Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower: How to Cook with Vegetables and Other Plants

Four years ago, I was diagnosed with Diabetes 2 after a routine blood test showed my HbA1c blood sugar levels to be dangerously high. Having experienced and researched the counter effects of my prescribed medication, I realised the importance of making change.Since lockdown like many others, I’ve taken the opportunity to reset. Walking for 2-3 hours a day (the car hasn’t moved for 14 weeks) has contributed to a 16kg weight loss. My HbA1C is heading towards the accepted levels for my age group taking me closer to my ultimate goal of ‘ditching the meds!’Now to the real game changer! This amazing piece of writing has had a profound impact on my recovery! Not just from a culinary perspective but more importantly the massive improvement to my wellbeing.Over the last eighteen months my wife and I have drifted away from eating red meat and now stick to fish, fruit and vegetables. Every page of this book is helping me get better especially regarding my previously negative cognitive relationship with food.Gill has a wonderful gentle touch with his articulation of the food, the ethos and the subtle benefits of change in diet. I’ve already cooked a dozen recipes and every one has been truly delicious!Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower is not a regular cook book, for me it has enhanced my wellbeing and provided a road map for a healthy and happy future.Bless you Gill!

This is a book for life, a celebration of all that is sensuous,earthy and elegant about the simple produce that Gill Mellor so passionately advocates in his cooking.Root, Stem,Leaf, Flower is a beautiful tome, full of wonderful recipes, thoughtful prose, elegant verse and , best of all, inspiration!That probably sounds a tad over the top but stay with me. This cookbook is more than just a cookbook. It's a doorway on to a world of calm, hedonistic pleasures. It brings the caress of nature into your kitchen.The photographs of the dishes made me want to rush out and replicate them in my own tiny galley. To share them with my loved ones and marvel at the sophistication of flavour that Gill manages to incorporate in every mouthful.I spent the first 48 hours squirreled away reading and rereading the book, absorbing the inspiration and planning my assault.The new potatoes, fennel and pesto dish was to die for. Who knew that so few simple ingredients could bring such pleasure. Every mouthful was an explosion of delight. This dish has already earned a place in my repertoire!If you buy only one cookbook this year make it this one. I am confident that it will soon be a well thumbed and stained addition to your library.

Received this cookbook today after reading Nigella Lawson recommending it on Instagram. Until then I hadn't heard of the author but now know he's something to do with River Cottage. Anyway I'm delighted with this book. It's so gorgeously presented I'm so excited to gift this at Christmas and birthdays to all my veggie and vegan buddies or indeed anyone who likes to cook.The recipes themselves look pretty simple on the whole without too many faffy hard to get ingredients and if you like pictures of your finished recipes then this is definately for you. I'm very impressed with the quality of the paper and the absolutely stunning photography and this is the main reason for my bothering to review this as it really is a thing of beauty. Quite possibly the nicest looking cookbook on the planet and I have seen plenty.A number of the recipes do include bits of cheese eggs milk etc but there's still plenty here for vegans too. Perfect for vegetarians or people who want to experiment with new ways of cooking and vegetables fruits and even flowers.The book will sit well I think with people who are environmentally friendly and who like to grow their own food.

I have loved all of Gill’s other books but this one is his best yet. Not only does it include incredible recipes, as you would expect, and gorgeous photography, the whole ethos and vibe of this book is beautiful. It’s more than just a recipe book, it’s an unpretentious literary journey through the seasons and the jewels of fruit and vegetables that are available to us. Gill shows you how to make these beautiful ingredients into dishes that will delight the senses. If this book doesn’t win awards I’ll be amazed as it deserves to many times over.

Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower: How to Cook with Vegetables and Other Plants, is everything you will want and more from a cook book. Gill Mellor writes in such a descriptive and personable way that reading this book is such a pleasure. Each recipe has a picture (this is important to many people, including me!) and an introduction that allows you to understand the passion and reasoning behind the inclusion of each dish. The photography is simply beautiful, rustic and charming; and makes you want to rush to the kitchen and start creating the mouthwatering recipes!Each recipe is fresh and new, and are not reincarnations of classics that are so common in many vegetarian/vegan/veg heavy cook books- the recipes feel exciting, tempting and will certainly provide cooks or all levels with new ideas to try in the kitchen (or campfire if you happen to have one lit). The recipes include familiar ingredients, as well as those that could be foraged for but alternatives cough always be substitute, thus making the book user friendly and accessible to all.I do not normally write reviews about the multiple cook books I own, but this book deserves to be shouted about. I can't wait to cook my way through the seasons and natures larder and I am sure others will too.