Welcome to Our Table
Laura Mucha & Ed Smith, illustrated by Harriet Lynas
Nosy Crow

Poet, Laura Mucha and chef cum cookbook writer, Ed Smith, will make your taste buds tingle with their food related descriptions of dishes from all around the world. Inevitably there are some that didn’t make this vegan reviewer’s mouth water for, in addition to the fruits – several double spreads are devoted to these and tomatoes get an entire page – vegetables (green and otherwise), spices, herbs, nuts and sweets, there are eggs, fish (including the dangers caused by over-fishing) and meat of various kinds.

After a look at the various tools people in different parts of the world use to eat their food, followed by a consideration of taste, smell

and texture of foods, the authors focus our attention on staple savouries: ‘Remarkable rice’, ‘Amazing Maize’ ‘Brilliant Bread’, ‘Noodles, Noodles’, among which are not only spaghetti and vermicelli, but also Ukrainian lokshyna.

As well as entrees

and side courses in abundance, the authors look at milk including non dairy kinds, sweet pastries and puddings and ice creams. Foods of the future – those grown in laboratories are pondered upon, as is the possibility of more people turning to insects and seaweed for food.

On the final pages children wearing national costume demonstrate how to give appreciation for what you have eaten and how to say goodbye to those who have shared your food; there’s a world map surrounded by flags of some of the countries whose foods were mentioned; the countries and places featured are listed and then it’s ‘The end’ in 20 languages.

Harriet Lynas images are brightly coloured and every spread includes a child or children – a diverse lot – interacting in one way or another with the food presented thereon.

A lovely celebration of difference, showing how we are all linked by the fact that we eat and for the most part, enjoy so doing.