ABOUT THE BOOK
Legendary Jewish cookery writer Evelyn Rose, Judi’s mother, championed healthy eating, and this books continues that legacy.
Although TO LIFE! was written before most of us had ever heard of coronavirus, much of what it covesr has turned out to incredibly relevant for today’s “new normal.” Even if what you eat diet can’t prevent you from contracting COVID-19, it’s becoming clear that the right balance of nutrients in your diet can improve the chance of suffering from a milder form of infection if you do.
What makes this book different?
To Life! is a new kind of healthy eating book. It’s a contemporary international fusion cookbook inspired by Jewish cooking from around the world. All of the recipes are rigorously tested in a home kitchen to ensure that that they always “work” in true Evelyn Rose tradition. In an age in which recipes are easily available on the Internet, there has to be a good reason to buy a book. To Life! is is designed to be read and cooked from, used as a nutrition reference, and with its gorgeous photography and original illustrations, given as a gift. And since part of the profits go to charity, we encourage you to buy it.
It also contains an extensively researched evidence-based explanation of the nutrition and health facts that underly the ingredients and recipes that’s summarised in the introduction, with brief notes for each recipe or ingredients, and, for those who want more in-depth information, in the sixty pages of Dr Jackie’s Guide to Health & Happiness in the second part of the book.
What’s the book’s back story? How did it come about?
The book evolved over five years and brought together a doctor nutritionist, Jackie Rose; me as the food writer and cookery teacher; Pene Parker an award-winning cookbook designer and stylist, and my husband Marc who is the photographer. I think the best results come from teamwork, so this book is a true collaborative effort. Despite lockdown and everything that’s going on at the moment, we finally made it through the printing process and it was published two weeks ago.
The photography and styling in the book is really stunning and inspiring. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
The book features over 100 photos which offer a visual guide to plating and serving each of the dishes. The photos were all taken by my husband Marc and styled by myself alongside award-winning designer Pene Parker famous for the Roasting Tin cookbooks. All of the food in the photos was straight from the oven or pan without any of the “tricks” sometimes used in traditional food photography to make it look more appealing. In fact, we ate everything for lunch or dinner after each shoot!
Is your intended audience just Jewish readers?
Although To Life! is inspired by Evelyn Rose’s writing and conforms to Jewish dietary laws, its recipes should appeal to everyone who loves fresh, healthy and delicious food. Regardless of people’s background and tastes, this book has lots of recipes for everyone, including many that are gluten free, vegetarian or vegan. I hope that people will experiment and adapt them, using the ingredients and equipment they prefer to create healthy food their family loves.
What are your favourite recipes from the book and why?
I think they’re all delicious, which is why they’re in the book, however a crowd-pleaser dish that’s perfect for the summer months is the Baby Aubergine and Roasted Pepper Salad with its layers of creamy aubergine and honey and garlic dressing that tastes as good as it looks.
One of the very few good things that have come from the present crisis is that there is a lot more cooking at home. Cooking is a life skill, so it’s a good time to start the kids cooking too. As Evelyn Rosed used to say, “May you enjoy it in good health!”