2007-06-28 Excellent recipes and not THAT tough to make

I can be a bit clumsy in the kitchen (like burning things if I am using two pans at one time!) so I was slightly wary of ordering a cook book that sounded so elegant and sophisticated. However, I was pleased that the majority of recipes weren't so tough at all; I regularly use Rose's Vegetarian Meals in Minutes and there was nothing in Veggie Chic that was more difficult or challenging. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that about half of the recipes were actually quite easy and simple to make, but the effect was fantastic and that's what made them so chic rather than the technique. This book is perhaps a bit more time-consuming, but obviously that's the sort of book you would expect to use when you have some time on your hands. It does also require you to have a stock of unusual and hard to come by ingredients, but after making a list and visiting a health food shop I found that it was really easy to prepare anything in this book (apart from the occasional Japanese ingredient that I can't seem to get anywhere). I greatly enjoy using Rose Elliot's veggie books and this has easily become my new favourite, even for occasional weekday cooking. Don't be put off by the title - most of the recipes are easy enough for the clumsy cook to cope with.