Gammon and Spinach and Other Recipes Book

Simon Hopkinson, as founder chef at Bibendum, knows all about good cooking in a restaurant. Simon Hopkinson, as food columnist for The Independent, knows all about good cooking at home. Gammon & Spinach sees him very much in domestic mode but the natural authority of his professional skills still splendidly permeates this book. Hopkinson has been writing his food columns since December 1994 and his must be the most ripped-out part of the paper. Reading these recipes collected together, it is remarkable how coherent is his philosophy of food considering it is usually delivered in weekly bite-size portions. His "screeches about pretentiousness" and endless reiteration of "the need to cook for pleasure rather than slavishness towards fashion", boldly shine through. His soups--something of a speciality--are velvetly tempting; the fish dishes strong flavoured, and the meat section robust in its enthusiasm for game and offal. This is a book to use and use regularly in a working kitchen. Even if only a single recipe takes your fancy says Hopkinson: "better that than the book sits on a coffee table gathering dust rather than in the splashes of a busy kitchen". One recipe? Who's he kidding? Anyone who doesn't get this book utterly greasy and stained just isn't trying. --Nick WroeRead More