Green Blog
26 October 2011
Dishing up some great recipe ideas for the British winter
Jamie's Great Britain has caused a bit of a media feeding frenzy (ahem). It's odds-on favourite to be the best-selling book for Christmas. It seems we can't get enough of Mr Oliver.
We love the book here at Friends of the Earth because it celebrates the diversity of regional recipes based on local ingredients. Less food miles is good for the planet because it means less emissions and it saves money, which is all important in these times of austerity. And now you can cheer yourself up with some great recipes for the onset of winter.
The most exciting thing for me in this book, as a photographer, was was the visuals. Wow! Even the pictures of Britain were a feast.
My mouth was watering more with every turn of the page. Looking at the image of Kate & Wills's wedding pie, I could just imagine the pastry melting in Kate's mouth and her wiping the crumbs off her posh frock.
But onto the important stuff - the recipes. I cannot wait to try out the Wee Scotch eggs. I have had them in the pub and always wanted to know how they make them and get a perfectly cooked runny yellow yolk in the middle. I can't wait to try my own Root vegetable crisps too - how cool?
The Happy fish pie looks like a fish has dived into the middle of it - genius. I bet Jamie designed this as a conversation starter at his dinner parties to persuade his mates to join the Big Fish Fight.
The only thing I found maybe a little disappointing was the puddings and cakes sections. There simply were not enough of them. I need an endless supply of cake and biscuit recipes for all the gannets I work with here at Friends of the Earth.
If you fancy buying the book, you can find it almost anywhere - but if you'd like to support our campaigns, order it from The Book Depository and we'll get a small donation.
Amelia Collins, Creative Communications Team
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