Book Review - The Collection Cookbook
Wednesday, 11 February, 2004
Nosh! news
The Collection Cookbook, published by Struik, R250.00
Having eaten great food at The Cellars Hotel in Constantia's Green House Restaurant, I was very happy to receive a copy of this book. Much more than a coffee table book, it is more than worthy of a place in the kitchen too, though some of the recipes use professional methods and equipment.
So often hotel or restaurant cookbooks offer recipes for dishes which are either time consuming or else the reader thinks 'I cant do this' or 'I don't have that in my kitchen', but there are many recipes here which the proficient home cook could happily venture forth into.
Beautifully illustrated by Craig Fraser, one of Cape Town’s most sympathetic food photographers, it contains recipes from all three of Liz McGraths fabulous hotels, though I think this really is a subliminal invitation to visit one of the five restaurants in The Collection, The Greenhouse and Cape Malay at The Cellars-Hohenort, Sand at The Plettenberg and The Pavilion and The Seafood at The Marine.
Christiaan Campbell, head chef at Sand at The Plettenberg has recently been appointed as Group Executive Chef. After training with top Michelin-star chefs in England, Christiaan worked in the kitchens of Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saison at Oxford, the legendary Roux Brothers at La Gavroche in London, at the elegant 16th-century Gravetye Manor and at Chewton Glen, one of the most famous Relais & Chateaux country house hotels in Britain.
'Christiaan really understands the way The Collection restaurants work and the food we produce, as he has been part of the family for so long. He and I are a great team and together we will continue to create exceptional cuisine for those who visit our restaurants' says Liz McGrath, owner of The Collection.
The Collection Cookbook was launched in late 2003 and recently won a World Gourmand book Award in the English category. 'The cookbook has really put The Collection restaurants on the map and we will be doing all sorts of interesting things with it in 2004' adds Campbell.