Sophie Gray - "Destitute Gourmet" Series

I first discovered the “Destitute Gourmet” series of cookbooks in late 2007. At the time, we were scrounging together enough money to move out of home. We had to buy everything, but more importantly, I had to learn to cook.

I wanted to learn how to cook properly, not just open a few jars, reheat, and serve. I wanted to learn how to stock a pantry and cook from scratch. Sophie’s books fit perfectly with what I was trying to achieve. Destitute Gourmet is centred around three principles: shop smart, eat healthy and in season, and make something luxurious go a long way.

When I found out that a male friend of mine was planning to leave home for the first time, the first gift I gave him was Delicious because I did not want him to fall into the trap of takeaway meals and microwave dinners.


When you go to a bookstore and browse the general cookery section, there is no shortage of novice cookbooks. I chose a Destitute Gourmet book because:

• it is educational. Each Destitute Gourmet book contains a few pages discussing the three core principles;
• the recipes are interesting, easy to follow, and work; and,
• most importantly, all of the ingredients used are easily obtainable at your local supermarket.

I was surprised to find that the Destitute Gourmet series is not available for purchase through Amazon.com , because The Destitute Gourmet message is universal.

I have learned a lot from these books. Initially, you will find that many of the tips Sophie incudes in her book are common sense, but it is not until you apply them that the message really starts to hits home.

If you want to get a feel for the Destitute Gourmet principles, and their style of cooking, I would recommend you visit the Destitute Gourmet website.

Unlike other recipe series, Destitute Gourmet does not re-hash old recipes. Each book contains new and interesting content. I would not hesitate to recommend these books to any number crunching, every day, sensible foodie.

Like many people, I am addicted to this series. I own five of the six Destitute Gourmet cookbooks and will be reviewing each one over the comming months. Hopefully it will not be long before I am able to review the sixth book: 100+ Tasty Ten Dollar Meals. If you have it, please leave a comment and let me know what you think.