At the request of his sons, Kumar Pereira created beautiful handwritten and illustrated recipes for them to cook from while he and his wife were away from home. When friends saw these lovely handcrafted designs they wanted copies too, of course, and Kumar would recreate them as gifts. Soon there were numbers of delicious recipes for everything from Crab Salad with Tomato and Green Tea Jelly to Gamma's Mango Curry to Grilled Peaches with Crushed Amaretti.
Kumar's Family Cookbook collects these recipes for family meals, together with their delicate illustrations. Kumar has added dishes that he enjoyed as a child growing up in Sri Lanka, plus a smattering of dishes from countries he has visited and lived in.
The result is best described by Kumar himself: 'Food is to be shared - shared with family and friends - and nothing gives me greater pleasure than cooking for those who I love and know. This is a sharing of memories, tastes and food, and it combines all that I love to do: cooking, growing produce and using what is seasonal, drawing and illustrating - a visual record of what appeals to me. I hope it gives you as much pleasure as it has given me.'