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Essential British Cookbooks


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Most  Ridiculous........ Bras- michel bras, in french, Mark askew at GR RHR showed me it, of course i had to have it, much more use to the head chef of a 3 * kitchen than me looking to rustle up tea  :biggrin:

Why is this the most ridiculous? I have the English version and aside from some of the hard to find ingredients it is fantatically written and very beautiful.

Lamb with curry jus (excuse the dark picture)

i6779.jpg

Fillet of beef with bacon (accompanied by my own poor looking parmesan and onion tart)

i6781.jpg

Edited by Matthew Grant (log)

"Why would we want Children? What do they know about food?"

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most recent purchase....... how to cook better - shaun hill because bapi and i were being chef groupies and shaun signed them for us.

I ain't no Chef Groupie!! I was generously contributing to Shaun Hill's Pension by purchasing the book. :biggrin: Anyway, don't you need to be blond, blue eyed and wear pink lycra tight clothing to be a Groupie??…………………..oh, sorry Gary. :raz:

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Most  Ridiculous........ Bras- michel bras, in french, Mark askew at GR RHR showed me it, of course i had to have it, much more use to the head chef of a 3 * kitchen than me looking to rustle up tea  :biggrin:

Why is this the most ridiculous? I have the English version and aside from some of the hard to find ingredients it is fantatically written and very beautiful.

Lamb with curry jus (excuse the dark picture)

i6779.jpg

Fillet of beef with bacon (accompanied by my own poor looking parmesan and onion tart)

i6781.jpg

knowing the pictures from the book matt, they good pretty good!

i'm thinking more along the lines of the 3 fish skewered through the heads and that sort of thing!

ridiculous in that it cost about £50, i carted it all the way back from brussels, it would take me a week to translate a recipe and knowing fully it'll spend more time by the side of my sofa than splattered by the cooker!

i don't spend as much time cooking 'proper' meals as i'd like.

cheers

gary

you don't win friends with salad

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So, after a quick tally we have the following

Top recommended books:

1. Moro

2. =Conran

2. =Formulas for Flavour

3. Larousse Gastromonique

The most recommended chef/authors are:

1. Simon Hopkinson

2. Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall

3. Nigel Slater

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The Star Chef's Cookbook

Came across this at one of those "cheap" bookstores, bought it, and was really pleased. The author/artist spent five years painting with Michelin starred chefs, capturing both the atmosphere of their kitchens, and some of their signature dishes. The book features all the major chefs of the last fifteen years, from Raymond Blanc and Gordon Ramsey to Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray of the River Cafe and Anton Endlemann. The recipes are very varied - some quite complex - others easily cooked for an informal supper with friends.

Each section on a chef is proceed by a very interesting background section detailing their philosophy,and the path they took to reach success. The recipes are simply illustrated by Bramley, who manages to convey the essence of each dish as effectively as photography.

This is a book that will be as home on the coffee table as in the kitchen.It is quite literally a feast for the senses

I went into a French restaraunt and asked the waiter, 'Have you got frog's legs?' He said, 'Yes,' so I said, 'Well hop into the kitchen and get me a cheese sandwich.'

Tommy Cooper

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On a slightly different note - I was speaking to a fisherman friend last night who is having difficulty filleting and preparing. No problem with your normal shaped fish - but when it comes to things like skate, then things get a little tricky.

Considering he has a boat, and I like fish - any help I can offer him may increase my chances of regular fishing trips.

I advised him to go to a local fishmonger with some of his catch and see if he can spend an hour or two there - but does anyone know of a book that covers preparation of a wide variety of fish - preferably with pictures? Does Larousse cover this in depth?

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On a slightly different note - I was speaking to a fisherman friend last night who is having difficulty filleting and preparing. No problem with your normal shaped fish - but when it comes to things like skate, then things get a little tricky.

Considering he has a boat, and I like fish - any help I can offer him may increase my chances of regular fishing trips.

I advised him to go to a local fishmonger with some of his catch and see if he can spend an hour or two there - but does anyone know of a book that covers preparation of a wide variety of fish - preferably with pictures? Does Larousse cover this in depth?

One of Rick Steins has a fairly comprehensive section on preparation of all kinds of fish and seafood. Can't remember the name off the top of my head.

Either that or there must be a couple of more 'professional' volumes available.

I love animals.

They are delicious.

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steins seafood bible, i think it's called outsize thing, i've got it but not really used it.

it's the instruction manual from the cookery school and cover most things fishy.

gary

That's the fella!

I love animals.

They are delicious.

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  • 4 years later...

I would struggle without my various Nigel Slaters; Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall's "Meat Cookery" and, ahem, Delia's "Complete Cookery Course". Of the more specialist ones, Claudia Roden's "New Book of Middle Eastern Food" is THE book I use for my favourite cuisine.

The rest of the collection are pretty much shelf fillers, which get nothing more than a very occasional outing at best (for example, I don't think I've ever cooked anything from a Nigella Lawson book).

John Hartley

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I would struggle without my various Nigel Slaters; Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall's "Meat Cookery" and, ahem, Delia's "Complete Cookery Course". Of the more specialist ones, Claudia Roden's "New Book of Middle Eastern Food" is THE book I use for my favourite cuisine.

The rest of the collection are pretty much shelf fillers, which get nothing more than a very occasional outing at best (for example, I don't think I've ever cooked anything from a Nigella Lawson book).

John, completely agree with Delia's, my wife swears by it, its the most battered, food splattered book amongst quite a large collection, its falling to pieces, but all the recipes work.

Marco Pierre White's White Heat is one of my all time favorites, it still inspires me.

Of late we tend more and more to refer to BBC Food recipes on the web, there are more than 12,000 of them, 400 or so just for chicken alone.

To get the best from it, just put two or three ingredients into the site and its comes up with loads of matches.

"So many places, so little time"

http://londoncalling...blogspot.co.uk/

@d_goodfellow1

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I have many of the books mentioned here already but would truly recommend any Joceline Dimblelby books, now sadly out of print but available on Amazon. She has a unique and interesting style very much her own but very accessable

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Wsa going to start with Roux brothers French Country Cooking but should stay British, there are plenty of good ones.

Richard Corrigan, both.

Henry Harris Fifth Floor

Nose to tail

English Puddings, Mary Norwak

Shaun Hill, Merchant House

Le Gavroche (British?)

If we do allow Roux then Desserts or Patisserie

Of course Roast Chicken, I am fond of the second one, he begins to rant a bit which I love.

Rowley Leigh, No Place Like home

Alistair Little, Soho Cooking

Leith's Cookery Bible if you need to find any trad english recipe quickly.

My dad used to cook lovely recipes from Josceline Dimbleby, in particular some chicken, cashew and ginger number baked in a pumpkin and a lemon bombe wiVh loads of grated chocolate hiding in the middle.

Lots more but these spring to mind right now

Matt Christmas.

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Yes Matt, I would definately go with Roast Chicken and other Stories. A great read by a fellow who really understands food.

A few other books that I have enjoyed a flick through are,

Passion For Flavour & Gordon Ramsay Three Star Chef, which is a proper coffee table book, fantastically photographed. Do any of the recipes actually work??

Essence by David Everitt Mathias

Nico by Nico Landis, such a single minded chef, who didn't suffer fools. Great intro by him, detailing his life etc.

Rhubarb & Blackpudding by Matt Fort, Paul Heathcote (IMO, Idea pretty much copied by another recent cookbook!!)

Fat Duck cookbook, just through the sheer attention and input given.

Canteen Cuisine by MPW, probably used by every aspiring chef over the last ten years. One chef I know, practically based whole menu upon book. And he's got a star!!!

Meat by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, packed with info.

The first seafood cookbook by Rick Stein.

Any book by Ainsley!!!!!!!! :laugh:

Edited by food1 (log)
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If there are 3 books that made my cooking much much better were those three:

1 and 2: the books from the Perfection series with Heston Blumenthal. You do not need to go all the way with his recipes, but taking the basic elements for these dishes make you such a better cook. I had compliments from a friend of mine from Bolognia for my rissoto. My burgers are now famous. My very picky fiancee now admits defeat on the issue of bolognese sauce. My mexican buddy loved my chili. I can boast that I make the best pizza dough this side of Europe (though my recipe is a hybrid between Heston's and Alton Brown's excellent pizza dough)

You know what I mean... some of the stuff in the recipes are too complicated, but you do not need to go all the way.

3. Love him or hate him, Ramsay is a great chef, and his Three Star Chef book apart from being a thing of beauty, has amazing recipes. Again... not going all the way, but the appendix in the end with the basics is a bible for me in regards to classic recipes (I am an amateur home cook mind you...). They all work brilliantly (to answer your question food1), at least to my palate.

Edited by RedRum (log)
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  • 3 months later...

My mother-in-law was convinced I'd never be able to cook properly for her son without every Delia Smith book ever printed. Never used them.

“Don't kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about!”
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  • 1 month later...

Surprised that no one has mentioned "New British Classics" by Gary Rhodes. I use it a fair bit.

So do I - it's the one I turn to for most of the basic stuff - like yorkshire pudding batter, scones, pastry, and I follow a lot of his techniques for, eg, roast potatoes. It's also got some very good recipes for the likes of irish stew, pork pie, rice pudding... the classics. :smile:

I was just thinking recently that the TV series Rhodes did in connection with the book was one of the best instructional TV cooking programmes I have ever watched. None of the usual attendant lifestyle pish, just him in the studio cooking, with close ups where required, but none of those excessively close shaky camera things that Jamie Oliver's directors were doing at the same time.

PS

Edinburgh

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For those who own (or had a thorough read through) both Nigella Feasts and Nigella's Christmas, which do you recommend and why? I'm leaning towards Christmas at the moment (which I hear can be used any time of the year really) since I've heard great things about it while with Feasts, I've read a few disappointing review (although I adore the series itself).

I already own How To Eat and How To Be A Domestic Goddess and I really love both -found them wonderfully wordy (I love Nigella chatter) but also full of substantial, reliable recipes.

Musings and Morsels - a film and food blog

http://musingsandmorsels.weebly.com/

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