Well it is almost time for sorting Christmas â and lashings of celeb cookery books are lining up to become that perfect present for the foodie in your life. But closer to home there is an intriguing alternative from one of the most glamorous restaurants in the city.
Lavishly illustrated Ocean To Plate offers the pick of Thai and Indian seafood recipes from Vermilion in North East Manchester. All dishes use the freshest ingredients and are quick and easy to prepare.
Written by Manchester food and drink writer (and Taste of Manchester contributor) Neil Sowerby, the colourful 150-page volume offers a compact primer on Asian ingredients and cooking techniques. Signature dishes such as Grilled Ocean Tiger Prawns reflect the fact that prawn specialities dominate, but there are delectable treatments of Dover sole, salmon and squid. As a Thai food enthusiast, I particularly recommend the hot and sour Thai soups and classic Indian fish curries.
Ocean To Your Plate is out now, price £9.95. It can be bought at the restaurant or online, UK shipping, £6. All proceeds from the sale of the first edition go to the Iqbal Ahmed Foundation, a Bangladesh-based charity set up by the Seamark CEO (and Vermillion owner). To order go to www.vermilioncinnabar.com
Vermilion & Cinnabar, Lord North Street / Hulme Hall Lane, Manchester M40 8AD. Tel: 0161 202 0055, www.vermilioncinnabar.com