This is more than just another recipe book.

It celebrates food and asks us to experience the magic of preparing it. It introduces us to the possibility of making cooking and eating an exquisite, meditative, occasion - an antidote to our fast food junk culture. Ultimately, our enjoyment of things depends on the quality of attention we give them. Cooking and eating are no exception.

To help you do this, the 'Zenecdotes' accompanying the moody pictures in this book will put a Buddha smile on your face as you wait for the bread to rise...

The purpose of the book is to continue the tradition of excellent vegetarian food, centred on Mediterranean flavours, served at the BRC which has always had the personal touch of the head chef in charge of the menus and that of his co-chefs: the lovely, friendly local Zulu women who have worked in the kitchen for many years to great acclaim from visitors. These ladies were taught the skills of traditional Zulu cooking from their mothers, which they then readily adapted to cooking the vegetarian cuisine served at the BRC. These women could hold their own in the kitchen of any up-market restaurant anywhere. With this book, the BRC also wanted to showcase the exquisite indigenous environment in which it is set, which has become a spiritual haven for South African and international visitors.