Veg The Cookbook
by Gregg Wallace
Published 5th January 2009
Price: £12.99
Masterchef co-presenter Gregg Wallace knows his onions – and his
aubergines, too – Daily Mail
The Holy grail of vegetable books
Tells you when to eat the best local produce
The best veg need not be organic
Gregg believes the main factor for tasty veg is the length of time i takes to get from the ground to your plate.
British greengrocer, Gregg Wallace is passionate about vegetables and has been working as a greengrocer for over 25 years. In his book Veg the Cookbook, Gregg takes an A-Z look at the vegetables we grow in the UK. The book is not a culinary world tour, and many of the vegetables listed above are not native, but they are certainly grown here, and this is what counts.
Be it buying organic, locally or fair trade, it’s confusing to know what is best for us.
Gregg simplifies it – stating the single most important thing is flavour, advocating that vegetables taste best when they are freshly picked and stresses the time it takes for vegetables to get from the ground to the plate is vital.
Sensational recipes feature throughout the book, incorporating both meat and fish alongside a very British chorus of vegetables. Boasting everything from mouthwatering Carrot Cake and Chilli Con Carne, Cock-a-Leekie and Red Tomato Chutney to Aubergine Fritters with Tzatziki and Samphire and Salmon with a Crème Fraiche Sauce – inspired by the top London restaurants (The Ivy and Smiths of Smithfield to name but two) that Wallace supplies, as well as all his own favourite meals. These dishes are down to earth and simple, like the man himself.
Gregg is a huge advocator of eating seasonally, believing if everybody ate this way, we would eat tastier and cheaper food. To push this message home, for every vegetable listed Gregg has provided a seasonal chart, showing in green the months during which the names vegetables is in season – so there is now no longer an excuse to eat asparagus in January!
Unique for its practicality, Veg is a cookbook that is sure to make its way into your daily life and leave you wondering how you ever cooked without it!
The Author
Gregg Wallace has been in the food business all his working life, and is probably best known as co-presenter of BBC’s MasterChef and BBC1’s Celebrity Masterchef.
Gregg started his career as a greengrocer at Covent Garden Market, and is now based at Secretts Farm in Surrey which oversees the growing and distribution of British home grown produce to a large percentage of London restaurants. He has supplied many of the best chefs in London with fresh fruit and vegetables, and over the years has spent a huge amount of time in their kitchens. Gregg has enjoyed a 25 year apprenticeship in the best of British food.
Gregg established his credentials as an authority on seasonality as co-presenter of Radio 4’s Veg Talk , and has also wooed audiences on BBC1’s Just the Two of Us. He writes regularly for The Mail .
Gregg has also written A Cook’s Year – How to Choose and Cook with Great Ingredients for Mitchell Beazley.
Veg The Cookbook by Greg Wallace
