Book Review – A Whole New Way to Eat by Vladia Cobrdova.

4 out of 5 stars

I would like to thank Murdoch Books for providing me with a paper copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.

Okay, so I did the PR cover reveal on this book a few weeks ago now and I’ve been going through it a bit since then… and well, loved it to some extent. Please, when quoting me, just leave it as ‘loved it’ okay? 😉

Let me explain the ‘to some extent’ bit though. I am a fan of whole food cooking, the more simple/ budget friendly the cooking the better. Which is where I can appreciate ‘A Whole New Way to Eat’ but did find a lot of the dishes a little too fancy and fru fru for me. As in, if I need a dictionary and Google maps to find an ingredient I will use for just one of the recipes… but can only buy in bulk… I’m not usually a fan. And please realise this is my sarcasm over exaggerating things a little okay? I am as hippy, new age foodie as they come and know where to get pretty much everything listed in the various recipe’s ingredients. However, I am also a budget whole food maker, baker and cook and there are quite a few items there that are more for special occasion (save up for something nice) cooking, rather than me feeding my family every day. Oh, and mentioning a family… this is also more a young adult book… you know? You, your partner and two friends… as most recipes serve 4 max, and the others serve less. So not the world’s most ideal family cook book… but as it never states that’s what it is, no biggie.

Oh my, that makes the book sound terrible…. And it’s not! I loved it, loved the ideas and energy the recipes gave off and enjoyed the one or two I even made. *Gasp* I KNOW! I am reviewing a cook book I actually TRIED something from first! Look out neighbours as I’m reading a cosy crime now about kidnap and murder. 😉

But back to ‘A Whole New Way to Eat’ the title says it all and explains away all the different ingredients used. Justifies it perfectly. Makes people realise that whole food isn’t just meat and three veg… there is a whole world of amazing different foods from different cultures to try, embrace and get to love. Yes it’s not always budget friendly or family sized… but come one people, there will never be a cook book that caters for every single need of every single reader. Just suck it up and enjoy this wonderful cook book for what it is – whole foods, healthy eating, tasty and inspiring meals. This book is also food intolerance and allergy friendly to some extent too, listing at the top of recipes whether they are gluten free, vegan friendly, etc. Not so good for we who can’t eat seafood or alliums, but I am so used to that these days I just let it slide and don’t judge many books for not thinking of the rare food issues. 😀

As for the technical side of things, the images used, the layout of the recipes and other formatting nitty gritty – perfect. Well laid out, easy to read and follow for any level of home cook and lot of helpful and handy tips. Every recipe is done with both metric and imperial measurements and so internationally user friendly too. Love books like that and Murdoch book delivers excellent formats like this in every book I’ve read and reviewed.

Would I recommend this book to others?

Yes I would. I mean, yes it’s the more fancy end of whole food eating, but that’s not a problem – embrace it where you can. But it is a cook book of good, healthy, balanced whole foods… it’s not all kale, quinoa and lentils… though, yeah, they’re in there and looking delicious!

So yes, I would recommend this book to others, and it would pain me to have to idiot proof my recommendation, but I would explain it is a book best suited to those into whole food, healthy foods and those ‘trendy’ foods right now. I would feel looking through this gorgeous book all that is self-evident, but there is no helping some people, right?

Would I buy this book for myself?

I will be open and honest with you now in saying the paper book I have received is actually going to be re-gifted onto a wonderful friend who is going to get more out of it than myself. But this is simply due to the amount of dishes I can’t eat in it due to my own personal food issues and has NOTHING at all to do with the quality of ‘A Whole New Way to Eat’. Basically, this book is too good to just sit on a shelf and gather dust… so I want it to go to someone who is going to love it and use it frequently…. Though there are a couple of recipes I might just need to take a photo of first. 😉

In summary: I feel the title says it all – a gorgeous look into how easy it is to eat whole foods that you might not have considered before.

Until next time,

Janis.