River Cottage Veg Everyday! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. A review.
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Reviews, Save Money, Vegetables | 16 comments
But if we were to eat more vegetables where would we begin? How could we produce good, tasty, satisfying food? Most of the vegetarian dishes that I’ve tasted over the years have not been very good. Admittedly I first dallied with veggie food in the era of bean burgers and soya sausages. Long before stars like Ottolenghi stepped onto the scene.
As an absolutely traditional meat and two veg sort of person I imagined sitting down to the veg without the meat and possibly a few beans or lentils on the side. Not a great prospect for a carnivore.
We decided to grow as wide a range of vegetables, herbs and fruit as possible to give us the best chance for variety. We wouldn’t be cutting out meat and fish completely – just cutting down. But I wasn’t rally looking forward to the prospect.
Then I spotted that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall had written a new book River Cottage Veg Every Day!
Hugh’s approach to vegetables is from the green, sustainable and ethical food and fitness standpoint. I agree with his premise – we eat too much meat and who has ever been accused of eating too many veg?
He does admit that he got a bit wobbly at the start of this eat more veg project. His honesty encouraged me. Until I picked up this book, I was thinking the same.
Beautifully designed and photographed the book is a delight in itself. The recipes are quick to prepare which has been a real plus for me. In the past I’ve found that vegetarian food has been a bit of a palaver to prepare. The recipes use ingredients that are easy to find locally. There are adaptations and inspiring suggestions from improving a simple packed lunch to hearty suppers and store cupboard check lists. As HFW notes – this is a workbook.
We have started to cook veggie meals from this book – it’s every other day for us. Each recipe that we’ve tried has been a revelation. Tasty, satisfying and surprisingly good. Both of us are thrilled and relieved that we found this book so near to the start of our journey towards eating a more home grown and sustainable diet. Suddenly our new challenge is fun and no longer requires teeth clenching courage.
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ohhh I think I might have to purchase this. we try to eat meat only at the weekends. and left overs or stock added in the week. trying to eek it out as long as I can.
I think I will ask my siblings to get me this as a gift for xmas.
ha finding everythig funny today, the word verification is L5D. on first looks it was LSD. anyways I think the meds are having an effect. time for a nap
I’m really pleased he has bought this book out, I’m going to buy it soon. My husband became a veggie earlier this year so most of our meals are vegetarian , I have meat sometimes but I don’t miss it too much everyday.
Plus it is so much cheaper.
Changing the attitude of seeing a meal as ‘meat free’ or ‘vegetarian’ is the biggest hurdle if you are a committed meat eater, a meal should stand out on its own without you thinking too much about it being meat free.
Ah, I’m missing HFW’s shaggy locks too.
As for the book, it’s on my to buy list. I’ve been on a largely veggie diet for most of my adult life and I’m always on the lookout for interesting books on cooking vegetarian/vegetable-rich meals. Thanks for the review.
Hi Fiona,
I went on a similar eat less meat crusade a few years back. Books that’ve been invaluable to me were the Cranks Bible by Nadine Abensur, especially for some of the ingredients I’d never heard of that put a bit of spark into veggie cooking – most useful were tamari (a kind of soy sauce) and tamarind paste.
Also Dennis Cotter’s Cafe Paradiso cookbook has some great recipes in, although on more of a faffy restaurant level. He has a veggie restaurant in Cork, Ireland. You could probably spot both in a good second hand shop these days.
Good luck! I found I have loads more energy and a much cheaper grocery bill, although I could never fully commit to losing the Saturday morning bacon butty!
Lou
Thats what it is, he’s had a haircut! Thanks for your comment Terrier, it was driving me crazy, kept thinking “HFW looks strange” and couldnt put my finger on it.
Javier
I have just bought this book having see it here. I love HFW and somehow knowledge of this book coming out had passed me by. One look on amazon at the reviews and recipes contained within convinced me that it was well worth the money (not that I took much convincing)
Regards
Dan
The contents list on Amazon looks interesting. But what isn’t clear is are the recipes ‘Vegetarian’ or vegetable-rich? We often make curry, tagine, pasta sauce, that are mainly veg but have a little chopped bacon or homemade chicken stock.
Which recipes have you tried so far?
Celia
x
As a committed veggie, I recently bought this book too. I have found that it is one of the best vegetable cookery books I own. I agree that every recipe I have tried so far (roasted beetroot, stuffed cabbages etc) have been amazing. I also like that the recipes include veggies that are in season at the same time (for the most part).
My sister and hre family have been vegetarian for the past 25 years and some of the best meals I have eaten have been at her house. True vegetarian cooking is tasty and healthy; and it doesn’t have to be complex. Hope you keep on enjoying your vegetarian challenge!
I saw the book the other day Fiona, his haircut was a bit of a shock…never really got a good chance to look through it…maybe Santa will be good to me this year