Product Description

Informed by John Pawson's minimalist ethos, this book is about making life easier, more enjoyable and more beautiful. It is first and foremost a cookery book, with food that has been carefully selected to be simple, comfortable and delicious, allowing each individual flavour to be enjoyed. Eating is a central focus of our lives and of our homes, and this innovative book goes beyond the food itself to look at the whole context in which we enjoy it - the plates we eat from, the glasses we drink out of, the equipment we use to prepare the food and the kitchen in which we cook it. John's philosophy is to pare down to a small yet beautiful range of carefully chosen essentials, allowing each object to be appreciated and eliminating the time-consuming confusion of excess. Functionality is as important as style, however, and practical information is provided throughout. Exquisitely designed and produced, Living and Eating is an unequalled guide to a simple yet utterly seductive way of living.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35278 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Review
'No one understands modern life better than John Pawson. Together with Annie Bell he has captured its essence in this new book.', Calvin Klein

Marie Claire
"Best cookbook of the year"

The Independent
`It’s the best looking cookbook of the year, and the recipes are just fantastic’

Customer Reviews

Simple but tasty and elegant food!
This is a great book. It crosses the boundary between a cookbook and a lifestyle guide. The ethos of the book is that good food doesn't have to be complicated. I like the photographs and the layout of the book, particularly the suggested combinations of recipes for entertaining.The recipes themselves are clear and all the ones I have tried so far have worked perfectly. I think this is the most important test of any cook book, particularly for those who haven't been cooking for a long time like myself.

The layout of the recipes follows Starters (to begin), Soup, Eggs and cheese, Pasta and Risottos, Shellfish and Whole Fish, Poultry, Meat, Potatoes and Grains, Salads, vegetables, Purees and Sauces, the cheese course, puddings. There are further chapters on equipment and kitchen design and other ways of simplying the process of cooking and entertaining.

All in all a superb book which I highly recommend.

5 stars for food
There is only one reason to give this book 5 stars, and that is that the recipes are delicious. The instructions are clear to the point of didactism - there is none of the relaxed Nigel Slater "handful of parsley" here. But, whilst you may not warm to the martinet style, it is confidence inspiring, because you know that everything is going to turn out OK.

Almost half the book has been handed over to architect John Pawson, who writes long reams of recommendations for the most stylish crockery or the best cast iron casserole. Although I don't share his taste for minimalism, I don't object to reading his thoughts. He does know what he is talking about (even though I could not dream of spending the kind of money that he thinks is necessary). Actually, I found his martinet assertion that only this particular brand of vase, or whatever it was, would do, pretty amusing, because he does not seem to inhabit the same world that I live in.

The photographs are attractive, the layout is clear, the food has clean fresh flavours, easy to find ingredients and tastes fantastic, even for the novice cook. Unlike most cookery books, which I buy and then only cook two or three recipes from, this is one that I have gone back to and tried different things time and again.

Take the bossiness on the chin, buy the book and give it a try.

Living and Eating
Stealthily and without fuss, this book has changed the way I entertain with food. The recipes are simple and spot on - all those I have tried have worked fantastically well. It has great ideas on how to pull together bought items to create fabulous starters and ideas on accompaniments to different cheeses. I particularly enjoy the menu planning ideas. Apart from the faintly patronising blurb about what candles it is acceptable to have in one's home, I would recommend this book to anyone who is jaded with 'dinner party' entertaining and who wants to inject a new stylish simplicity into those potentially torturous (in a culinary sense) evenings.