List Price: £25.00 Price: £16.25 You save: £8.75 (35%)
Media: Hardcover Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Editorial Review:
Delia Smith has tossed the odd crumb to non-meat eaters in previous books: in Delia's Vegetarian Collection, finger on the pulse as always, she pulls the best of those together, tops them up with a selection of new ones, and presumably has herself and the BBC another bestseller. Lest this sound ungenerous, it's as well to say that this is a fine collection, wide-ranging and full of variety; and also visually very appealing. Vegetarians are likely to feel that the wait was worthwhile; many other cooks will be grateful for an inspiring repertoire, which happens not to contain meat. As always with Delia Smith, there is nothing here to frighten the tentative cook. Perhaps the most demanding recipe is the rather modish Red Onion Tarte Tatin. But even here, Delia's calm directions provide the most reassuring of guides (practically every sentence in every recipe starts with the words "First" or "Next" or "Then").
Delia has cast her net widely, both geographically and, as it were, chronologically. While Vegetarian Sausage Rolls , "Not Pork" Pie and a variety of hefty vegetable gratins, such as Roasted Vegetable and Brown Rice, evoke a time of wholefood earnestness, before vegetarian food lightened up, most of the recipes belong to a more modern era, characterised by the flavours of the Mediterranean and the Pacific Rim, where vegetables play a more central role in the cuisines. Pasta and noodle recipes, for example, include the wonderful Trofie with Pesto, Green Beans and Potatoes, together with many other classic Italian dishes; while the East contributes Singapore Stir-Fried Noodles and Soba Noodles with Soy and Citrus Dressing. One of the pleasures of this book is the presence of many classic recipes, included simply because of their deliciousness. This is plainly the case in the Puddings chapter. Suet aside, puddings can't cause vegetarians too many problems. But here are Crepes Suzettes, Bananas Baked in Rum, Crème Brûlé and Strawberry and Balsamic Vinegar Ice Cream to remind us that some of the best things to eat have always been meatless. --Robin Davidson
In response to her millions of followers, Delia Smith has selected a collection of vegetarian recipes from her existing books as well as over 50 recipes which have never been published in any of her books before. The result is this illustrated title which contains over 250 recipes and 200 colour photographs. This title should prove useful for anyone wanting to eat well without meat or fish; for those who like to cook vegetarian dishes occasionally or as part of a meal; and for those who want to cook for vegetarian friends or family.
Delia Smith was born in Surrey in 1941 and brought up in Kent. She left school at 16 without a single qualification and tried her hand a number of different jobs before becoming a washer-up in a tiny London restaurant. Determined to learn how to cook, she was eventually allowed to help the chefs and began to develop a love of cooking and traditional British recipes. With this, grew her personal mission to pass on her knowledge and growing skills to others. She has gone on to become the UK’s best-selling cookery author and is so well known and respected that her first name has its own entry in the Collins English Dictionary.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Not fully vegetarian Delia knows her cooking, however, she hasn't researched vegetarianism properly. She is using parmesan. All vegetarians know that parmesan is not vegetarian, so she should mention to use the substitute cheese. It is misleading new vegetarians into thinking parmesan is ok. That's why only 2 stars.
If one reads the recipes carefully and alter it accordingly then there are some very nice new ideas in this book..
NOT AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS My initial reaction to this anthology of recipes from earlier Delia Smith books was much the same as that of earlier reviewers. The recipes are generally inventive, and the book itself is well laid out, and visually attractive. But the more I use it, the more irritated I get. First, the colour photographs are a 50 per cent waste of space. There are typically four pictures on each illustration page, two of them of one of the dishes, which is fine, and two of pretty arrangements of a few ingredients. This is... more info
Delia's Bandwagon Book This is Delia jumping on the Vegetarian bandwagon, thinking that she can do it right. The answer is an indigestible NO. Not all Veggies can wallow in gluts of cream. Some of us are Galactosemic - no that does not mean we are Vegan, you can choose to be Vegan - but Delia wouldn't care about that. This is a total rip-off. Avoid if you want to be healthy.
Even non-veggies will love this book Before I got this book, I'd never cooked a lentil or chick-pea, and had little interest in doing so, it's now the mainstay of my cookery shelf. Have several vegetarians in the family so I started using this book to try and get recipes that would allow us to have a meal where everyone ate the same food, so I needed vegetarian recipes that were attractive to non-veggies. This book came up trumps. Everyone I feed from the book ends up wanting their own copy! I don't agree with the cheese and egg... more info
