We plan to develop the 'Cook. Taste. Smile.' series as a brand - bringing the iPad to the kitchen.

Edward Taylor

'Cook.Taste.Summer.Smile.' was developed by the Cambridge-based duo as the first of a series of interactive books developed specifically to take full advantage of iPad technology. The book has already been picked up and featured by Apple on their iBookstore both in the UK and America.

Second year Cambridge Engineering student Edward Taylor is the technical brain behind the project with his former schoolmate Alex Yandell responsible for devising and developing the recipes.

A budding entrepreneur, designing and photographing this project has allowed Edward to channel his creative and technological interests towards interactive media and publishing. Unlike most other interactive eBooks, which are first published in print then adapted for iPad, Edward has designed 'Cook.Taste.Summer.Smile.' exclusively for the iPad using Apple's own publishing software.

He explains: "What makes this endeavour different from conventional cookery books is the innovative use of the landscape and portrait modes. Portrait mode allows the user to view a whole recipe on one page, with the ingredients and instructions. When viewing the set menu, for example, in portrait mode it appears as a menu one might read in a restaurant. However, when rotating to landscape mode, the recipes are presented step-by-step, in large font with clear, contrasting colours.

"The text is large enough to be seen across the kitchen, and it's easy to swipe through the recipe. With each step, the ingredients and quantities needed for that step are included so there's no need to swipe back to the ingredients page.

"We believe that users of the book will benefit from being able to read through a whole recipe beforehand to help themselves prepare, and then when they begin to cook they use the landscape mode, which is an entirely different experience allowing them to follow the recipe clearly from anywhere in the kitchen.

"What's nice also about e-books on the iPad in general is that you can highlight text, make notes, create bookmarks and search within the book - offering a great number of useful advantages over standard printed books."

Durham student Alex is a passionate chef who enjoys cooking during his university holidays. He has written, prepared, and tested all of the 30 recipes featured in the book. Included are three Mediterranean-inspired set menus, each with a wine recommendation, as well as suggestions for making the dishes cheaper and healthier. In addition, there are a number of other sections, offering a variety of dishes, and introducing the reader to a selection of essential and versatile store-cupboard ingredients.

The two young entrepreneurs have great plans for the future of the 'Cook. Taste. Smile.' brand and are already looking ahead to future books and commercial partnerships.