Cookery books are meant to inspire but rarely to entertain. From the Veg Patch succeeds on both counts with tempting recipes interwoven with humorous annecodotes, catchy descriptions and sheer enthusiasm.
It’s based around author Kathy Slack’s top ten veggies, ranging from the often overlooked leek – “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.” – to kale, which for a time was “brunch for the fashionistas”.
Described as a book “for eaters”, it showcases these vegetables with easy to follow recipes that will bring out their good points – and deal with any gluts.
I was given a copy of the book in return for a fair review.
As someone who grows to cook, Kathy, a writer and recipe developer who has worked at Daylesford, uses her vegetable garden as the starting point for a meal: “. . . when I decide to cook, I begin by going into the garden . . .”
As such, she cooks seasonally and the book starts with the first crop of the year – peas. It’s where we began too by making the Pea and Paneer Curry, although this recipe calls for frozen rather than fresh peas, which would not be robust enough for the other flavours.
It was a simple but tasty recipe, as was the Spinach and Smoked Haddock Rarebit, our second dish, which was made with spinach from the garden. The ribollita made with kale and topped with kale pesto is another we will be making again.
If the recipes are good, it’s the writing that separates From the Veg Patch from other cookery books. There are annecdotes: memories of her mum hastily adding forgotten egg to a spanakopita without guests noticing; the disaster of baby tomato plants mown down by a four-wheel drive; the courgettes left on the village green with an sign imploring ‘Please, for the love of God, help yourself.’
Descriptions are also memorable: cheap sun-dried tomatoes that “look more like leathery Florida grannies dipped in tanning oil than tomatoes”; kale smoothies that are “the poster child for the lunatic fringe of the ‘wellness’ movement”; pumpkin cake that is “just a carrot cake that took a wrong turn in life and ended up somewhere more interesting.”
Cooking is, we’re told, her “solution to everything” with Comfort Pie the “primary remedy for all ailments, both of body and mind.”
Ultimately though, “the most delicious food is just simple, seasonal flavours presented with joy and generosity”. This book shows you how to achieve just that.
From the Veg Patch by Kathy Slack is published by Ebury Press with an RRP of £25. You can buy it here for £18.59. (If you buy via this link, I receive a small commission. The price you pay is not affected.)
Enjoyed this? You can read more of my gardening and garden-related book reviews here.
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