There’s No Taste Like Home tells the remarkable story of John’s life in food and his emotional journey of grief and recovery through cooking, with every dish inspired by a personal memory, and each punctuated with stunning photography. It is cookbook with real difference and emotion – born out of his winning MasterChef menu that was inspired by his mother who he had recently lost to Alzheimer’s.
During the year leading up the MasterChef final John learnt to reconnect with his past, to grieve and to heal through cooking. There’s No Taste Like Home is a collection of heart-warming, fuss-free and budget-conscious recipes that each promise to deliver a simultaneous sense of nostalgia and comfort. From easy Breakfast Doughnuts to fun Fish & Chip Tacos to a showstopping Black Forest Gateaux there really is something to satisfy every palette and suit all occasions no matter your skillset or budget.
John has created this wonderful collection of recipes, drawing on all his favourite memories of food, menus and cooking, adding his own unique and creative twist to each dish.
Today I’m delighted to be joined on booksaremycwtches by another talented cook and baker Jennifer Fleming with a review of There’s No Taste Like Home.
Review
As a big fan of 2018 Celebrity Masterchef winner John Partridge, I jumped at the chance to grab his cookbook. It came at the perfect time as well – at the beginning of quarantine, when I had little to do to pass the time. What better reason to try out a few recipes?
The book itself is filled with beautiful vibrant pictures, and each recipe comes with an anecdote from John’s life, covering his childhood, family life, work, holidays… each dish has a purpose and a place in the book. Even if you didn’t cook, the book reads as an engaging food-themed autobiography.
As for the recipes themselves, there’s a lot of range: dishes of various difficulties and prep time, and accounts for varying tastes as well. There’s bound to be something to suit you within the pages! There was for me: as someone who likes the process of cooking, but is a bit of a fusspot and has limits in terms of equipment, I managed to find quite a few things to try for myself.
One dish I made at the weekend was the carrot cake. The instructions are simple, friendly and easy to follow, and different methods and tips touched on so you do what works for you. And the result definitely worked for me!
I also gave the breakfast doughnuts a go – being a bit of a novice in the kitchen, I had no idea it was so easy to make doughnuts in the comfort of your own home. The buttermilk pancakes were a hit; and the rice pudding was on another level!
The book is just really versatile – aimed at those who can cook and those who can’t; those who want insights into John’s life and those who don’t. But whatever the reason you buy the book, you’ll likely end up getting things you didn’t expect out of it. It’s a wonderful autobio-picture-cookbook!
You can buy this superb cook book from Amazon, Waterstones and also WHSmith.
Why not also consider ordering it from your favourite Indie bookshops, all of whom need our support, especially at the moment.
About the author
John Partridge is an actor, singer, and new author. He was born in Manchester in 1971, went on to train at the Royal Ballet School, Bush Davies, and Doreen Birds. He has appeared in over 18 major West End Musicals including Cats, Chicago, A Chorus Line, Starlight Express, and Tommy. While he played the role of Christian Clarke in BBBC1’s Eastenders for over 5 years.
There’s No Taste Like Home is his first cookbook following his fabulous win of Celebrity MasterChef in 2018. The recipes are inspired by his family and heritage. All the recipes in this book were cooked and photographed in the authors house, his kitchen by the author.
John also regularly shares new recipes and ideas on his twitter @mustbejp and Instagram @johnpartridgecooks if you fancy even more tempting dishes.
booksaremycwtches 
These dishes look absolutely delicious!
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Thank you. Everyone I know that has bought it loves the recipe’s. xx
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