| The Acorn House Cookbook |
 Buy now Reviewed by Hulya Erdal Hailed as 'The original Green Chef' by Jamie Oliver, it's no wonder everyone's talking about Arthur Potts Dawson. A career that has spanned some 20 years and experience under his belt including Executive Chef for Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant, this is a man that certainly knows his food. But his first cookbook isn't just about fabulous recipes and certainly shouldn't be shelved as just another cookbook, this is a story of green issues, a novel in fact of how food can be sourced and used from local producers. This book is a fascinating study on how we should all be conscious of what we put in our mouth, of where our food comes from and most importantly the damage being thrust upon our world each day we use pesticides, pollutants and other nasty chemicals. Green issues are a hot topic at the moment, but as Jamie Oliver says in the foreword of this book, Arthur has been practicing these green issues long before the rest of the world has now jumped on the proverbial bandwagon. Arthur is spot on with his book, it is both passionate and heart felt, he obviously knows his stuff but doesn't claim to be an expert by any means even though this well deserved accolade has, accidentally been thrust upon him. This a man that cares for his environment but doesn't just talk about it, he acts and does what he says. The cookbook is an extension of his restaurant, Acorn House, in Kings Cross where the menu is dictated by the seasons and what produce is available and when. He even admits to not quite being fully there yet but you can see he is working towards a 100 percent green living and working ethos. Arthur's introduction in the book is frank and should give us all a good sound wake up call and kick up the backside to strive for green living. Since many of us now recycle, it is one positive step in the right direction. As Arthur says, "Food is basic to our society, to our survival, and it has a cyclical nature, a natural life-cycle from seed to compost." The journey was once a simple one, but it has been over-complicated by decades of monoculture, over-production and over-consumption. This is a wonderful book that I urge you all to buy. It has some delicious recipes dictated by the seasons of course and the book is separated in seasonal sections thus. There is a blend of both savoury and sweet foods and all recipes can be made using either home-grown produce, produce bought from the farmers market or that that is Fairtrade. |
| Posted: 11/09/2008 11:55:18 Last Updated: 11/09/2008 12:05:12 |
Chick Lit > Gourmet Chicks :: The Acorn House Cookbook