The New Vegetarian Cookbook

I remember my best British meal like I ate it yesterday. It was October of 1993 and I'm driving a Peugeot from London to Bangor, Wales. I pull off the M6 in a town named Walsall, just north of Birmingham, and stop at a Balti shop operated by a Sikh "geez-ah". Everything I ate was made from scratch - mashed potatoes from real hand-peeled potatoes, fresh baked "nahn" bread (yummy!), and Walls ice cream made from milk, cream, and sugar minus the guar gum in most American ice creams. The point is that the British take the time necessary to prepare and cook some serious cuisine. British author Heather Thomas has produced a great vegetarian cookbook featuring 150 British recipes. Paul and Linda McCartney add some spice by contributing a foreward. The chapters are Soups and Starters, Pasta Dishes, Rice, Grains and Legumes, Egg and Cheese Dishes, Snacks and Fast Food, Side Dishes and Salads, Desserts (and fruits), Breads, and other bakery items. The easy-to-follow recipes are accompanied by an abundance of colorful photos. The glossy pages and vinyl covers give this useful text alot of protection in the hands of messy cooks. Heather Thomas offers a variety of recipes for a British vegetarian cuisine. This text is also a good beginner's primer for vegetarian cooking. The recipes are not difficult to follow. Vegetarians will like this cookbook.