Bought, Borrowed, Stolen [Hardcover]

Allegra McEvedy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2011

It doesn't matter where you are in the world, the most important things to any chef are their salt, knives and ingredients. Bought, Borrowed & Stolen brings them together, as they should be, for the first time.

Allegra McEvedy's unique outlook brings together food, history and culture in one sumptuous volume. From all around the world, she relays stories from her past: recipes shared, experiences gained and techniques learned.

An authentic glimpse into food and cultures from all around the world. Each chapter starts with a general introduction to the place, from China to Malawi and America to Brazil, continuing with an intricate knife detail page and several recipes from the country.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Allegra McEvedy founded, with partners Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, Leon, the award-winning, healthy, fast-food restaurant chain, which currently has eight London restaurants, with more planned for 2008. Leon was voted "Best New Restaurant" by judges Rick Stein, Gordon Ramsay, Nigel Slater, Heston Blumenthal and Jay Rayner in the 2005 Observer food awards. In 2008 Allegra was awarded an MBE for services to the hospitality industry.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Conran (October 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840915773
• ISBN-13: 978-1840915778
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1.5 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #354,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nicely Produced Book, Some Reservations About the Recipes November 23, 2011

By Brett H TOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

There are numerous cookbooks published every week so for any author of this genre it must be a real challenge as to how to stand out from the crowd. However, Allegra McEvedy does manage to find a different approach with this book which is part travelogue, part a description of her collection of knives, and, of course, the recipes.

The format of the book is that the author takes us to 19 different locations which she has visited and which are quite far flung and include, for example, Burma, Japan and the Norwegian Arctic Circle. For each country we start off with a page or two about the author's personal experience of that place and a fact file containing information about the population, geography etc and some information about the cuisine. This is followed by a couple of pages on the knife or knives she has acquired there, one page of which is a picture, and the next a description of how she acquired it, how it was made, its use etc. Then we have the recipes, normally between 5 and 8 per country.

I have some reservations about how useful this is as a cookbook in that the recipes are not, in general, ones which you look at and really want to try out. We are quite adventurous in our culinary tastes, so it is really not a question of ethnic dishes not appealing to us, or that many required ingredients were not readily obtainable as by and large they were not that obscure although there are some which may be a challenge to acquire. I think the main issue is that although there were beautiful full page pictures of the final dishes, many did not really appeal very much to our personal tastes.

This is, however, a well produced book with thick pages and is much thicker than you would expect for 340 pages odd as befits a book which will be handled a lot if you do use the recipes regularly. It is unlikely to join the small group of recipe books which we use on a regular basis though.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas gift for a amateur chef January 1, 2012

By Unhappy Customer

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My dad is a passionate cook and loves to learn about not only the foods eaten around the world but also the tools used to cook them. This book seemed perfect for him and he hasn't put it down since I gave it to him. This book is the perfect gift for anyone who loves food.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book May 31, 2012

By One Cook

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This cookbook is a unique one in that Allegra McEverdy talks about food and recipes of different countries she has traveled to. She also talks about her collection of knives from the same countries. The recipes give approximate timing which is helpful if you don't have a long time. The recipes offer a great variety. I read this cookbook cover to cover.