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Using the Plot: Tales of an Allotment Chef by: Paul Merrett List Price: £16.99 City Travel Guides Price: £9.41 You Save: £7.58 (45%)Prices subject to change. |
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Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 635 EAN: 9780007252619 ISBN: 0007252617 Label: Collins Manufacturer: Collins Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 320 Publication Date: June 02, 2008 Publisher: Collins Studio: Collins Sales Rank: 7379 Related Items:
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Editorial Review: Review: "! Paul writes with good humour, brutal honesty and happens to be a Michelin-starred chef. Cue 85 seriously good recipes !a compelling read." Garden News Book Description: Michelin-starred chef and family man Paul Merrett swaps his shopping trolley for a wheelbarrow in this tale of self-sufficiency and 21st century urban survival. This is the story of how a famous foodie turns to a small plot of communal land to feed his family. Having become tired of poor-quality supermarket food and disillusioned with the dubious ethics of large corporations, Paul Merrett takes an allotment to see if he and his family can live off the fruit and vegetables they are able to grow. Along the way Paul reconnects with his grandparents' legacy of self-sufficiency and discovers the unbeatable flavour of a home-grown green tomato (especially when it's turned into salsa with spring onion and mint). He also learns that our romantic notions of a simpler life are not as simple as they seem... Using the Plot follows Paul, his wife and two reluctant children as they learn to garden, make what they hope is their final trip to the supermarket, build relationships with fellow allotmenteers and slowly watch their crops flourish and sometimes fail. They contend with the inevitable disappointments along the way with good humour and perseverance, and only the occasional temper tantrum. As the asparagus poke through the soil and the battle against the lettuce-munching slugs is won, Paul turns his humble vegetables into recipes worthy of his epicurean background. He includes over 85 allotment-inspired recipes, including simple dishes such as One Pot Vegetable Stew and Meringue Cake with Summer Berries as well as more involved dishes such as Pumpkin Ravioli, Tea-Smoked Chicken Breast on Allotment Vegetables and Steamed Walnut and Allspice Sponge with Roasted Plums. Paul's charming narrative is interspersed with his personal take on food ethics, celebrity chefs and the legacy of his self-sufficient grandparents. Reportage and food photography accompanies his story. Part recipe book, part memoir, Using the Plot is an engaging, informative and humorous read. Key title / Paul is a well-respected chef, having earned two Michelin stars. He regularly appears on television and has presented several series including The Best, Ever Wondered About Food and Fresh Food / Fits into the current trend for narrative, personal cookbooks plus ever-increasing popularity of allotments and 'grow your own', yet with a unique chef's perspective / Addresses many current issues such as ethical shopping, sustainability and children's eating habits in a non-preachy and self-depricating way / Paul has lots of PR potential: he's personable, informative and lively Product Description: Michelin-starred chef and family man Paul Merrett swaps his shopping trolley for a wheelbarrow in this tale of self-sufficiency and 21st century urban survival. This is the story of how a famous foodie turns to a small plot of communal land to feed his family. Having become tired of poor-quality supermarket food and disillusioned with the dubious ethics of large corporations, Paul Merrett takes an allotment to see if he and his family can live off the fruit and vegetables they are able to grow. Along the way Paul reconnects with his grandparents' legacy of self-sufficiency and discovers the unbeatable flavour of a home-grown green tomato (especially when it's turned into salsa with spring onion and mint). He also learns that our romantic notions of a simpler life are not as simple as they seem...Using the Plot follows Paul, his wife and two reluctant children as they learn to garden, make what they hope is their final trip to the supermarket, build relationships with fellow allotmenteers and slowly watch their crops flourish and sometimes fail. They contend with the inevitable disappointments along the way with good humour and perseverance, and only the occasional temper tantrum.As the asparagus poke through the soil and the battle against the lettuce-munching slugs is won, Paul turns his humble vegetables into recipes worthy of his epicurean background. He includes over 85 allotment-inspired recipes, including simple dishes such as One Pot Vegetable Stew and Meringue Cake with Summer Berries as well as more involved dishes such as Pumpkin Ravioli, Tea-Smoked Chicken Breast on Allotment Vegetables and Steamed Walnut and Allspice Sponge with Roasted Plums. Paul's charming narrative is interspersed with his personal take on food ethics, celebrity chefs and the legacy of his self-sufficient grandparents. Reportage and food photography accompanies his story. Part recipe book, part memoir, Using the Plot is an engaging, informative and humorous read. Synopsis: Michelin-starred chef and family man Paul Merrett swaps his shopping trolley for a wheelbarrow in this tale of self-sufficiency and 21st century urban survival. This is the story of how a famous foodie turns to a small plot of communal land to feed his family. Having become tired of poor-quality supermarket food and disillusioned with the dubious ethics of large corporations, Paul Merrett takes an allotment to see if he and his family can live off the fruit and vegetables they are able to grow. Along the way Paul reconnects with his grandparents' legacy of self-sufficiency and discovers the unbeatable flavour of a home-grown green tomato (especially when it's turned into salsa with spring onion and mint). He also learns that our romantic notions of a simpler life are not as simple as they seem...Using the Plot follows Paul, his wife and two reluctant children as they learn to garden, make what they hope is their final trip to the supermarket, build relationships with fellow allotmenteers and slowly watch their crops flourish and sometimes fail. They contend with the inevitable disappointments along the way with good humour and perseverance, and only the occasional temper tantrum.As the asparagus poke through the soil and the battle against the lettuce-munching slugs is won, Paul turns his humble vegetables into recipes worthy of his epicurean background.He includes over 85 allotment-inspired recipes, including simple dishes such as One Pot Vegetable Stew and Meringue Cake with Summer Berries as well as more involved dishes such as Pumpkin Ravioli, Tea-Smoked Chicken Breast on Allotment Vegetables and Steamed Walnut and Allspice Sponge with Roasted Plums. Paul's charming narrative is interspersed with his personal take on food ethics, celebrity chefs and the legacy of his self-sufficient grandparents. Reportage and food photography accompanies his story. Part recipe book, part memoir, Using the Plot is an engaging, informative and humorous read. About the Author: Paul Merrett began his career under the tutelage of Gary Rhodes before going on to work in some of London's best restaurants. He has earned two Michelin stars, one at Interlude and one at The Greenhouse. He opened the highly popular restaurant The Farm in 2004 and left to focus on his writing career. Paul is the presenter of BBC 2's Ever Wondered about Food. He also co-presented the prime-time series The Best and co-authored the bestselling book which accompanied the series. He lives in London with his wife, two children and an allotment. Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Inspiring and funnyWe're at the same stage that Paul was in at the beginning of the book - an allotment that is wild and overgrown - so we bought the book to be inspired. His humour and honesty made this a brilliant read and has given us the kick up the proverbial that we need to get started. I think the last review was a bit scathing and didn't read the book properly. He tried very hard not to go to the supermarket, using the local shops as much as possible. It was his wife who loved shopped at Tesco's! I shall be buying copies of this for my gardening friends. Rating:  - Hmmmmm.....I wanted to like this book. It's extremely beautiful, printed on lovely paper with lovely photos. Paul Merrett seems like a cheerful enough guy and he has quotes on the cover from Gary Rhodes and Novelli. And he is from Ealing, supports Brentford, so for me it's a local local food book! But something stopped me. I just found the book to be a bit all over the place. Merrett constantly tells us he's only going to eat home-grown food, then ends up in Tescos; he talks about wanting to be green then admits to having a patio heater, he gets an allotment and only manages to grow one thing by the first spring, he wants to persuade his children to eat more veg but behaves like a typically anal chef, not letting anyone eat bananas (which ... Read More: Rating: - Ripping YarnThe book recreates the bemusement, hard work and ultimately triumphant feeling of those starting out on an allotment career. It shows how even when it's wet, cold and you'd rather be down the pub there is an attraction to allotmenting which can only be appreciated when you sit down to eat your results of your own efforts. The characters are only slightly exaggerated and all that he records did happen (I know I'm the one with the long socks - read the book to understand). In short a bloody good laugh: the recipes are pretty good as well. Maybe this will do for New Zealand Spinach what Deliah did for cranberries! |
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