Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #242815 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Synopsis
Bill Sewell's recipes are innovative, modern and written with great humour and verve. His first cookbook has a large number of supporters. Over 150 recipes have been created for entertaining and the witty asides and stylish veuve of Bill's genius will make this a vegetarian classic to remember . From the feasting of New Year's Eve to the rather guilty better-for-you food for New Year's Resolution dinner to a garlic-free (for obvious reasons!) Valentine's meal, Bill's entertaining book enthralls. Designed with green pantone headings and playful drawings inside...very much Bill Sewell's tongue-in-cheek -- nothing too 'worthily' vegetarian -- style.

Customer Reviews

"At last, a seriously original cookbook" - The Independent
Here's what Michael Bateman, writing in the Independent on Sunday (7/11/99), thought:

"At last, a seriously original cookbook. No pictures. Not even any line drawings. Just excellent recipes from someone who has spent 10 years running one of the most admired vegetarian restaurants in the country, accompanied by some interesting observations based on real experience.

It's not too much to ask, you might think. But food publishers seldom want to know about this kind of book nowadays, what with television tie-ins and "celebrity chefs" - a Nineties phenomenon which refers to cooks with a comic bent who have forsaken their kitchens for the easy option of mugging on a cookery game show. Their books have superb production values, glossy chocolate-box pictures taken by the best photographers, who are aided by professional food stylists. The books make fine presents for family and friends, and adorn coffee tables up and down the land.

But Feasts from the Place Below by Bill Sewell is, by contrast, a book not to give away at all, but to keep for yourself. It is a grown-up cookery book, revelling in the sensuous joy of good food, and written with warmth and humour."

A collection of truly mouth-watering recipes
This is a wonderful book which uses the best of seasonal food: broad beans, peas, beetroot, squash, raspberries, asparagus and includes starters, main meals and desserts. A range of cuisines is contained within the pages, including Italian risottos, Indian curries, Mediterranean soups. All very original and delicious; some elegant with a flair, some hearty and simple, but always delectable. For all those veggies who are so bored of pasta with tomato and basil sauce - don't despair, you won't get any of that in this collection of recipes! I even like the original take on herbs in this book; gone are the days of parsley and dried oregano - instead, the author opts for a wide range of herbs rarely seen in other cook books: tarragon, mint, chervil, fennel and dill, beautifully complementing with your main courses.

You might wonder why all this praise but only 4 stars...I would love to give this a full 5, unfortunately the editing of this book leaves a lot to be desired. Few of the recipes have been proofread and so some ingredients from the ingredients list are omitted from the actual recipe; sometimes products are used twice at various stages of cooking with no indication that you should have halved the ingredients earlier; often, a large dose of ingredient is used 2 or 3 times (such as butter or olive oil) but apart from the general quantity you'll need, you're not told the proportions required in various bits. Little bits like that can cause some commotion and you could end up finishing a recipe realising that there's a container of cream from the ingredients list remaining that you haven't used because it has not appeared in the instructions! If you're an experienced cook, this shouldn't be a problem if you read the recipe and check everything carefully first, but if you're new to cooking these left out or undivided ingredients might be a little daunting. I have simply become used to this and even add bits in with a pencil so that I don't forget. The thing is, the original and lovely meals on offer in Feasts from the Place Below make the poor editing an easily forgivable mistake.