The Complete Best of Bridge Cookbooks Volume One

Bestselling cookbooks with more than 3,200,000 copies in print.

Now available for the first time in one collectable and comprehensive volume, all the recipes from the first two books originally published by Best of Bridge Publishing Ltd. These two books, The Best of Bridge, Royal Treats for Entertaining and Enjoy! More Recipes from the Best of Bridge, sparked Canadian cookbook history.

These popular and treasured recipes were enjoyed by thousands of Canadians a generation ago and can now be enjoyed by a whole new generation who want simple recipes with gourmet results.

An easy-to-use hardcover concealed wiro format combined with new photography and updated text all give a nod to the needs of today's home cook, but rest assured, there have been no changes made to the original recipes.

All the treasured recipes for luncheons, brunches, buffets and goodies are here:

Artichoke Nibblers / Zippy Avocado Dip / Stuffed Mushroom Caps / Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs / Polynesian Chicken / Baked Steak / Spaghetti with Eggplant Sauce / Wild Rice Broccoli Casserole / Cannelloni / Sunomono Salad Platter / Frosted Waldorf Salad / Habitant Pea Soup / Zucchini Casserole / Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes / Pecan Macaroons /Grasshopper Pie / Fantastic Fudge Brownies / Sour Cream Coffee Cake.

So whether you are looking to complete your Bridge cookbook collection or simply want to include tried and true recipes in your cooking repertoire, you'll find all this and more in this new collection.

About The Ladies of the Best of Bridge:

In 1975, at a weekend getaway, eight women friends had an idea: Since a consistent highlight of their decade-old bridge group was the food they prepared and shared together, perhaps they should think about writing a cookbook. This spur-of-the-moment notion was the impetus for The Best of Bridge, which went on to become one of the most successful brands in Canadian publishing.

From the outset, "The Ladies of the Best of Bridge," as they like to be known, had a unconventional vision of how their business would be run. It would be a partnership of equals, a celebration of friendship and -- perhaps most of all -- it would be fun. The bank manager who approved their first loan warned them they would never stay friends. They vowed to prove him wrong.

More than 30 years and three million copies later, the ladies are enjoying the last laugh. In addition to creating a phenomenally successful business, they have remained close friends with fond memories of all the good times they've shared. "We had a lot of fun," they say now. "And the media loved us because we were just regular mothers who showed up wearing matching aprons. Sometimes people were astonished that the recipes actually worked, which amazed us because we knew what we were doing."

Not surprisingly, from time to time, life intervened to rock their idyll. "Like a large family, we've experienced everything -- divorce, major illness and deaths," they comment. Not only have they lost parents, husbands and children, two of the partners are deceased.

But the brand lives on -- not only in kitchens, but also in the hearts and minds of Canadians from coast to coast. Written in a welcoming style, the recipes are easy to execute, yet produce "gourmet" results. Their unique approach, which includes jokes to keep cooks smiling, has ensured a faithful following. Best of Bridge recipes are staples at potlucks across the country, and the generation of children raised on them is now cooking for themselves. "We get lots of mail from people looking for specific books to give to their adult kids," the Ladies report. "They want to make dishes that were always served at family celebrations. Our recipes have become part of their domestic traditions."

The Best of Bridge is more than a company. It's an institution that is deeply interwoven into the fabric of Canadian life. But more than that, it's a testament to the spirit and wherewithal of eight exceptional women whose collective head for business is matched by their commitment to each other. As the Ladies would say, "You should have these books. We've tested, tasted and revised. We promise you'll love every recipe."