A food stylist and menu creator who wrote her first book, an international success, off the back of her popular Instagram account, Lucy Tweed says feeding her family vegetables is a daily challenge and strongly advocates a life of playing with your food…
Let me start with a confession. I’m not a vegetarian. Am I allowed to write a vegetarian book? Am I qualified? A friend asked me if this book was going to be cheese heavy… and I felt defensive. They didn’t ask me that when I wrote a book with meat included. I said, “No.” I lied. Of course I use cheese. Sh*tloads. Plus, a ton of eggs. Butter. Carbs – in all their glory. And – don’t freak out – this book includes VEGETABLES. LOADS. What if we called it ‘meat-free’ – that’s probably more appropriate.
The object of this book is not to reduce fat, remove flavour or limit happiness. I’m not asking you to join a cult or commit to this every day. It’s about exploring variations. Possibilities. Fun. It’s about turning to the fridge crisper before the freezer.
My husband – a Kiwi raised on meat and veg – is known to respond to my food with, “This is so delicious! I can’t believe there’s no meat in it.” That’s what makes this book essential. Not what’s lacking, but what it has: flavour, texture and playfulness.
I love food. Most of it. I feel left out if I don’t like something. I went on a love crusade for mushrooms when I was young; dear choko, I’m not there yet, but