Ranging from Kentchurch Court, a former fortified medieval manor house that has been the seat of the Scudamore family for nearly 1,000 years, to a delightful Strawberry Hill-style Gothic house in rural Cornwall and car-crazed Goodwood House, this beautifully illustrated book showcases ten outstanding British country houses, all still in the hands of the original families. James Peill recounts the ups and downs of such deep-rooted clans as the Cracrofts, landowners in Lincolnshire since the 12th century, whose late 18th-century Hackthorn Hall is a perfect example of the kind of house Jane Austen describes in her novels (indeed, she appears on their family tree), as well as the relatively newly arrived Biddulphs, who constructed Rodmarton, an Arts & Crafts masterpiece, in the first decades of the last century. James Fennell has once again provided superb photographs of a wealth of gardens, charming interiors, bygone sporting trophies, fine art collections and fanciful family memorabilia, making The English Country House a delicious treat for Anglophiles and lovers of old houses.

The holidays in Louisiana feature a stunning array of festivities and events. Good food, music, and camaraderie abound. This volume takes readers on a statewide tour of les fetes de Noel and provides recipes and activities for the whole family. From the lighting of the bonfire at Oak Alley Plantation to Natchitoches's Festival of Lights, experience the living culture that the Pelican State has to offer. After a tour of the local entertainment, gather up friends and family and enjoy some of the delicious appetizers, sweet and savory breads, entrees, and desserts included in this beautifully photographed collection. Separated into geographical sections, this book takes readers on a tour of traditions and happenings in Cajun Country, Sportsman's Paradise, the Crossroads, Plantation Country, and Greater New Orleans. Contact information is included, along with a description of each festivity. Featured are photographs of the exquisite Hanley-Gueno Neapolitan Presepio Nativity figures, crafted in the eighteenth century. More than one hundred fifty recipes cover every course for every get-together. Family-friendly crafts and activities will keep adults and children celebrating the season all winter long.

A Perfect Gift for the Cocktail Lover Inspiring, practical, and designed for entertaining, this beautifully designed deluxe box set includes two cocktail books and matching coasters-- The Negroni Book: More than 30 recipes, including both the classic that achieved cocktail perfection in Florence, Italy, and dozens of variations, deviations, and delicious reinterpretations. The Martini Book: A celebration of the timeless, sophisticated, and iconic cocktail of choice among generations of writers, actors, politicians, bon vivants--and of course, 007--and more than 30 recipes. 8 Coasters: Serve your perfect drinks in style. Eight cocktail-bar quality coasters are included in the set, four Negroni and four Martini, each featuring a striking image over a strong cork base.

Whether you are a member of a multiracial/interfaith family, the father of a same-sex bride, or the mother of an adopted daughter from China, the author offers suggestions for mixed families overcoming emotional obstacles at holidays, and rituals for birth, coming of age, marriage, death, and other significant life events. She also gives tips on appropriate behaviour when attending a variety of unfamiliar ethnic and religious life-cycle events. She advises on 'Ethnice-ities' - what to wear, how to act, what gifts to give and explains the significance of the ceremonies. This is a perfect resource to guide you through the details of diverse cultural celebrations.

This new essential guide to entertaining is divided by occasion, offering a fresh lineup of menus and ideas from Oxford, Mississippi's go-to caterer for every celebratory scenario life serves up. In this update to the best-selling book of our mothers' and grandmothers' era, Elizabeth's tell-it-like-it-is voice provides a twist to the classic Southern advice that is a refresher for entertainers of any age or experience. Packed with delicious recipes from the original book like Smoked Salmon Canapes, Hot Cheese Squares, and Brandy Alexanders, the book also includes popular picks from the current pages of Southern Living as well as Elizabeth's treasured recipe box.

'A real and rare gem, this is the must-have book on Venice and its cooking' -Anna del Conte

Skye McAlpine, author of the successful blog, From My Dining Table, offers an insider's perspective on Venetian home cooking, illustrated with her stunning photographs.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists pass through the city of Venice each year, eat at trattorie, and leave having dined in Venice, but not having eaten well. It is the food cooked in homes and made with local ingredients, the recipes passed down through generations - which Venetians guard ferociously and exclusively for their own gratification - that is Venetian food. It is romantic and it is exotic. It dapples in spices, and delightfully foreign flavours. It's pine nuts and raisins, bay leaves and sweet vinegar, heady saffron and creamy mascarpone. It's a legacy of a maritime republic that once upon a time journeyed across the seas, gathering culinary gems from as far and wide as Turkey, Greece and China, and then over generations wove them into the city until they became the way of living and eating. For Skye it is the food of her childhood, laden with nostalgia, synonymous with comfort and the source of an endless fascination.

Some of the recipes in A Table in Venice are translated and barely adapted from the old Venetian cookbooks. Other dishes are more loosely inspired by Venice, by the ingredients, by the flavours, and by everyday life there. All of the recipes are typical of Skye's cooking style: simple, fresh, colourful and always plentiful, and offer a rare glimpse into the tastes and secrets of a true Venetian kitchen.