Using the Plot: Tales of an Allotment Chef

by Paul Merrett

Tired of poor-quality supermarket food and disillusioned with the dubious ethics of large corporations, Paul Merrett decided to live off the fruit and vegetables he and his family could grow from their allotment for one year. This engaging account follows Paul, his wife and their two reluctant children as they learn to garden, build relationships with fellow allotmenteers, and slowly watch their crops start to flourish. As the asparagus poke through the soil and the battle against the lettuce-munching slugs is won, Paul turns his humble vegetables into more than 80 delicious recipes, including such simple dishes as Tomato Tart with Roasted Peppers and Meringue Cake with Summer Berries, as well as more involved meals such as Pork Belly Curry with Grilled Red Onion Relish and Scallops with Carrot Juice and Cardamom Broth. Sprinkled with humor and lush photographs, this is the story of a famous foodie making it on the farm.

Genres: Biography

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2008

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was glad to finally find a reasonably priced copy of this book as I have enjoyed watching Paul Merrett on tv. However, the diary portion of the book was pretty repetitive and the 'humour' got a bit dull. It took me an aged to read it as I got bored with the constant failing to actually do any work on the plot or to communicate with his wife so they actually were trying to do the same thing. Also, the bribery and general pandering to their kid's every whim got on my nerves, sometimes you just have to make kids do things they don't want to do...

Anyway, I will try a few of the recipes in the future, although many seem to rely on meat and fish rather than just the vegetables and I'll carry on watching Paul Merrett on tv, he comes across better on screen than in print.