Leon: Naturally Fast Food

LEON #2

by Henry Dimbleby

'The dream is to bring really good food at a good price to as many people as possible. It makes LEON sound like a new religion. If so, it's one that can count our judges as among its growing congregation of worshippers.' - Observer Food Monthly Awards

The first Leon restaurant, in London's Carnaby Street, opened its doors in July 2004. For its founders - henry Dimbleby, John Vincent and Allegra McEvedy - the aim was to change the face of fast food, by bringing fresh, wholesome cooking to the high street. Six months later, Leon was named the Best New Restaurant in Great Britain at the Observer Food Monthly Awards. The menu is based around bold flavours, using simply-cooked fresh, local, natural ingredients with an emphasis on seasonal dishes; it also reflects how our eating habits change as the daylight house get longer and shorter.

Leon Naturally Fast Food is again a book of two halves. The first half is Fast Food, which contains recipes for every occasion that take a maximum of 20 minutes to prepare: from a work day breakfast and children's meals to simple suppers and party food. The second half is Slow Fast Food which contains things that can be made in advance when you have time, to enjoy when you don't have time. There is plenty in both halves for both the experienced cook and the culinary adventurer in search of inspiration.

LEON's food message is a simple and honest one - cook and eat with the best ingredients available and don't forget the naughty bits that are so necessary for a fully-rounded life.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2010

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

O M G, loved this book! It's the quirkiest little cookbook I've ever seen, lots and lots of pictures, few of them are actually of food, but it's okay. Every recipe calls for ingredients I actually buy and use, most recipes have 4 or 5 short steps, a few of the recipes are classics such as vampire chicken with 100 cloves of garlic, most are ordinary yet unexpected with their use of spices or veggies.

[Lucie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still good but nowhere near as good as the first Leon book. Too many recipes mean a lot of the book is just fluff.

[Mrs Reddy Katzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

[Bettina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and comfortable food

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book of recipes for fresh and tasty food, all the while being quick to make. Full of new ideas and twists on old favourites.

[Casey Browne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book - it had such Lovely and comfortable food! It's the quirkiest little cookbook I've ever seen, lots and lots of pictures, few of them are actually of food, but it's okay. Every recipe calls for ingredients I buy and use, and most recipes have 4 or 5 short steps. A few of the recipes are classics, and most are ordinary yet unexpected with their use of spices or veggies.

[Yasmeen · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you know me, then you know that I love to buy/use cookbooks written by restaurants/bakeries. This was purchased as such, but I will probably never make use of it. The recipes are idiotically simple, I don't think you need a recipe for most. However, it's one of the most beautifully designed books I've ever seen. Quite quirky and special.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some yummy recipes in here, I was especially pleased at the number of vegetarian or vegetable-based recipes... I cooked the South Indian pepper chicken tonight, a very easy but delicious curry-with-a-difference!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this. Very simple recipes with not too many ingredients, with variations suggested, and the same Leon notes statingwheat-free, gluten-free, vegan, etc, which makes me tempted to try the recipes.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yummy
Everything I have cooked is lovely.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are good recipes in here, but nothing that I'm interested in making. I still love how they designed the book.

[Kristen Gillette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spent more on buying a copy for my mother than I did for mine. Wish I could buy it for everyone.