Shelf Improvement
A favourite haunt for many people is a bookshop, either new or second hand .
In this occasional post various Chefs share their current favourite second hand or new cookbook.
“Once you have read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.” - Louis L’Amour
Off the Shelf #1
Dec 22 Written By nt4tb Chef
Name of the Book
Receipts and Relishes, Being a Vade Mecum for the Epicure in the British Isles
Author
Bernard Darwin
Publisher and Year
The Naldrett Press Limited
Where did you buy it
Definitely in Cambridge, 1994 I think, on a day off from Bibendum, working with the very talented Simon Hopkinson
How much was It
£22.50, which seemed a lot at the time, but its a beauty.
What do you Love About it
So many regional recipes which have been lost to time sorted by county , Its a record of provenance, our local food history and food culture.
Have you ever used a recipe from it
Yes many, a few recipes at work but mostly at home. It made me realise that both my grandmothers cooked dishes from their own upbringing and I always associated a certain dish with each of them but never knew both dishes were regionally specific to that area.
Off the Shelf #2
Jan 14 Written By nt4tb Chef
Name of the Book
A Chicken goes Around the World, Chicken Dishes and other Savoury and Sweet Delicacies from Many Lands
Author
Henriette Holtthausen
Publisher and Year
George G. Harrap & Co
Where did you buy it
Kims Bookshop, Arundel, UK 2020
How much was it.
£6.00.
What do you love about it
The title, the dustcover, that’s what caught my eye to begin with but its also a cookbook focussed on one main ingredient rather than several and how different methods , ingredients and recipes can be used for the same hero ingredient, in this case the chicken iIs what being a Chef is about, use what you have and use it well.
Have you ever used a recipe from it
A couple but it deserves further exploration. It shows you how the humble chicken is important to many food cultures.
Off the Shelf #3
Jan 30 Written By nt4tb Chef
IName of the Book
Relish, The Extraordinary Life of Alexis Soyer, Victorian Celebrity Chef
Author
Ruth Cowen
Publisher and Year
Weidenfield & Nicholson 2006
Where did you buy it
Guildford , 2011 in an Oxfam bookshop
How much was It
£5. 50, worth every penny
What do you Love About it
Soyer was an absolute culinary superstar and this book is worth buying he was a culinary polymath Chef, raconteur, inventor , social justice campaigner and lover of show girls, yes you read that correctly. He did all of this , not just in refined restaurants for the great and good of the day but in really difficult situations such as the Irish famine and the Crimean war . He is what I would call a great operator.
Have you ever used a recipe from it,
No but I have definitely made Sauce Reform which was his creation, I think what’s really interesting is Chefs are known to be resourceful and creative, well he invented the Soyer stove for the British army during the Crimean war which was still being used a 100 years later, think about that , technology advances quickly but something he invented was so fit for purpose it was still being used over 100 years later . No point in doing a job twice.
Further Info
https://www.eatthispodcast.com/soyer/
https://alexis-soyer.com
“I guess there are never enough books.”
– John Steinbeck
Off the Shelf #4
Dec 22 Written By nt4tb Chef
Name of the Book
Snail Eggs & Samphire
Author
Derek Cooper
Publisher and Year
Macmillian, 2000
Where did you buy it
An independent bookshop, Surrey, 2000
How much was It
£17.00,
What do you Love About it
This book is brilliant, excellent food writing with gems of information both shocking and inspiring.
Have you ever used a recipe from it
Not that kind of book but as a chef you should read it
Off the Shelf #5
Jan 14 Written By nt4tb Chef
Name of the Book
La Cucina Dell’antica Roma
Author
Marcus Gavius Apicius
Publisher and Year
La Spica Meravgli
Where did you buy it
A kitchen porter who we employed and spoke no English in the beginning but eventually became a commis chef went to Rome to visit family and brought it back as a gift, so not from a bookshop but thank you Massimo Grossule
How much was it.
£0.00
What do you love about it
Its a curated version of an ancient cookbook by Apicius, some of the ingredients are not readily available and tatses change but it shows even then there was a very developed food culture and supply chains to fulfil that need.
Have you ever used a recipe from it
No, but I should attempt some.
Further info
https://www.knowtheromans.co.uk/sources/apicius/
Off the Shelf #6
Jan 20 Written By nt4tb Chef
IName of the Book
Est Est Est Cookbook Marriages
Author
Donavon Cooke & Philipa Sibley-Cooke,
Publisher and Year
New Holland Publishers Ltd, 1999
Where did you buy it
In a secondhand bookshop in Brighton, 2001
How much was It
Not sure as I bought some others too.
What do you Love About it
This is a class book from a class restaurant in Melbourne, beautiful presented and photographed , It’s a such a good book, hasn’t really dated and it’s becoming more expensive to pick one up secondhand.
Have you ever used a recipe from it
Yes, the Parmesan and Sage crust is perfect, it needs no changes , I have used that a lot.. also the Ravioli of Blue Cheese on a salad of Celery, Apple and Witlof with a Walnut Vinaigrette is super, as is Pave of Salmon, crushed Kipfler Potatoes with Crayfish and Tarragon Herb Salad
Further Info
"Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible,"
- Barrack Obama
Off the Shelf #7
Feb 03 Written By nt4tb Chef
Name of the Book
The Joy of Truffles
Author
Patrik Jaros
Publisher and Year
Tachen, 1998
Where did you buy it
Wigtown in Scotland on holiday, Scotland’s national book town 2002
How much was it.
Bought with some others so no idea,
What do you love about it
Increasingly I find myself buying books on a single ingredient with recipes to show that ingredient’s many uses. As an ingredient, truffles don’t have many cookbooks written about it so I bought it.
Have you ever used a recipe from it
Yes, but only in one establishment, it made a interesting change from what we serving at the time which was a simple starter …. Truffled Scrambled Eggs on Soughdough, yours for only £21.75, I know !! expensive but so delicious
Further info
https://www.wigtown-booktown.co.uk
Off the Shelf #8
Feb 15 Written By nt4tb Chef
Name of the Book
Multilingual Dictionary of Fish & Fish and Fish Products
Author
OECD/OCDE
Publisher and Year
Wiley–Blackwell; 4th Revised edition 1995
Where did you buy it
Given to me on a visit to Simpsons Fisheries which is now part of James Knight of Mayfair
How much was it.
£0.00
What do you love about it
Why would you want a dictionary of fish? Heres why….
Whilst at Simpsons a call came in from a chef asking what was good for tomorrow, for the specials menu, the Simpsons employee told the chef, well, we have Gilt Head Bream at so much a kilo or Dorate which slightly more per kilo but eats well and is delicious. The Chef said he’d take 3 kilo of filleted Dorate.
Golden Head Bream and Dorate is the same fish but known by different names, The chef was looking to put something different on the specials menu and the fishmonger provided that but at a higher cost per kilo. If the chef had known this he could of bought the bream at a lower cost but put it on the menu as Dorate. Its about marketing /branding, thats why spider crab is now being sold as Cornish King Crab or Megrim is being put on menus as Cornish Sole (see below)
Have you ever used a recipe from it
No recipes in it but plenty of knowledge and thats important
Further info
https://www.theweek.co.uk/951946/under-loved-megrim-sole-spider-crab-to-be-renamed
https://james-knight.com/contact-us/.
Off the Shelf #9
Feb 25 Written By nt4tb Chef
Name of the Book
Paramount Desserts
Author
Christine Manfield
Publisher and Year
Viking; First Edition (1 Jan. 1997)
Where did you buy it
Books for Cooks, Notting Hill 1997
How much was it.
£20.00
What do you love about it
Beautifully shot and really interesting ideas, both for plating and flavours, it still stands up as a book and hasn’t really dated
Have you ever used a recipe from it
Yes, Toffee Apple & Pineapple Charlottes with Star Anise Custard is one of many. Even the kitchen sponge monkey (pastry chef) was impressed with this book and that took some doing
Further info
https://christinemanfield.com
https://www.goodfood.com.au/eat-out/news/christine-manfield-to-close-sydney-restaurant-20130115-2cs81
Food is our common ground, a universal experience
- James Beard
Off the Shelf #10
March 01 Written By nt4tb Chef
Name of the Book
Compitor Libanais
Author
Tony Kitous & Dan Lepard
Publisher and Year
Random House, 2013
Where did you buy it
Whilst on a food safari, my former Operations Director bought it for me from the restaurant we were trying, great gesture, great food, and a great book
How much was it.
No idea, it may of been on her expenses but much appreciated by me
What do you love about it
This was the first Lebanese cookbook I had and a super introduction, for a deeper dive I have since bought The Phaidon Lebanese Cookbook which beats it but it is a good book, very accessible
Have you ever used a recipe from it
Yes, its a great go to book that is used more at home than work
Further info
https://www.comptoirlibanais.com
https://www.phaidon.com/store/food-cook/the-lebanese-cookbook-9780714879093/
Off the Shelf #11
May 08 Written By nt4tb Chef
Name of the Book
Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry
Author
Phillip Sloan, Wily Legrand & Joseph S Chen
Publisher and Year
Routledge 2009
Where did you buy it
UWL Students Bookshop
How much was it.
£28.00
What do you love about it
Times are changing, the hospitality industry is known for being innovative and this book takes a good look at how can hospitality operations and buildings can be designed to use less resources, the benefits of using more sustainable food and beverage suppliers.
How can environmental impacts be reduced and profitability increased, can properties integrate sustainability management systems and stay one step ahead of the competition?
Have you ever used a recipe from it
Plenty of food for thought, Chefs can make are start by choosing produce which increases biodiversity and is regenerative rather than limited to the 150 species of edible plant from a possible 30K edible plant species we currently use. Just four crops produce 60% of our calories!
But it also important we look at equipment, recycling, food waste, this book will make you consider there are other ways and they are coming.
Further info
Off the Shelf #12
June 28 Written By nt4tb Chef
Name of the Book
Author
Harold McGee
Publisher and Year
Where did you buy it
How much was it.
What do you love about it
Have you ever used a recipe from it
Further info