As soon as I saw the cover of The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook by Lex Taylor I was sold. I love to cook and consider myself an above-average home chef. My love for cooking started in my grandma’s kitchen when I was very young. I eventually inherited an extensive collection of recipes and vintage cookbooks from my great-grandmother and grandmother. I have made cookbook collecting a hobby. I purchase New York Bestselling cookbooks to vintage church cookbooks. If I could redesign my kitchen, I would have a wall-to-wall bookcase to display them all.
When I purchase a cookbook, I always hope one or two recipes are keepers to add to my family’s favorite menu list. So when I picked up The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook by Lex Taylor at the bookstore, I was certain there would be at least a few entertainingly delicious recipes to try, especially after being inspired by the popular and very English Netflix series Bridgerton.
The cookbook itself has a whimsical cover staying true to the Bridgerton vibe. The few pictures of the dishes that are prepared are nicely taken, and the whole format of the cookbook is easy to read with a Table of Content, an Index, and a helpful Conversion Chart. The author, Lex Taylor, is an award-winning chef, author, and TV personality who has appeared on Food Network and Esquire, which made this cookbook even more alluring to purchase. He wrote The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook because the popular show inspired him, which is evident.
The recipes are English or, should I say very old English. The dishes are very Bridgerton and range from drinks to afternoon tea, salads, soups, dinners, and desserts, that capture and recreate the show. However, once I started looking at the recipes, I soon discovered I was very intimidated by the skill level and knowledge required to reproduce many of the recipes.
The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook by Lex Taylor
Genre: CookBook
Inspired by the popular series Bridgerton. This cookbook brings to life recipes that are unique but complicated if you are not a seasoned chef!
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I believe this cookbook is intended to entertain, and any attempt to prepare a dish from this cookbook is left to a very seasoned chef. The recipes are difficult and complicated, with some ingredients that are hard to find.
After I accepted that out of 100 recipes in The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook, there was nothing I could prepare, I found myself enjoying reading all of the recipe titles. The Dandy’s Superb Tomatoes Tartare or Oxford Roasted Beef Heart with Lemon Confit sounded very Bridgerton. Other recipe names caught my eye, like Teatime GooseberryPie Lemonade and Revolutionary Parmesan ice Cream. My favorite recipe name in the cookbook is Rose of the First Water Pudding. I feel this recipe should be in a fairytale! I did not know that rose water was an actual ingredient. I looked up edible rose water, and you can buy it or make homemade rose water with actual rose petals.
Even though I can’t really make anything in this cookbook, I do not regret buying it because of how nicely presented it is and how it really captures the show. The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook will look beautiful on my shelf, but unfortunately, I will never make anything in it.
I give this cookbook a solid three-star rating. Lev Taylor gave the cookbook a great presentation with historically charming English-named, very Bridgerton recipes. However, there are no nutritional values written for each of the recipes, not enough pictures of the dishes, and even though the Regency era recipes are entertaining to read, they are difficult to prepare.
