linenandlavender.blogspot.com: At Home with May and Axel Vervoordt

The Vervoordt's private home, the castle of 's-Gravenwezel, image via AT HOME with May and Axel Vervoordt, edited by lb for (l&l)

Recipes for Every Season

by May Vervoordt with

Michael Gardner and Patrick Vermeulen

(beautiful!) photography by

Jean-Pierre Gabriel

Order the book: AT HOME with May and Axel Vervoordt, Recipes for Every Season -as seen on l&l

I pre-ordered and had my copy in-hand on the September 4th release day and I've enjoyed perusing its pages since. The recipes reflect May's penchant for healthy, balanced meals based on seasonal offerings and influenced by ayurvedic principles —(such as using herbs and spices not only to flavor but for digestive health and overall vitality.)

Root vegetable treasures unearthed late in season from the book AT HOME with May and Axel Vervoordt, Recipes for Every Season, edited by lb for l&l

Images from the Vervoordt estate – the castle of s'Gravenwezel, their chalet in Verbier and their apartment in Venice are interspersed with lovely quotes and accolades from well-known friends who have broken bread with May and Axel:

"May Vervoordt combines the simplest,most delicious food with natural, rustic tableware, and she does it all in the most elegant settings. I'm thrilled that she's sharing her secrets so we can all bring a little of her style into our homes." —Ina Garten

Gathering basket after a morning in the château's vegetable gardens, image from AT HOME with May and Axel Vervoordt, Recipes for Every Season, edited by lb for (l&l)

"It's all good, it's all beautiful! I would call it healthy cooking, seasonal cooking, light cooking – the sort of cooking that I love! The vegetables, salads, and fruits are all fresh from the château's gardens."—Marielle Labèque

"May has been as creative with recipes as she has with her ability to conjure up an inspiring ambience around the table... When May prepares a table, the result is like a still-life painting... May believes that food is energy and has the power to make a person feel better, spiritually as well as physically. The best food should not take a lot of time, as long as it is prepared in the right way. Cooking can be a great pleasure, and just as for a potter who sculpts clay, the skill is a craft and the creation is a work of art."