The haggis, or some version of it, may be found in the histories of countries as varied as ancient Greece, Sweden, and the United States. Yet the haggis is most closely associated with Scotland and has come to represent that country just as pasta represents Italy.

Scotland may thank its beloved bard, Robert Burns, for this. Burns immortalized the dish in perhaps his best-known poem, “Address to the Haggis.” In it, he refers to the haggis as the “Great Chieftan o’ the Puddin’-race!”

How far the haggis had come!

Originally a meal of the lower classes who could not afford to waste any edible portion of their livestock, the haggis mysteriously transformed into a delicacy deemed worthy of royalty. Queen Victoria, an enthusiast for most all things Scottish, said of the haggis, “I find I like it very well.”

Clarissa Dickson Wright went to University College London to study law and was called to the bar at age twenty-one. She practiced successfully as a barrister for a number of years before settling on cooking as her calling.

For the rest of it, go grab the book.

Hamilton’s vampires are of the Anne Rice genre. They are beautiful, deadly and follow their own code of ethics. Many humans have become enthralled with them, but many are deeply suspicious. To Anita they are monsters who, when they go out of control, must be killed. But U.S. law protects vampires that behave themselves. Even so, when someone starts killing the vampires of St. Louis, authorities make little progress. Angered, two of the strongest vampires in the city, Jean-Claude and Nikolaos, convince Anita to hunt down the killer. Marc Ruby™ “The Noh Hare™”

The author manages to pull together a highly entertaining and enjoyable book. The style is part detective potboiler, part mystery, and part fantasy with supernatural portents. It carries the reader along from its first page to its last, never losing its momentum. In fact, it leaves the reader wanting more. Good thing that this is merely the first in a series of books about this intrepid vampire hunter, Anita Blake. I look forward to reading them all. Lawyeraau

Laurel K Hamilton has always been fascinated by the darker side of things. She is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. And you are at a click away of meeting her vampire hunter, Anita Blake.

After having gone out of fashion for almost 1000 years, the sandal made a comeback in the 1920s. With the addition of heels, sandals were glamorous again. Thanks to Ferragamo’s invention of the metal arch support, heeled shoes no longer needed toe caps to act as brakes on the feet. So by the end of the decade, newly liberated toes, nails painted bright red were peeping out of high-heeled sandals …. the rest in the magnificent book written in a great and insightful manner by Linda O’Keeffe.

Not so long ago, the most exotic flavorings to be found in the average pantry were salt, pepper and probably garlic, too. Fresh herbs were a rare sight, except for perhaps a patch of mint or parsley growing outside the back door.

Times have changed. Thanks to the migration of different ethnic groups and the movement of people around the world in general, our culinary spectrum has grown enormously. We are now familiar with a wealth of flavors and aromas and often cook with the herbs spices and seeds associated with Italian, Greek, Moroccan, Spanish, Lebanese, Thai, Indian, West Indian, Chinese and Japanese cuisines, to name but a few.

There is nothing to match the flavors and fragrance of fresh herbs, which are easily available from any supermarket either in bunches or pots. Better still, they can be grown in the garden or a window box for snip-and-come-again freshness.Dried herbs are also a good option. However, they tend to be stronger and more pungent than the fresh variety, and so should be measured accordingly to maintain balance when cooking.

Balance and harmony is especially important when it comes to spicing food. In countries where spices are integral to cooking, the art is learnt at mother’s knee. Strong spices are hardly ever used on their own. When using cumin, for example, you’ll often find a little coriander balances the flavor; Indian cumin beef curry being an exception.

To get the most out of your spices, before adding to a dish, dry-roast them by placing in a small frying pan over a moderate heat, shaking the pan frequently until the typical aroma is released and small wisps of smoke start to escape. Remove from the heat immediately, as burning turns them bitter. Grind in a pestle and mortar or in a spice blender. Include ground spices in the early stages of a recipe to bring out the full flavour.