Cookbook review: The Forest Feast Mediterranean by Erin Gleeson

​The Forest Feast Mediterranean is an absolutely gorgeous cookbook compiled by Forest Feast blogger Erin Gleeson, who is the author, illustrator and photographer behind the book. With its beautiful cover featuring an Italian beach and artistic illustrations of fruits and flora, you know that the contents within are going to be just as alluring.
 
The cookbook was inspired by Erin’s family’s travels in Europe and the amazing meals they enjoyed while travelling in France, Portugal, Spain and Italy.

​The stuff of bucket list dreams, their 3-month travel itinerary chalked up a selection of iconic destinations including: Barcelona, Spain; Antibes, France; Liguria, Italy; Sicily, Italy; Lisbon, Portugal; The Algarve region in Portugal and Madrid, Spain.  Of these, I’ve had the fortune of visiting Barcelona, Sicily, Madrid, and The Algarve and I can vouge that the local cuisine in all of these places is superb, so I can understand why Erin felt compelled to capture every tasty morsel to bring a flavour of her adventures back home.

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Combining lovely illustrations alongside stunning photos from each of the destinations they visited, it instantly transports you to the Mediterranean. Bursting with more than 100 vegetarian recipes covering everything from small plates to pasta to vegetable sides to drinks and desserts, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Although I enjoy eating meat, I do think it’s important to make an effort to reduce my meat consumption (both for my health and the environment) and this book has given me lots of inspiration on how to jazz up vegetables to create mouth-watering dishes that are both beautiful and delicious. All of the recipes within the book serve 4-6 people (unless otherwise noted), so they are perfect for meals with family or friends.

My favourite food recipes within the book (which to be honest was difficult to choose as I loved pretty much everything), included the Seared Fennel and Clementine Salad, the Winter Caprese salad and the Honey and Balsalmic Green Beans. For drinks, I loved the Grapefruit & Thyme Aperol Spritz and the Lavender Lemonade, both of which would be great on a hot summer’s day (not that we’re going to be having a heatwave anytime soon in November, but hey, we can dream).
 
The verdict:
This is a fabulous book for those who love travel and Mediterranean cuisine. With its gorgeous pictures and illustrations, it would make a lovely gift any foodie is certain to love.
 
The Forest Feast Mediterranean by Erin Gleeson is published by abrams & chronicle books and is available at Amazon.co.uk (£26.99).
 
Ashley Miln