heart warming and mouth watering
I loved the way Amanda paints her world in words. The intricate way the garden and the kitchen dance with the seasons. I lived in Europe and consider my creative outlet my cooking and learned in Europe that shopping is a daily thing to be looked forward to. Only then will you know what will be on the dinner table. Nowadays you can get anything anytime. If you do this you lose the rhythm of the season and the foods. And the anticipation that comes with waiting until your favorite veggies appear in their newness. So in winter it's roots and herbs that last the seasons, and slow braising of meats. Spring is the bright sprightly asapargus and new greens. The soul soars. Ok I'm going overboard. But if you love to cook and feel the rhythms of life this book is for you.
Rare & Very Special
This is one of those books that you can't put down until you near the end, and then you force yourself to ration the remainder in small morsels and stoically put it down again to savor and prolong it before it's inevitable end. Seasons in the garden and the kitchen are inextricably intertwined and evocatively presented. After finishing Ms Hesser's novel I stumbled upon another book by Anne Willan, owner of the Chateau where the Cook and Gardener meet and grow in friendship. Don't miss Willan's book either, "Anne Willan: My Chateau Kitchen" which continues our travels into this magical setting and the cooking school (La Varenne) she operates there. Enjoy! Kathryn
