A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones came out in April, and it is my current cookbook crush.
I can't help compare the styling to Twenty Dinners, that I reviewed a few weeks ago. They are both matte, not a glossy page in sight. They both share a similar moody, sort of graywashed editing. I love the look of both cookbooks. A Modern Way to Eat has more feminine touches, vases of flowers and cute serving platters. I think the biggest flaw in A Modern Way to Eat is the cover. I know that Jamie Oliver is a big name-- and that having his praise boldly proclaimed on the cover might draw some readers. I thought the huge orange bubble really took away from the cover. It would have looked so much better on the back- with the picture spreading across the length of the cover. That is just my personal opinion. Anna really shines throughout the book and I think she deserves shine on the cover too.
Now on to the food.... Oh the food. I am just a mom, a home chef who cooks for her family. Whether critics or chefs like the book, I don't know. I, however, love this cookbook. Big time. I don't know If I have ever planned on making so many recipes out of a cookbook- and there are over 200 here. As you can see, I couldn't contain my excitement and started putting tabs on all the pages I planned to make. I just continually found myself surprised and delighted by the book.
I can't help compare the styling to Twenty Dinners, that I reviewed a few weeks ago. They are both matte, not a glossy page in sight. They both share a similar moody, sort of graywashed editing. I love the look of both cookbooks. A Modern Way to Eat has more feminine touches, vases of flowers and cute serving platters. I think the biggest flaw in A Modern Way to Eat is the cover. I know that Jamie Oliver is a big name-- and that having his praise boldly proclaimed on the cover might draw some readers. I thought the huge orange bubble really took away from the cover. It would have looked so much better on the back- with the picture spreading across the length of the cover. That is just my personal opinion. Anna really shines throughout the book and I think she deserves shine on the cover too.
Now on to the food.... Oh the food. I am just a mom, a home chef who cooks for her family. Whether critics or chefs like the book, I don't know. I, however, love this cookbook. Big time. I don't know If I have ever planned on making so many recipes out of a cookbook- and there are over 200 here. As you can see, I couldn't contain my excitement and started putting tabs on all the pages I planned to make. I just continually found myself surprised and delighted by the book.
Most of the recipes are fairly simple and very accessible. It's likely you have all the ingredients needed to make these dishes-- maybe with an additional quick trip to the garden or farmer's market. The recipes are just so creative, she pairs things together in a way I would have never imagined.The book has breakfast recipes, snacks or quick lunches, soups, salads, laid back suppers, hearty dinners, sides, desserts, bread and drinks. She breaks up the book with an occasional informative page like this one-- featuring ways to put a soup
together. There are a few of these pages, where she gives additional recipe ideas- or insight into how she builds a recipe. I loved these informative little interludes.
One of my favorite sections of the book was her genius desserts. I love dessert. For the most part my family is refined-sugar and gluten free (to be real, we cheat occasionally) . This has been great for our health, but pretty depressing in the kitchen department. Baking is such a joy for me but now I feel like I spend most of my energy converting recipes into things I can actually eat. Sometimes it's a disaster, sometimes it's amazing but it's usually a pain. Anna has done all the hard work here. Most of these recipes require no tweaking from me. They are ready to make HALLELUJAH. For instance, the double chocolate cloud cake- sweetened by maple syrup and a banana, using spelt and almond flour- I have those things, I could actually make this recipe! There are many creative, delicious looking desserts I can't wait to make.
One of my favorite sections of the book was her genius desserts. I love dessert. For the most part my family is refined-sugar and gluten free (to be real, we cheat occasionally) . This has been great for our health, but pretty depressing in the kitchen department. Baking is such a joy for me but now I feel like I spend most of my energy converting recipes into things I can actually eat. Sometimes it's a disaster, sometimes it's amazing but it's usually a pain. Anna has done all the hard work here. Most of these recipes require no tweaking from me. They are ready to make HALLELUJAH. For instance, the double chocolate cloud cake- sweetened by maple syrup and a banana, using spelt and almond flour- I have those things, I could actually make this recipe! There are many creative, delicious looking desserts I can't wait to make.
I think those two words sum up this cookbook pretty nicely, creative and delicious. I plan on getting some serious use out of this cookbook. It has me daydreaming about the day when my garden is bursting with tomatoes and zucchini. A Modern Way to Eat is a tasty way to eat!
Book courtesy of Blogging for Books
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