I’ve collected dozens of recipe books over the years, but I still look on the web for fresh ideas. The other day I saw a recipe for soda bread in the Telegraph; a recipe by Stevie Parle, who contributes to the paper a lot. I decided to make it. But that meant spending money on the ingredients, including buttermilk. Not to worry, it sounded good, and it should be trustworthy, right? After all, there was a photograph of the finished article. But as I was making it I knew it wasn’t going to work. There was far too much liquid. I checked. Yes, I was following the recipe correctly. Perhaps if I just piled the very wet mixture onto the baking tray it would be all right. But no, it’s inedible and went in the bin.
It’s not the first time this has happened. You print out a recipe, buy the ingredients and then start to worry. It doesn’t sound right. And it isn’t. A beetroot chocolate cake which could never have worked; a risotto which was impossible. So how does this happen? When photos are included you have to assume that someone has tested the recipe, so the error has to be in the copying of the ingredients list. Or did the cook write the recipe down incorrectly? Who knows, but it’s annoying, expensive and a waste of time.
I Wish to Complain 