow so abundantly – the colours are glorious – our berry and orchard crops are in full swing and everything seems so alive 🙂
I adore Autumn – the changing light, roasted chestnuts and warming bowls of soup, long walks in crisp air, the colours – there is something about Autumn that is utterly cosy and comforting 🙂
What a beautiful book Emma – congratulations! My favourite season is winter – using lots of root veggies in warming soups and curries.
My favourite season is Spring, for excitement and things growing.
Hi. Summer would have to be my favourite season – long days, beautiful early mornings, lots of outdoor opportunity with swimming, walking, eating outdoors etc and being always warm.
I cant wait to flick through your new book Emma! My husband and I loved your first one so much, we both have a copie of it! 😀
Here in Australia, my favourite season has to be autumn. As much as I enjoy the long summer days, there is just something I love about sipping hot tea on a cool, crisp morning and getting warm and cozy in layers of blankets.
I am so excited about your new book! My favourite cooking season is also autumn. I am a forager at heart, so the streets around my work bear figs and wonderful feijoas. No one seems to do anything with the feijoas which I love so much. I poach and freeze them for use through the year. They bring so much joy to a winter breakfast as a topping. Further afield, I collect apples on roadsides and dry them to add to muesli. But my favourite is to go mushrooming in pine forests for pine mushrooms and slippery jacks. My Czech parents had the tradition to go mushrooming and now I go with my dog, dry the mushrooms and give them to my parents who are a bit old to go themselves. Preserving is the ultimate joyous kitchen activity for me.
Wonderful warming winter! Not only is creamy, steamy, healthy PORAGE an absolout go to on those icy mornings, but my never ending mug and tea pot is always on the go, more then usual, if possible. OH and those stunning root veggies and greens are full and in abundance and so is my favourite MYER LEMON tree, which i eat off like candy and cook with in every dish and baked good I can. mmmmmmmm.
What a STUNNER of a book!
What a wonderful looking follow up book Emma !
Look forward to getting a copy.
Oh Congratulations x 1000000, Emma! Your new book is utterly gorgeous, and hopefully someday I'll be the proud owner of a copy. (If only I were Australian… 😉 )
Your trailer is the loveliest, too. Autumn is also my favorite. xoxo
Congratulations on the book. I have missed the blog recently but knew you were moving back to NZ. As someone in the UK I shall have to wait until Amazon Europe has it – managed to get the first one that way. As a Kiwi who has lived here for decades I really appreciate getting antipodean recipes now that I am on a gluten free diet. (Was diagnosed as coeliac in my mid-sixties).
It would have to be autumn, nothing beats the colours of autumn. The world is just such a beautiful place at that time. Plus being indoors all cozy while the weather is rainy and windy outside is just a lovely way to spend an afternoon (preferably spent cooking!)
Firsty, my favourite season must be Spring or early summer, the best fruits are just hitting the trees and there is some sort of energy in the air that makes me want to move, I could run marathons with a warm Spring breeze at my back. Secondly congrats!!! My friend got me your first cookbook for my birthday before I even knew I loved your food this much, it remains my most loved and used cookbook 🙂
My favourite season comes 4 times a year – when the seasons change. I always love detecting that warmth or chill in the air and knowing something different is around the corner.
Spring -all those small baby veggies,more warmth and cold dishes again and the promise of different veggies after long winter of limited choice….
My favourite season is Autumn because I love the produce and the cooler temps after a hot summer.
Congrats on the new book. My favourite season is Autumn. All the sweet, juicy late summer fruits inspire me to cook, bake and bottle.
looking forward to the book reaching this side of the world. Congratulations!
I absolutely love Summer. Beautiful fruit in abundance (I love a big breakfast of muesli with heaps of fruit and yoghurt!) and dinner picnics in the park or at the beach.
Thanks for another great book!
Ooooh how I would like to get my hands on this book, looks gorgeous! So thrilling. Favorite season is so difficult, as each comes with it's own set of tastes, colors, rhythms. However I think autumn is winning out, the bounty of fall produce, that crisp cool air and the deliciousness of curling up in warm sheets and sipping piping mugs of spiced brews. Huge congratulations on the book, can't wait to go through it page-by-page. x
Looks beautiful! Currently loving the beginning of Autumn for the glut of feijoas! Feijoa crumble for breakfast lunch and dinner it is.
So excited for this book! All of the recipes I've seen that have been shared so far sound incredible!! And this cake looks no different. So delicious 🙂
I've just discovered your site – love it! My favourite season is summer – the abundance of stone fruit is amazing, and warm walks on the beach with my fiance and our dog just can't be beat!
Looks like a lovely book, I can't wait to take a look! Favourite season is definitely summer due to the amazing NZ stone fruit!
summer, cherries galore, picnics, lazy beach days. every season has its special treats but if I have to pick summer it is
I made this cake this morning and it is incredibly delicious & so easy to make. My friend had several pieces (ok so did I) and she said it is the best cake she's ever eaten. My favourite season is Autumn as we finally have beautiful warm sunny days without the killer heat (Perth). And I love pumpkin and Autumn is all about pumpkin.
I have your first book and so excited by the new one.
I love Autumn so much produce to eat now and preserve for the winter.
My favourite is autumn as you can still indulge in summer foods and salads but you can start also eating wintery comfort foods
am a big fan of all the recipes you've shared already! and, yeah really looking forward to grabbing this book! Thanks again…
Wonderful recipe
Wow! This looks delicious, I've been loving nut-based cakes lately. Thanks for the recipe!
Congratulations! I can only imagine how much effort you put into the book 🙂
Hi Emma I've just made the gozleme but did it as plain flatbreads to have with a chickpea & vege curry – so baked rather than fried – looks good – maybe a little dry but hopefully good for soaking up curry juices! Do you have any tips for doing this kind of conversion? I'm not great at pan-frying!… Great book -thanks!
Hi Ruth, sorry I've not tried that particluar recipe baked before and not sure there's really a conversion for it. My best advise (other than panfrying it!:-)) would be to brush the bread generously with olive oil or butter before baking. And bake at a high temperature for only a few minutes to keep it from drying out. xx
This is, no doubt, the most delicious cake I’ve ever baked. Even my friends who do not like hazelnuts were delighted with this cake. Thank you for sharing!