40 Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey Recipes - The Official Cookbook

I was excited about this cookbook and ordered. While the book is made very well and the printing and page quality is just as good, I thought there would be more legit recipes but it's all gimmicky crap most novices wouldn't know what to do with.

I am very disappointed in this book. As a cookbook I was expecting recipes that were relateable to Doctor Who. The recipes are ridiculous. The layout and attempt to relate to the show does not work. I would have kept this book had the references been interesting but the attempt was unfortunately a fail. Very disappointed with this book. :(

A terrible disappointment. More "referential" than "interpretive." I was hoping it was more like one of the unofficial ones that I have, with recreations of dishes served throughout the show. These are mostly non-descript recipes dolled up to look like Dr Who things or minimally referential recipes. As much as I love cookbooks, I am sorry I purchased it.

For those expecting a repeat of Gary Downie's Doctor Who cookbook, this isn't it. No cast members contributing favorite recipes. The recipes in *this* cookbook are named and themed mainly after the characters in the 2005-present series although there *is* a small homage to older villains and a nice picture of the First Doctor (William Hartnell) towards the front of the book and another of the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker), Leela and K-9 in the "Kookie K-9" recipe.

Some of these recipes will be easy to make like the "Sonic Screwdri-Veg," the "Fish Fingers and Custard" and the " A Pizza Cassandra."

Others will be more difficult like the "Kookie K-9" and "The TARDIS" recipes. You'll find templates for the more difficult recipes in the back of the book.

And YUM! There is even a recipe to make your own Jelly Babies.

This is a must have for old and new Whovians alike.

I'm disappointed that is mostly shaping food to look like doctor who things. There are a few recipes I am excited about but I wish they did more of the different foods and unique things we cant figure out on our own.

This book has beautiful production values, with lovely pictures of most finished recipes (though not all). There are tips and hints for the cook about various tricky aspects or where to find less-common ingredients, templates for some of the more geometric recipes, as well as quotes and pictures from Doctor Who episodes that inspired each recipe (though my nerd side would have preferred season numbers, episode numbers, and episode titles added in, particularly for the more obscure references). The book as a whole looks wonderful, and it will look great sitting in your kitchen, on a shelf in your TV viewing room, or on a coffee table with other beautiful books. However, nearly all of the recipes inside are labor-intensive, very detail-oriented, finicky, and will require a vast amount of patience, time, some uncommon kitchen tools, and likely will need several attempts to get them looking like the lovely pictures. There are some that are much simpler, but the most spectacular ones, the ones that most resemble various Doctor Who characters or objects, need a lot more skill than your average casual cook. If you're trying to stretch yourself into more difficult pastry work, this might be fine, but those looking to make some snacks for a Doctor Who viewing party have far less choices.

There are detailed step-by-step instructions for each recipe, but for some of the more elaborate ones, particularly those that need assembly (like a couple of cakes that look like the TARDIS, a Dalek, a K-9 cookie sculpture (brought together like a gingerbread house), a Padorica cake, and others) really need more pictures. While the instructions are clearly worded, so much of this assembly is visual, and step-by-step assembly pictures would have made things much more clear and accessible. Also, for many cakes and other creations that require a lot of decoration, there aren't as many clear pictures of the inspiration objects as a detail-obsessed decorator might like.

While there are some recipes in the book that don't require a steady and patient hand in the pastry arts, even the "simple" ones usually require some care and pre-planning. While a vegetable kabob that resembles a sonic screwdriver or homemade cheese cracker with toppings and whatnot to look like one of Doctor Who's many aliens aren't terribly difficult to make, they require some crafting, peeling, assembling, and/or other decorating (if less complicated than one of the many elaborate cakes). Those that seem to be simple from their ingredients often have hidden pitfalls, like requiring a specific mold or needing lots of freezer space (or other issues). A "simple" banana pop requires a popsicle mold (which not everyone has), and even a seemingly easy two-ingredient ice cream float requires you to make tinted ice cups. (Which I've had difficulty making even with a professional mold, bought on a whim. Also, ice cups last only a few minutes in one's ungloved hand, in a normal-temperature house, even with a cold beverage inside, so you better warn your guests to drink fast and over a sink or large bowl, or you're going to have an awful mess in your TV room. That is a warning not made in the book, by the way.).

On a pure cookery note, there are no times given for the recipes as a whole. While obviously cook times are given for things that need to bake or boil, there's no start-to-finish times. With the assembly required, or freezing time required, I would estimate most of these recipes take over an hour, to a day or more (if things have to cool or freeze overnight). What time it might take to do finicky decoration is going to be dependent on the individual cook. If you're planning these for a party, you may need to make test batches well in advance to determine how long it really takes to craft these recipes.

For those hoping to find something their kids could make on their own, I think I saw less than five that I would be comfortable with allowing kids to make, with supervision.

On a nerd note, most of these recipes are just "food made to look like Doctor Who things." Aside from the "Fish Fingers and Custard," the rest is various forms of food from appetizers to desserts that are manipulated to look like various Doctor Who villains, allies, or objects. (Though there is one recipe, a no-bake bar with fruit, nuts, and chocolate, that neither looks like a Doctor Who-relevant thing nor is referenced anywhere in the series, so I can only speculate it was included because it was simple and they could title it to reference a popular supporting character.) It would have been nice to reference some of the other foods talked about in the show's extensive history.

In conclusion, this is a great-looking book full of recipes for experienced, detail-oriented cooks, or those looking to push themselves in the kitchen. Be prepared to buy some new kitchen tools and a few specialized pastry ingredients. Be prepared to be patient. And maybe get your own TARDIS to practice in, because your next Doctor Who party is going to require a lot of time to get ready...

Aside from the novelty recipes, like making the monsters from bread dough, I'd try the Fish Fingers and Custard (a mustardy sauce0. Though not a practical cookbook, it's fun to have and would be fun for kids to do. I might try the Cassandra Pizza.