About the Author Helena Garcia is a Spanish-British author, actress, crafter, designer and baker. She portrays Lilith (when disguised as Nadja) in the TV Series What We Do in the Shadows (2016), and wowed viewers around the world with her spooky creations on The Great British Bake Off (The Great British Baking Show in the US/Canada). Her first book Introduction to Witchery was published in 2007, followed by The Wicked Baker: Cakes and Treats to Die For (2020), and The Witch-Crafting Handbook (2021). Learn more at www.witchesbyhelenagarcia.com
The Witch-Crafting Handbook by Helena Garcia Dedicated to the grandmother that did so much to inspire her, The Witch-Crafting Handbook is essential for Witches who love to cook and get crafty.
The world - and the judges - adored Garcia’s kooky and spooky creations on the tenth series of The Great British Bake Off; especially her Fairy Garden (not furry garden!) Cake. Garcia has channeled this amazing creativity into The Witch-Crafting Handbook; a colourful and beautiful book with over 70 creative projects to inspire you to get your witch on. Garcia calls upon ancient knowledge, folklore and superstition to create a foundation for her recipes, lotions, potions and projects.
In the Introduction, we hear about Garcia’s childhood, and the visits to her beloved grandmother in northern Spain, shaping the way she sees the world. She traces her joys and passions back to these experiences, and gives us a personal insight into the relationship with the grandmother that she so clearly adores. Hugely evocative, these private glimpses into Garcia’s childhood leaves the reader wishing they had grown up with the same inspiring magic infused into their everyday lives.
“I invite and encourage you to look deeper into tradition; more often than not, simple practices of everyday life will have their roots in some sort of fear of witches or the devil. It’s absurd and fascinating in equal measure, yet ancient practices are not to be dismissed, as there’s wisdom to be rediscovered.” - The Witch-Crafting Handbook
In The Witch-crafting Handbook we are invited to consider old wives tales and remedies, and Garcia outlines the science and thinking behind these, providing a modern version for witches to relieve their coughs, get rid of pesky stains, and make candles last longer. We are reminded that there is a lot to be learned from ancient knowledge, and she inspires the reader to combine this knowledge and simple ingredients to craft fun and beautiful things for the modern house and home.
We make our way through five chapters of incredible witchy projects; The Witch’s Wardrobe, Home Accessories, The Witch’s Apothecary, The Witch’s Cauldron, and The Tipsy Witch. Information on folklore, history and anthropology are included in the description for each project, and the author makes room for adaptation and variation. Beautiful photographs accompany nearly every project, and many of them can be adapted for children, or done with children. The Cat Pom-Pom bracelet and Ghost of Christmas Past Cookies are a must! All the items are modelled beautifully by Garcia, and there are colourful illustrations throughout.
The Book’s Strengths The Witch-crafting Handbook screams fun and creativity. Why make breadsticks when you can make bone breadsticks? Why make a cake when you can create a Green Man cake? Why make cocktails when you can create spooky, witchy cocktails? The photographs are delightful and illustrate the project in hand, but they also serve as a reminder to be a bit more creative when cooking everyday items such as sausage rolls, biscuits, pies and soup.
Ideal for both Samhain and Halloween, it’s a year-round book in reality. Whilst the author advocates for full-time spooky, and the aim of the book is to bring year-round magic into our lives, many of the recipes are either season-less (eg. Flying Sausage Pie), or have been designed specifically with other festivals in mind, for example the Christmas Bauble Chocolate Spiders.
The projects range from easy to intermediate, but all are created with simple kitchen and craft supplies and materials. There are quick and easy projects, and those that will take slightly more time, making this an approachable and inclusive book with something for everyone. The Witch’s Apothecary has a plethora of beautiful skin care and beauty recipes, and there’s enough to host a witchy dinner party from start to finish; taking you from creepy starters to fancy evening cocktails.
What You Can Learn... Throughout the book the author maintains the idea that if you can cook, then you can craft, and after reading this joyful book, the reader is duty-bound to believe. The simple ingredients and materials needed for each project back up this claim; there is nothing scary or unapproachable here, which makes for a world of possibility.
There is a mishmash of captivating and interesting facts throughout the book, which give weight to the recipes and activities included. They illustrate the point that modern day superstitions and behaviours are firmly rooted in the beliefs and knowledge of the past, and that it is a wonderful thing to include these in our creations. We learn why we put little crosses into our cabbages and sprouts before cooking, and we learn the reason for throwing salt over our left shoulder. These stories weave intricately through the recipes and activities like a golden thread, tying it all together into a wonderful, witchy tapestry.
The vibe of this book is hard to describe but falls somewhere between The Wizard of Oz, Bewitched, and The Great British Bake Off. The recipes and activities are colourful and enticing, and will bring pizzazz to your home, your meals, your dinner parties and the way you pamper yourself. The ideas are imaginative, and at the same time non-prescriptive; there’s no reason why you couldn’t change the Shrunken Heads Gingerbread into Demonic Gingerbread Men. This book aims to inspire, and that’s exactly what it does. NEXT - Review: Goddess Provisions Box (January 2022) NEXT - Intention: I Call Back My Power
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