Some people love Jamie, some people think Delia is the queen, some people f***ing love Gordon, me on the other hand, my heart lies with Hugh. I've loved Fearnley-Whittingstall since I first accidently watched him eating a squirrel on his TV series 'River Cottage'. (This isnt a euphemism - look it up!) I still get a message from my university roommate every time he is on TV reminding me to watch whatever he is crusading for.
One thing that interests me greatly is his experimental and relaxed style of cooking. Other than the squirrel, I have watched him eat placenta. An ACTUAL placenta; Bull testicles no more than 5 minutes off the calf, straight into the frying pan; and some pretty revolting looking traditional dishes from the travelling-around programmes he has done . No one, in my opinion, does it quite like Hugh. I admire his enthusiasm for trying everything, I try to do this as well - which has drawn some horrified faces from my table companions - but I think I draw the line at human byproducts.
Weird dining choices aside, I agree with his principles as well. In Britain, we are very reliant on supermarkets and are usually unaware of where or how our food is produced. I've watched him fight for the rights of chickens, fight for fish, fight to get people interested in eating vegetables and do taste tests to get people excited and more aware of how the often ignored offcuts of meat our grandparents would happily snaffle down in the days of true austerity can be used nowadays to fight against the rising costs of our food.
He also promotes the idea of locally sourced ingredients which help support our local butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers, dairy farmers etc...... This philosophy can't be bad.
He achieves this by being creative. Mixing unliked or lesser used ingredients into more taste friendly formats to actually get the foods tried before being written off. He even taught a vegetarian how to appreciate liver so she could enjoy meat on her wedding day.
This was at the request of the subject, I am pretty sure he doesn't regularly try to convert Veggies to Carnivores.
So, imagine my excitement when, as a gift a couple of years ago, I was given a copy of this book by my sister:
I leafed through, as I always do when I first get a cookbook, marking the pages as I go with things I want to try, I think in the picture you can even see some of my little markers.
Accompanying the recipes are beautiful photography and charming little doodles that for some reason made even the more complicated recipes seem easy. Overnight bread? yes please!! I was practically salivating to get going.
In the last couple of years I have tried (amoungst others): Honey and Peanut Butter Booster Bars, Breakfast cheesecake (yep!) Trout Paté, Sourdough Bread, Spiced Fig Compote, Brown bread, Hemp oil and Parsley Pesto, Chicken with couscous, honey and cinnamon, Leek and Dorset Blue Vinny Tart, Shin of Beef with Soy and Ginger and Chocolate and Beetroot Brownies. All were devoured with relish!
A few things which I like about the book, other than the food:
Included is an introduction to store cupboard essentials. I lent this book to a friend who is not so excited about cooking and afterwards she told me she had rejigged her cupboards and had actually started to find a newfound passion for cooking due to just being able to recreate things at her will from a few basic ingredients.
Also included is an introduction to each chapter and even a short intro to each dish, giving credit where it is due to the other chefs who work alongside Fearnley-Whittingstall in his River Cottage HQ and have helped to create the dishes. I find a lot of 'recipe contributors' are included in a tiny footnote at the back of a book, after the copyright information or in passing in the introduction or thanks section. Hugh is indeed the figure head but it is nice to see the rest of his team given credit in the main print.
Lastly, the simplicity of some of the recipes. Any time I have picked up this book, I know I will more or less have all the ingredients on hand or a quick shop away. So many times whilst trying to decide what to cook, I have poured through a recipe book, thought ooo that dish sounds delicious. Then looked at the ingredient list. Most people I know don't have the time, money or would even know where to go to get fermented bean curd, pomegranate molasses, dried rose petals or Bolivian loaf sugar, I am pretty sure the local Asda do not sell these so unless you live in a big city, have a Bolivian relative or live near a specific quirky food market (in which case, lucky you!!) these dishes are out the window for a quick, rainy Tuesday night dinner.
The recipes are so easy to follow, that when I have tried to recreate them for a second time, maybe not following the recipe quite so religiously, it has worked just as well.
Some of the dishes are so stripped down I remember thinking - why didn't I think of that! Thats amazing! For the more inexperience cook these recipes create confidence by taking familiar ingredients and adding a twist. For the more experienced cook it adds to your repetoire. Who doesn't love that. It appeals to everyone.
I wanted to include a few things I didn't like just for balance, but, honestly, I couldn't find any. Except maybe some of the recipes are a little time consuming - but in this case, just save them for the weekend or when you have time!
I recommend this book whole-heartedly for new cooks, people who are looking for something different, young, old, anyone. I believe that everyone can benefit from learning how to cook something healthy, using sustainable ingredients and most importantly, delicious every day of their lives. Food, its one of life's little pleasures!
Please find below a link to the book on amazon, its totally worth it!!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/River-Cottage-Every-Hugh-Fearnley-Whittingstall/dp/0747598401/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440591167&sr=8-1&keywords=hugh+fearnley+whittingstall+everyday
Also, if you have time, watch the River Cottage TV Series, they are highly entertaining.
Hugh's Fish Fight and Hugh's Chicken Run are also worth watching as he tries to raise awareness of how our animals are treated in mass-production circumstances and fights for a better way of life for these animals. These are more disturbing and incredibly thought provoking.
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