From the Chopping Board

In this occasional series, ckbk users share their thoughts and experiences on cookbooks and cooking. The latest contribution comes from prolific cook and ckbk recipe reviewer Rob Hindle, who discusses his own rather stringent approach to reviews and ratings.

Canadian heritage consultant (and hot chocolate aficionado) Jane Severs writes about how a few delicate 17th-century porcelain fragments uncovered at an archaeological site in Newfoundland led her to unravel the history of chocolate in the New World.

British baker and baking teacher Danielle Ellis tells how the baguettes she devoured on childhood trips to France laid the groundwork for training as a baker in Normandy – and eventually led to her swapping a career in marketing for one as a professional baker and teacher.