Just Add Love by Irris Makler

‘When you cook with your grandmother, you learn a lot more than the recipe.’

I learned about this beautiful book after reading Lisa’s review.  I put my name down to borrow a copy from my local library and, almost twelve months later, had a chance to read it.  It was well worth the wait.  Not so much for the recipes (although they are a delight) but for the stories.  These are extraordinary stories from Jewish women (and two Jewish men) now in their 80s and 90s who survived the Nazi genocide.  These are people who lost so much and have managed to rebuild their lives.

Their stories are accompanied by beautiful photographs (of people and food) and recipes which represent history, culture, and adaptation.  The recipes are from Europe, Russia, Central Asia and North Africa.

This is a beautiful book, and one I would like to buy a copy of for my own bookshelf.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith