Raymond Blanc's multi-starred Oxfordshire restaurant--Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons--is not often associated with fast food. But in fact Blanc has long promoted a speedy, fresh and healthy gourmet eating that has nothing to do with burgers and chips. Blanc has collaborated with physician Dr Jean Monro on Blanc Vite and its recipes and approach combine use of the freshest ingredients, organic as often as possible, with cooking techniques that complement the basic flavour of the food as opposed to masking it. In a passionate introduction, Blanc quotes Hippocrates: "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food", before going on to give his 10 commandments of food and be surprisingly (very surprisingly for a top chef) kind to vegetarians. The recipes start with breakfast--anyone for pears with vanilla?--then on through snacks, fish, meat, veggie and desserts. A basic knowledge of cooking is required to take on the recipes but most of all you need appreciation of food and that's what Blanc helps with. This inspiring book at last clarifies the difference between health food which tastes like sawdust and healthy food which tastes like heaven. Bonne Sante. --Nick Wroe

2006-11-15 Quite a find

Raymond deserves respect for taking an enlightened approach to both diet and vegetarian cookery. The introduction has a really interesting discussion of diet that probably contains more useful information than most diet books - e.g. why are french people thinner despite eating more fat? Answer: All the 'fat' nations consume a lot of sugar. Sounds like 'low-GI' before the term was popularised. The recipes are all simple with a real clarity of flavour.