I think this book is exactly what aspiring cooks should be buying. It's a remarkably simple idea (mirrored in the forthcoming Soil Association book 'Grown in Britain') that gives you clear, sensible information on choosing and buying fabulous ingredients as well as how to turn them into delicious, sustainable grub. This seems eminently sensible as quality ingredients are the essense of creating a delious meal, yet often, particularly in an age where we know the cost of everything and the value of nothing, this can be overlooked.

What's nice about this book is that even those who think they know quite a lot about food can learn. With so much conflicting 'nutritional' advice bombarding us at every turn, its heart-warming to just be given simple, clear and straightforward information about seasonality, historical context and health benefits of all the main food categories.

And then to the recipes. I recently happened to be in the Market Kitchen studio when Allegra cooked her chilli con carne. Apart from being a brash, loud and completely captivating force of nature, the resultant dish she made was a brilliant twist on the traditional dish you generally see in that it used prime chunks of chuck instead of mince. This simple approach turned it into something exciting and new, yet still familiar.

This is just one example of recipes that give you full-on flavoursome food, that explain the methods clearly and concisely and that reflect the Leon approach of good healthy and practical food.

This book is a trend setter in terms of its format, and if you have any interest at all in buying and preparing good, honest real food, buy this book at once.

Order from Amazon

You can see Allegra in action at the Real Food Festival on Friday 8th May