A cluttered menu

The Communion of the Easter Bun-Rabbit - The Food Lives of a Kiwi Here and There By David McGill. Photo / Supplied

Journalist and self-confessed foodie David McGill has penned his memoirs. Not surprisingly, he has linked his key life experiences to all things gourmet. But, like any comprehensive menu, while some meals will intrigue and satisfy, others will conjure an altogether alternative feeling.

Although astute and selective consumption will allow most to find something in this rustic fare to briefly amuse their palates, the reader, ultimately, remains unfulfilled. The best section of the work by far is McGill's recount of his time in Britain. His tales about living in London and working in the newspaper business completely outshine the previous and subsequent chapters to such an extent that the reader is left wishing he had just concentrated on this particular time of his life - these anecdotes are always humorous, highly entertaining and, above all else, memorable.

Strangely perhaps, in these chapters, food, while always there on the periphery, takes a backseat to more substantial matters. As the book continues, however, mastication once again pushes everything else to the side. The book is not without its flaws and, unfortunately, these begin before the very first page.

The cover, which frames the chuckling McGill and family in canary yellow, not only gives the book a homemade feel (much like the baked rabbit they cradle), but excludes the general reader - if you don't know McGill & co you will almost certainly feel you are intruding on personal family business. It is no surprise, therefore, that the book is undoubtedly written first and foremost for family and friends.

McGill sets out to write a food memoir and in this he succeeds. But, as Gordon Ramsay is wont to say, while the food is solid and there is no doubt the chef can cook, the menu is too cluttered, too unsure of its direction, some portions are way too large while others are far too small, and, lastly, while the ambience may be intimate, it is, for the most part, a little uncomfortable.


The Communion of the Easter Bun-Rabbit - The Food Lives of a Kiwi Here and There
By David McGill (Silver Owl $36.99)

* Steve Scott is an Auckland reviewer.