The Narnia Cookbook: Foods from C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia

by Douglas Gresham, Pauline Baynes (Illustrator)

Find out what was in the irresistible Turkish Delight that Edmund found so tempting. Discover how Mr. Tumnus prepared the sugar-topped cake that Lucy found so scrumptious.

The Narnia Cookbook is a celebration of the many wonderful dishes described in C. S. Lewis's beloved The Chronicles of Narnia. From chestnut stuffing to Lucy's roast apples, this book is brimming with wonderful recipes. Introductions to each recipe and stories linking each dish to the Chronicles themselves are written by Lewis's stepson, Douglas Gresham. This is a fascinating look into Lewis's life and a delicious way to celebrate the World of Narnia time and time again.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Food and Drink, Childrens

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 1998

About the author

Douglas Howard Gresham (born November 10, 1945)[1] is an American British stage and voice-over actor, biographer, film producer, and executive record producer. He is one of the two stepsons of C. S. Lewis.

Gresham has written an autobiography, Lenten Lands, of his life to the age of 28 in 1973. A fictionalized young Douglas Gresham is a character in the 1993 film Shadowlands, in part derived from Lenten Lands. In the film, Gresham is played by the American actor Joseph Mazzello.

Gresham was the son of writers William Lindsay Gresham and Joy Davidman. After his parents' divorce in 1954, he relocated to England with his mother and elder brother. Joy later married author C.S. Lewis, whom adopted Joy's two sons.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

i used this book as part of this project i did: https://www.thereadingroom.com/articl...

to make turkish delight!





and while i don't really like the taste of turkish delight, i mailed this to someone who does, and she loved it, so i call success on this book!

i feel a little tricksy adding this to my "read" for the year, since i really only used this one recipe, but i definitely paged through it multiple times during the project's planning stages, and since there are very few cookbooks i have made multiple dishes from, i think this counts as much as any other cookbook i have added to goodreads, but if there are judges, they are free to weigh in.

i'll add the other books i used for this project soonish, but i figured i'd start here, before we get too far away from the memory of thanksgiving....

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has always rather pleasantly surprised me just how much food and eating, just how much enjoying and appreciating various types of meals is at least in my humble opinion an essential and ever-present part of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series (not only eating solitarily and alone but of course also as an act of togetherness and comradeship, but then of course, there is also the danger of overconsumption and greed pointed out, demonstrated particularly poignantly by C.S. Lewis with regard to how easily selfish and egotistical Edmund is bewitched with and by a mere candy, by something as mundane as Turkish Delight). Therefore I was hopeful (and even rather confident) that I would both end up much enjoy reading The Official Narnia Cookbook: Food from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and indeed that author Douglas Gresham (who is in fact C.S. Lewis’ stepson) would also only (or at least for the most part) be including foods and recipes actually found in the novels. And indeed, I have not in any manner been disappointed with regard to this. For not only does Douglas Gresham provide textual Chronicles of Narnia sources (proofs) within the text proper for pretty well every single recipe presented in The Official Narnia Cookbook: Food from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, he also eloquently muses on both what food means for C.S. Lewis and how Lewis uses his love of food, of good solid British country cookery to render the Narnia stories both relatable and delicious, to make Narnia in many ways essentially British in scope with regard to food and eating (and with regard to food traditions as well, such as teatime, elevenses and the like).

Now as to the presented recipes themselves, I have not as yet had the opportunity to actually make any of them, although I am certainly dying to try out the Turkish Delight recipe just to taste for myself if there is or might be anything to Edmund's strange infatuation with it (and no, The Official Narnia Cookbook: Food from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis is definitely not in any manner a vegetarian or vegan cookbook, just like of course The Chronicles of Narnia themselves also show mostly omnivorous and at times even rather carnivorous eating/food culture and practice). But the recipes of The Official Narnia Cookbook: Food from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, they certainly do all and sundry look interesting and many of them indeed very appealing ingredients wise. And while I personally would probably not want to consume stewed eel, I do in fact very much appreciate that Douglas Gresham has included a recipe for this in his The Official Narnia Cookbook: Food from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, as there are indeed rather a few mentions of eating stewed eel in the Narnia novels (and I do like that Gresham has not simply catered to modern sensitivities here and replaced the eel with some other type of fish, as guess what, one does not have to make and then eat the stewed eel recipe anyhow and I certainly do very much appreciate its inclusion, if only because of me being a completist and since stewed eel repeatedly appears as a food source in The Chronicles of Narnia, it should of course also be featured as a recipe in The Official Narnia Cookbook: Food from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis).

Four stars in general for The Official Narnia Cookbook: Food from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, but rounded down to a high three star ranking, as I do think it is a culinary lack that there are NO photographs whatsoever of the featured recipes (the end products) included (which I am sorry to say, in cookbooks, even in literary cookbooks, really should be an absolute must).

[Terri Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is fun if you have read the Narnia series or just if you want to try something new. My favorite recipes are Hot Tea, Sugar Top Cake with Sugar Cake Frosting, Chocolate Covered Hazelnuts, Steamed Pudding, Ginger Fig Pudding, Tea Cakes with Lemon Curd filling, Toffee, Turkish Delight, Hot Chocolate, Strawberry Sherbet, and Pineapple Sherbet.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was more of a skim-through than a read, but still. It's nicely laid out, and I enjoyed the fact that it includes background for different recipes, whether historical or relating to Lewis's taste in certain foods. I can't say that I'll make any of the recipes, though; a lot of them are either things that I already know how to make or else I'm not interested in trying to make anytime soon. Oh well.

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by C.S. Lewis's stepson, so it's more than just a cookbook. And the recipes I tried from it were delicious, even Scotch eggs, which I was convinced I wouldn't like but my husband wanted to try. Didn't make the Turkish delight because it's the wrong weather for it, but I think I'll have to get my own copy of this so I can try more recipes when it's cooler and drier.

[raffaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Proof that English food can actually be good.

[Trace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luke and I loved this book. We made Turkish Delight, Buttered Eggs, Meat Pasties... and have several more recipes bookmarked to make.

A delightful book for Narnian fans...

[Jlnpeacock Peacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book provides a number of lovely recipes and gives an idea of the type of food that C. S. Lewis enjoyed growing up and as an adult, which would have influenced the foods described in Narnia. Gresham provides a good bit of information prior to each recipe with either history of the food, or Lewis' preference, or weaving the recipe into the Narnian series. It was a fun read. I would love to have a copy of the book, but even used copies are at least $58. I'll just be satisfied with reading it online.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good recipes, especially for an American audience explaining the different words and types of foods, but there should have been time explaining the influence of WWI and WWII on the food in the books.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun combo cookbook and literary read.

[Kendra Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only made one recipe (buttered eggs) from this book. However, I still enjoyed it so much. I felt, just reading through the recipes, as if I were being taken back into the books. What a delight!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Narnia Cookbook is a collection of recipes for dishes served in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. There are two parts to this book, the first is the recipes themselves, second the descriptions of each written by Douglas Gresham.
As far as the recipes go I didn't find anything really exciting. For the most part they are fairly traditional fare that I already know how to make such as scrambled eggs or roasted potatoes. A few others, such as Eel Stew, I just have no interest is making. That being said, from a kid's perspective, even if the dishes themselves are familiar learning how to make them could be a new and interesting adventure. In addition to that the recipes are specifically designed to be cooked as they would have been cooked in Narnia so they use very few processed ingredients or appliances such as mixers or food processors. It would be a great way for kids to more about where their food comes from as well as basic cooking techniques.
The commentary that accompanies each recipe was my favorite part of the book. Gresham, Lewis' stepson, discusses a variety of topics including: which recipes were favorites of Lewis, origins of words and dishes, difference in ingredients in our world vs Narnia, and what type of Narnian creatures prefer each dish.
There is also a small section at the back that lists typical menus for various Narnian meals such as tea with Tumnus or a State Banquet at Cair Paravel.

[Tara]

I meant to buy this when it was in stores for around $15. I put it off, it went out of print and I haven't been able to find a copy for less than $125. I've recently placed a hold on the one copy in the Cleveland library system, so I should have a chance to try out some of the recipes soon. I've been hoping the new Narnia movies would inspire a reprint.

[Meadow Frisbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun! the illistration were great and the exerpts from the book was smart. I am planning a Narnia party for the release of Voyage of the Dawn Treader and am planning to make several of these dishes to serve.

[Rima · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun companion to the Narnia series, especially if you like food. The descriptions and the illustrations are cute, though I'm not sure that the recipes are any good.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat! Doable recipes. References to the story and quotes from the the books.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to buy this book. Too bad it is out of print! The sale price for used copies on websites like Amazon.com, Barns and Noble, and Ebay are outragous.

[Stuti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the most savory recipes. A real Narnia-fanatics dream! :D

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most wonderful cookbook I've ever used. ♥

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm all for themed meals, but these just seemed to be standard meat-and-potatoes recipes with ULTRA COMPLICATED directions. And maybe that was the point. But I won't make anything from this.

[Brooklyn Tayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

The recipes were cute enough, but the author could've done better expanding on the Narnian lore.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cookbook!