‘Making salad is a work of art’: an ode to the illustrated cookbook
In a parallel universe where Mob Kitchen didn’t have me at their mercy, this is how I’d choose my weeknight plate.
SAVOUR THE PAST: A series where I delve into the past to uncover what it reveals about our current food landscape. This week, we’re diving into the charmingly illustrated cookbook, ‘Super Suppers’ (1982) by Derek and Ursel Norman.
In a parallel universe where Mob Kitchen didn’t have me at their mercy, this is how I’d choose my weeknight plate.
First published in 1982 by husband-and-wife duo, Derek & Ursel Norman, Super Suppers is a celebration of the art of cooking and also a test in trusting your cooking (and creative) abilities. It’s a beautiful blend of Ursel Norman’s recipes from over the years, and Derek Norman’s enchanting and vibrant illustrations to bring the recipes to life.
‘Making salad is a work of art’, the introduction reads. If there is a single line that could sum up this book, I think this is it. Flipping through the pages you notice that each recipe has been given its own unique style, a beautiful melting pot of font and illustrative styles that give each page so much character. The illustrations are certainly more abstract than literal, allowing you to conjure up a sense of imagination, lending itself with the playfulness that should come with cooking.
The book is chockablock full of beautifully considered illustrations for each ingredient, along with thoughtful and visual chapter titles such as ‘How to please your pasta’ - a personification of pasta, as if it were something we needed to treat with care and compassion (as it is!)
The typography shifts with each recipe, with every detail feeling intentional. From the squiggly, playful spaghetti aglio e olio that winds around the fork, to the more refined lettering of the waldorf salad. Look how much care and detail went into each recipe? I smile each time I turn over the next page!
Have we lost the sense of cooking as an art?
But this notion - ‘making salad is a work of art’ - taps into something deeper. Sometimes I wonder if we have we lost a sense of trust and creativity with ourselves. Even as someone who enjoys cooking, I find it all too easy to rely on Instagram to decide what to eat and how it “should” look. Has the internet made us more adventurous, or has it dampened our ability to cook on a whim?
So, in a world of glossy cookbooks and perfectly styled dishes on our digital feeds, Super Suppers feels like something special. It’s a reminder that cooking isn’t just about following steps or achieving something flawless. It’s about self-expression and trusting your creative abilities, and being ok when things don’t go quite as expected!
Attempting a recipe
To give this newfound method of cooking a go, I thought I’d try one of the recipes. Although if it doesn’t go to plan, that might be more of an indication of my cooking abilities than anything else. I also rarely follow recipes, so this is going to be a real test of my patience.
I landed on mulligatawny - a recipe I’ve only made once before. Admittedly the non-linear direction of the recipe directions threw me off at first, especially as I kept going back to it and trying to find my place again. It’s easy to feel a little scattered - juggling rice cooking in one pot, onions sizzling in another, all while trying to keep track of the next step.
But, honestly, it was a freeing way to cook. It was less about precision and more about trusting myself and my instincts. And it was absolutely worth it!
Now that I’ve tried this approach, I can see how this cookbook gently nudges you to let go of perfection. By embracing this mindset, we might better enjoy cooking for its creativity, not just for the end result.
So, what if we approached all our meals as works of art, celebrating imperfection and creativity? Perhaps, the next time I’m in the kitchen, I’ll skip the perfectly curated photos and try something new, simply for the joy of creating it.
A few more illustrated cookbooks that are worth a look:
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat - this has been in my cookbook collection for years now. I remember at the time this being quite a new thing. I even have prints of the illustrations that I bought that used to be on my kitchen walls.
https://www.saltfatacidheat.com
Sicilian Vegetarian Cooking - my sister recently lent me this book and I think it’s so beautiful. https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/sicilian-vegetarian-cooking-recipes/author/penza-john/
Did you know Andy Warhol once illustrated a cookbook? I’m dying to get my hand on it https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/from-our-archive-when-andy-warhol-illustrated-a-cookbook
I love this! Have you watched the Netflix show Ugly Delicious? I feel like it has a similar ethos - food for creativity, nourishment and comfort over aesthetic.