'Pastry is an art but it is also food so remember to stay in touch with your ingredients, reflect the seasons in your food and, for the love of God, donβt use strawberries in December.' β Ravneet Gill. This is a book aimed at chefs and home bakers alike who FEAR baking.The pastry is easy. Written by pastry chef extraordinaire, Observer Food Monthly 50 and Code Hospitality 30 Under 30, Ravneet Gill, this is a straight-talking no-nonsense manual designed to become THE baking reference book on any cookery shelf. This is the written embodiment of Ravneetβs very special expertise as a patisserie chef filled with the natural flair and razor-sharp wit that gives her such enormous appeal. Starting with a manifesto for pastry chefs, Ravneet then swiftly moves onto The Basics where she explains the principles of patisserie, which of ingredients you just need to know (gelatine, fresh and dried yeast, flours, sugar, chocolate, cream and butter), how to line your tins, understanding fat content, what equipment you really need, oven temperatures and variables to watch out for. This section alone will give the reader enough knowledge of baking to avoid the pitfalls so many of us take when baking. Chapters are then organised by type of Sugar, Custards , Chocolate , Pastry , Biscuits , Cakes and Puddings. So whether you want to make a lighter-than-air birthday cake, flaky breakfast pastries, smooth and rich ice creams (or parfaits βbecause parfaits are for when you're in the shitβ), macarons or meringues, Ravneet will offer just the right advice to make it all seem easy...M.F