The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory--More Than 150 Magical Recipes for Wizards and Non-Wizards Alike (Unofficial Cookbook Gift Series) Hardcover – Deckle Edge, September 18, 2010

I got this cookbook for my pre-teen, who’s a huge fan of cooking shows and absolutely loves Harry Potter, and it’s been an absolute hit! The recipes are fantastic, offering a great mix of difficulty levels so young chefs can start with what they know and challenge themselves as they go.The magical theme makes cooking even more exciting, and it’s been a joy to see the creativity and enthusiasm it’s sparked. The recipes aren’t just fun—they’re also well-written and practical, making them perfect for family cooking sessions or independent projects. It’s a wonderful gift for any young cooking enthusiast who loves a touch of magic in the kitchen!

Such a fun cookbook for making delicious, Harry Potter inspired treats with your kiddos. Especially fun around Halloween and Christmas :)

Bought this for my best friend and wish I bought one for myself. I like that the recipes make you feel like you’re part of that world. The quality is also wonderful. Great Christmas gift!

My nine-year-old Harry Potter fan grandson is greatly enamored with this cookbook, but I'm not so enthused. The format and recipes follow the books well and he instantly lit up at the thought of having Cauldron Cakes for breakfast among other things he recognized and was eager to try. I'd hoped he could make the recipes himself but they are much more elaborate than I expected. Some require roasting nuts, tempering eggs, boiling sugar, deep-frying or using the food processor, for example, not things I want a nine-year-old trying. Many of the processes seem needlessly complex like making a sugar syrup for lemon pops instead of just whisking the sugar into the cold liquid until it dissolves (which we did and it worked fine).I did appreciate that my grandson was interested enough in tackling some recipes that he was willing to learn about kitchen gadgets and processes. He learned how to measure and what various terms meant and was proud of his results, but I changed some things to facilitate his being able to work more independently. He learned about substitutions because a number of the ingredients were not available in my well-stocked kitchen. I actually had a pie pumpkin for example (for pumpkin juice) and turbinado sugar but don't keep things like dried currents or mincemeat on hand all the time. I usually cook from scratch so have raw ingredients, but many recipes still required a trip to the store. I was surprised more shortcuts weren't included to appeal to kids or inexperienced cooks who wanted to try their hand. Some of the recipes had two pages of instructions and most of the book is in miniscule font that I had trouble reading.On the good side, the layout of the book was great fun for my grandson. Each recipe starts with a paragraph about where the dish was included in the stories, who made it, etc. Then there was an interesting sidebar with history of the dish in English cuisine (interesting to me anyway :). There's a good index at the back and the book starts with a table of contents that lists chapters with descriptive names. The recipes are sometimes grouped chronologically and sometimes by food type, like the first chapter `Good Food with Bad Relatives' refers to things Harry ate with the Dursleys, while a later chapter is `Desserts and Snacks at School'. It's not so easy to find the recipe you want that way, but lots of fun for the fan to read by those groupings.Bottom line: There's a lot good about this cookbook, but it's not for kids to cook from except for a few recipes. It is great reading for fans, both young and old, and would be fun for adult fans to cook from if one doesn't mind fairly involved processes. Things are described well, a great help for less experienced cooks, and we've enjoyed everything we've tried so far although I don't think we'll be trying the Steak and Kidney Pudding (where would I find the lamb or ox kidneys anyway) or the Black Pudding or Stewed Tripe and Onions :). Still they make for fun reading. A great plus for me is that the whole idea of eating 'Harry Potter food' is beguiling enough to tempt some timid young eaters around here to try something new. I just wish the recipes weren't quite so elaborate.

My nephew has used his Mine Craft cookbook extensively, and I thought he needed new material. This certainly fit the bill interest-wise! He is a Harry Potter fan, loves to cook, and was delighted with the gift. I don’t know if he’s tried any recipes yetI liked the introductions for each recipe that tie each one to the book, explaining when it was mentioned, what was happening, and citing the book and chapter where it can be found. Also appreciated the little notes in the margins that explain more about the food’s history in either HP lore or English tradition. It has no pictures; it is meant to look old-fashioned.The recipes are arranged by theme, like Treats From The train, or Recipes From a Giant and an Elf, so there is no one chapter containing desserts for instance. This works for those who like to work their way through a cookbook as they’ll get a nice assortment as they go, also an assortment of skill levels needed (or supervision/assistance for younger cooks?) I’m not sure I would like finding recipes using that format, but I do appreciate that the ingredients used are easy to find!This does not seem to be a children’s cookbook exactly, but there is a wide range of recipes included. There ARE some for less experienced cooks but many more for when they expand their experience and skill (or with assistance). There is plenty to challenge any cook. Includes simple ideas for Sundae toppings, how to brew English tea, cook bacon, or make chive scrambled eggs, as well as moving on to a variety of breads, or muffins, hard candy, tarts and pudding, to poached salmon, beef casserole, or Molly’s Meatballs With Onion Sauce. Most complicated might be Christmas Cake For Grownups (with an impressive 26 ingredients) sounding worthy of The Great British Baking show!I bought a 2nd copy initially with gifting in mind, but I may keep it for myself!

I’m very pleased with this cook book. I was actually surprised at all the great recipes it has. It gives detailed instructions, I recommend this cook book.

Nice book. If you collect Harry Potter items, it’s a good book to have, even if you don’t make any of the recipes.