This book is, essentially, a love story. The story of an Irish girl who fell in love with a Lithuanian man, then fell in love with his country and its food. The book contains nine of June's favourite traditional Lithuanian dishes, including kugelis (potato pudding), cepelinai (potato dumplings), koldūnai (pasta dumplings) and saltibarsčiai (cold beet soup). The recipes are explained in detail with step-by-step instructions and illustrations where required, making this book ideally suited to anyone attempting these dishes for the first time. Substitute ingredients are suggested where certain ingredients might be hard to find outside of Lithuania. Each recipe is accompanied by a short preamble about June's life in Lithuania and how the recipe was developed. The book also contains a number of stunning photographs of the Lithuanian landscape and wildlife. A must for every kitchen: Not just another cookbook ... this is a story of passion. Not just for the wonderful food but also for her adopted country, the people and the culture. Every meal has a story that just wants you to get going in the kitchen. The detail, accompanied by wonderful photography, is such that you can't go wrong and the end result, even for me, puts traditional Lithuanian cuisine on the world stage. A love story, not just a cookbook: What a lovely book. Not just a cookbook but, as the author says, a love story. Really easy to pick up and read a bit at any time. I love the context of the recipes. And they all seem to be comfort food. There is a lovely warmth about this book. June knows good food and how to explain a recipe: This book should be subtitled "The best of Lithuanian cuisine for the complete idiot and for anyone who loves food that tastes really, really good." June obviously enjoys good food. She has researched the dishes; put together recipes that give you dishes that are the best of their kind; and explained how to prepare them in a way that you can't go wrong. I grew up hating these dishes because the person who made them (except for the Saltibarsčiai) for me had obviously not learned how to prepare food well. However, I visited Lithuania recently and discovered that these dishes could be done well. Then, in exploring recipes, I found June's. I have prepared June's recipes and my wife, who is not Baltic or inclined to like things she is not used to, has given me a high five for each one and insisted I make them regularly as part of our home menu. And, I am happy to do so because these dishes, as developed and explained by June, are some of the best eating I have had. If you are Lithuanian, I hate to say it but, these are at least as good as your mother or grandmother made. If you are not LIthuanian but enjoy good food, you will not go wrong with these recipes -- if you follow the directions. (For example, if you prepare the dishes requiring grated or ground potatoes, you must do so as directed or you will be disappointed.) June Molloy Vladicka is an Irish born writer currently living in Lithuania. She has had a life-long love affair with food and worked in the catering industry for many years. In 2013 she and her husband bought a small homestead in Lithuania where they grow their own vegetables and make most of their food from scratch using local ingredients. She also loves to photograph the beautiful Lithuanian countryside and its abundant wildlife. You can follow June's adventures on her website, www.myfoododyssey.com.