I love cooking and I am happy to buy more cookbooks, so I already have some idea of how they can be published. In the case of the position, which in addition to the provisions also contained connections with the world of Potter, so I had (as it turns out unrealistic) expectations. I imagined a publication whose pages should literally ooze magic. Both pictures of dishes decorated with various gadgets and names of dishes mentioning fragments, events or specific characters from books were a must-have for me . Sorry to write, but I didn’t get the first one at all, the second requirement was met only rudimentary and forced.
The idea was
Starting with the superficial issues – the book has a lovely hard cover. It definitely catches the eye from the very first moments and if the photos it contained were taken in a similar vein, I probably wouldn’t have had any comments. Unfortunately, the inside of the dust jacket deters with an extremely glaring orange, which in its shade resembles one of those fluorescent highlighters sometimes used by students at school. The content was arranged quite decently and with an idea. We learn the rules in order from the route to the school of magic, i.e. from autumn to the end of summer. Each part begins with a photo loosely referring to the topic of the chapter or Potter’s climate (a train, a stadium, old books, etc. appear). It is worth noting that these are not pictures from films, because, as the title suggests, The publication is unofficial (I really appreciate putting this note on the cover), so no one here has obtained a license to use these photos from the set. I wonder, however, why no effort was made to select a better selection of these inserts or why fanarts were not asked for artists, which could be a perfect complement to the publication created on the basis of “from fans to fans”.
I feel cheated by marketing
What rejects me the most about this book is the way readers or buyers of recipes are treated. First of all – there is nothing exceptional about this publication. Many recipes are standard dishes that you can easily find on the Internet, without spending money on this particular book. However, it would not bother me if the item advertised as something for Harry Potter lovers in any way reflects his spirit. Unfortunately, nothing like that happens here. Although the recipes have photos, they are – note – photos taken from stocks, i.e. websites with ready-made items to be used in advertisements (at the end of the book you will find a list of websites from which they were taken). This is very disappointing because the potential was simply wasted, and at the same time advertisements announced that we, the fans, you may like this. Well, no – a close-up of a random fruit salad or ice cream with strawberries is not what I would like to see in this position. Without looking too far, the photos of the reviewers of this book are better than the photos contained in it, and I will give my hand that if the dishes were cooked by several of our Polish culinary influencers, they would try to make beautiful atmospheric Potter graphics (and it is worth noting that the food is also its visual side) without the need to obtain any licenses. Responding to the potential comment that the book can defend itself with regulations – this one cannot. Mashed potatoes, sandwiches or the aforementioned strawberry ice cream are something you can come up with by yourself, and you don’t necessarily need a printed recipe. Well, no – a close-up of a random fruit salad or ice cream with strawberries is not what I would like to see in this position. Without looking too far, the photos of the reviewers of this book are better than the photos contained in it, and I will give my hand that if the dishes were cooked by several of our Polish culinary influencers, they would try to make beautiful atmospheric Potter graphics (and it is worth noting that the food is also its visual side) without the need to obtain any licenses. Responding to the potential comment that the book can defend itself with regulations – this one cannot. Mashed potatoes, sandwiches or the aforementioned strawberry ice cream are something you can come up with by yourself, and you don’t necessarily need a printed recipe. Well, no – a close-up of a random fruit salad or ice cream with strawberries is not what I would like to see in this position. Without looking too far, the photos of the reviewers of this book are better than the photos contained in it, and I will give my hand that if the dishes were cooked by several of our Polish culinary influencers, they would try to make beautiful atmospheric Potter graphics (and it is worth noting that the food is also its visual side) without the need to obtain any licenses. Responding to the potential comment that the book can defend itself with regulations – this one cannot. Mashed potatoes, sandwiches or the aforementioned strawberry ice cream are something you can come up with by yourself and you don’t necessarily need a printed recipe. Without looking too far, the photos of the reviewers of this book are better than the photos contained in it, and I will give my hand that if the dishes were cooked by several of our Polish culinary influencers, they would try to make beautiful atmospheric Potter graphics (and it is worth noting that the food is also its visual side) without the need to obtain any licenses. Responding to the potential comment that the book can defend itself with regulations – this one cannot. Mashed potatoes, sandwiches or the aforementioned strawberry ice cream are something you can come up with by yourself and you don’t necessarily need a printed recipe. Without looking too far, the photos of the reviewers of this book are better than the photos contained in it, and I will give my hand that if the dishes were cooked by several of our Polish culinary influencers, they would try to make beautiful atmospheric Potter graphics (and it is worth noting that the food is also its visual side) without the need to obtain any licenses. Responding to the potential comment that the book can defend itself with regulations – this one cannot. Mashed potatoes, sandwiches or the aforementioned strawberry ice cream are something you can come up with by yourself and you don’t necessarily need a printed recipe. They would try to make beautiful, atmospheric Potter graphics (and it is worth noting that food is also its visual side) without the need to obtain any licenses. Responding to the potential comment that the book can defend itself with regulations – this one cannot. Mashed potatoes, sandwiches or the aforementioned strawberry ice cream are something you can come up with by yourself and you don’t necessarily need a printed recipe. They would try to make beautiful, atmospheric Potter graphics (and it is worth noting that food is also its visual side) without the need to obtain any licenses. Responding to the potential comment that the book can defend itself with regulations – this one cannot. Mashed potatoes, sandwiches or the aforementioned strawberry ice cream are something you can come up with by yourself and you don’t necessarily need a printed recipe.
I won’t get caught anymore!
I sadly advise against buying this book, as I only see it as a fanatic. I don’t see any advantages to having it – neither as a Potterhead, nor as a person who spends a lot of time in the kitchen. It could have been done much better.
