Jo Seagar and Fionna Hill: Celebrations: Stylish Food and Decorating ideas

By MARGIE THOMSON

Gorgeous, irresistible and perfectly timed for the festive season, the dilemma is: do you give this book as a Christmas present or buy it ahead of time for yourself so you can practise its crafts for the big day - or both?

Actually, the real dilemma is that I, for one, will never get things looking as perfect as these two highly skilled women do. Nevertheless, it's a great idea: Seagar's culinary skills combine perfectly with Hill's decorative talents to bring ultra-stylish suggestions for recipes and table arrangements for celebrations ranging from Christmas, Valentines Day and Easter through to birthdays, anniversaries, baby celebrations and so on. There are traditional styles, coolly modern formal suggestions (oysters and silver, black and white decorations for Valentines Day, for instance), through to present-wrapping ideas.

Random House

$39.95