The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook For Kids, cookery for older kids

“Something delicious”, is my response when the kids ask me what’s for dinner. Most of the time I have a plan, but sometimes I go rogue and toss something together on the fly. It’s also one of the ironic bits of life that neither of our children has shown any interest in Harry Potter. We’re a true muggle family, but that’s OK. The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook For Kids has dozens of recipes with a subtle nod to Mr. Potter and his surroundings. However, the white font on the yellow cover clearly states that the book is not associated with J.K. Rowling, her publishers or even Warner Bros. Granted, it also says ‘unofficial’ in the title, but now that that’s clear, let’s get cooking, in a kid-friendly and not too complex way hopefully.

First off, it’s worth noting that the recipes in The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook For Kids are indeed very approachable for kids or those people that don’t make their own bread. I do not mean that as a pejorative, because I’ve never made my own bread and the mere thought of it makes me shake in my Julia Child.

The book is also very pretty and perfectly sized for young readers or cooks. It’s slightly smaller overall than most illustrated books and is laid out in a more vertical, as opposed to horizontal, manner. This results in it being much more kitchen-friendly. The last thing anybody wants in a cookbook, regardless of which IP it’s aimed at, is a need for more space as you turn the pages to see what’s next with the recipe.

If you’re a family that is knee-deep in all things Hogwarts you’ll get many meals of enjoyment from The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook For Kids. However, if you’re a passive purveyor of Rowling’s world then the book is more of a family activity in the kitchen. One of the recipes is as simple as cutting things in squares, like the Magic Star Fruit Salad. A couple of the recipes have around six steps from start to finish like Easy Fudge or the Dining Hall Club Sandwich. Most of the recipes have a dozen or more steps, and it does provide simple steps in how to make all of the dishes.

However, all of the steps require reading, with no pictures of them in progress. Because of this, it’s more of a cookbook, with trace elements of unauthorized Harry Potter. I’m sure that all of the recipes are delicious, but don’t let the ‘for kids’ in the title fool you. It’s not a cookbook that most kids under 13 can do by themselves. Having said that, it’s a skinny minority of middle and high school students that will be able to take on these recipes by themselves.

I say this as a dad who teaches his kids to cook. I am not going to make my pasta from scratch, but I’ll teach them what spices compliment others and how to cook a wide pallet of meals. Kids need to learn how to cook, but The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook For Kids is too complex for most kids. The exception to this is families that have an unyielding desire to tie as many things, regardless of how tenuous they are, to Harry and his Hogwarts cohorts.

The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook For Kids is by Alana Al-Hatlani and available on Bloom Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

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