I remember going through my cupboard when I was little, and tidying my toys: Action Man, Lego, cars. They were all tidied and put back neatly, nothing was thrown away. I stopped playing with Action Man decades ago, yet still can’t believe that, when we got together, Mrs Chef decluttered our flat by throwing away my Action Man Jeep and Lego. I understand, but I miss that Jeep. I don’t think cleansing by decluttering is always a good thing.
This week I bring to you ‘Living and Eating’ by John Powson and Annie Bell. I really like this book for various reasons, mainly because it is how I would like to live (but we all know that I am too scruffy and messy to have that sort of lifestyle). I adore their simple approach, modern design, and kitchen that continues outside into their garden. The sheer beauty of ‘simple’ is here in spades, and yes, it is a cookbook, but it is so much more.
It is a lifestyle book, like a glossy magazine, Homes and Gardens or Vogue. It is a way to live, simply, with nice things around you. There is no need for stuff. The dishes they create, on simple plates, focus on the beauty of simplicity.
As cookbooks go, it is concise with a good few recipes of which I have tried a number, and they are delicious. The section on vegetables is brilliant and as I love veg and sometimes need inspired, I go here to have a look. One day, after we win the lottery, we will have a wonderful old place somewhere like Suffolk or Hampshire where Tinto will be able to run free. We will live like this, and there will be no room for clutter, mess or anything that is not necessary. Yeah, who am I trying to kid!
Another reason I love this book is because my two boys gave me it in 2007—not sure if it was for Christmas, Father’s Day or a birthday gift—and it has always been an aspirational book with beautiful images of cool, minimalist interiors and food. I insist you cook the butter roasted herbed chicken recipe before doing anything else after reading this. It is a Patricia Wells recipe, a woman I admire a lot. This book is a firm fave of mine, and we should all flick through it from time to time. It is food that is both elegant and homely at the same time.
