Hellbent for Cooking: the Heavy Metal Cookbook by Annick Giroux

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Funny, quirky and moreish

Annick Giroux is one of those annoying multi-taskers who would drive the rest of us to comfort eating. A graphic designer by profession, the Canadian is also a fanzine writer, DJ, gig promoter and now cookbook author. Hopefully we'll see - and taste - lots more of her flair for the latter because 'Hellbent for Cooking' is a real treat.

Featuring recipes by 102 bands from over 30 countries (Ireland's in there, too), 'Hellbent...'s range of dishes is superb, giving readers a fantastic amount of inspiration and local knowledge, while being funny and quirky at the same time. From Mummified Jalapeno Bacon Bombs (courtesy of the US' Autopsy) to Latvian Countryside Ribs (Skyforger), Net Pancakes (Malaysia's Envenom), Potato and Cheese Llapingachos (Ecuador's Grimorium Verum), the mountain stew Spetsofai (Greece's Zeimal) and Nuclear Yellow Pepper Pizza (Italy's Children of Technology), you'll find quick eats, dinner party solutions and hangover cures. There are also dessert and drink sections which are worth at least another stone on the weighing scales.

A self-taught cook, Giroux has tried nearly all the dishes herself, offering tips for when you're making them and alternatives if some ingredients are hard to find. And while the cover says these are "basic recipes", this book has as much for foodies as first-timers. The layout is perfect (like, how often do you get to see skull and cross bones beside page numbers?), Giroux's photographs are gorgeous and her enthusiasm is infections - and delicious. Hopefully we'll get a part two soon; until then, rock and cook on!

Harry Guerin