As a chef and sometimes-obsessive weight watcher, I am sad to say that I am all too familiar with the ins and outs of the Atkins diet. Not only have I subjected myself to this tyranny of high-protein, low-carbohydrate living (being a fruit bat trapped in a human body meant I was destined to fail), we are hounded daily at the restaurant by requests from customers for carbohydrate-free dishes.
One year ago an order for poached eggs, no toast at brunch was a rarity and most likely the result of a wheat allergy. Yet today our till is programmed to accommodate requests such as this, as Atkins dieters lobby for world domination and toast-free breakfasts have become the norm.
If you are one of the many, therefore, who has had the misfortune of living their lives following recipes from the official Atkins Diet cookbook (an unpalatable and visually barren affair), you will be very grateful indeed that chef-proprietor Henry Harris of London's Racine restaurant has leapt on the Atkins bandwagon and brought you A Passion for Protein.
The book, and Harris's own good health and sustained substantial weight loss, demonstrates quite clearly that a high-protein diet does not mean that you cannot eat well-balanced, healthy meals that include vegetables and fibre. Recipes are clear and concise, with introductions full of tips and hints about purchasing quality ingredients, curbing the urge to go off the rails, substitutes for unusual or difficult-to-source ingredients, etc.
In an attempt to compensate for the sacrifice that his diet or "regime" requires, Harris often creates his own version of classic dishes, providing alternatives for carbohydrates, such as making a veal cheeseburger with portobello mushrooms instead of the traditional burger bun, and a Welsh rarebit omelette. Spreading Marmite on a plate and topping it with scrambled eggs in homage to buttered Marmite toast may be a little abstract for some - but it makes for entertaining reading.
Divided into convenient categories, such as breakfast, snacks, salads and vegetables, with main sources of protein predictably broken down into meat, fish, eggs, and cheese, the book is easily referenced and covers almost any occasion. Desserts are somewhat sparse, but then sugar really has no place in a regime of this nature.
Although Harris insists that it is not a diet book - at least not in the classical sense - there are no calorie counts and very little nutritional information. It is a book that I have no doubt followers of the Atkins diet will covet for its inspiration and dedication to really tasty food. Even the busy professional chef baffled by Atkins requirements may find this book useful.
Anna Hansen, joint head chef and co-proprietor, Providores, London
A Passion for Protein
Henry Harris
Quadrille, £14.99
ISBN 1-84400-102-4
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