Fergus Henderson caused something of a sensation when he opened his restaurant St John in London in 1995. Set in a former smokehouse near Smithfield meat market, its striking, high-ceilinged white interior provides a dramatic setting for food of dazzling boldness and simplicity. As signalled by the restaurant's logo of a pig (reproduced on the cover of Nose to Tail Eating) and appropriately given the location, at St John the emphasis is firmly on meat. And not the noisettes, fillets, magrets and so forth of standard restaurant portion-control, all piled up into little towers in the middle of the plate: Henderson serves up the inner organs of beasts and fowls in big, exhilarating dishes that combine high sophistication with peasant roughness. Nose to Tail Eating is a collection of these recipes, celebrating, as the title implies, the thrifty rural British traditions of making delicious virtue out of using every part of the animal.
Henderson's wonderful signature dish, Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad, is among the starters, along with Grilled, Marinated Calf's Heart and the gruesome-sounding but apparently delicious Rolled Pig's Spleen. He is a great advocate of salting and brining and tends to use saturated animals fats (duck, goose, lard) in quantities that would make a dietician blench. But when the results are dishes of the calibre of Brined Pork Belly, Roasted, Lamb's Tongues, Turnips, Bacon and Salted Duck's Legs, Green Beans, and Cornmeal Dumplings (trust me, they are astounding), who cares? Fish at St John avoids the usual fare--no monkfish or red mullet here; instead herring roes, salt cod, eel, brill and skate. Vegetables are mashed (swede, celeriac) or roasted (pumpkin, tomatoes) and he dares to serve boiled brussels sprouts. The puddings (not desserts) are a starry dream of school dinners: Treacle Tart, St John's Eccles Cakes and a "very nearly perfect" Chocolate Ice Cream. Not perhaps for the faint of heart, but for the adventurous an exciting feast of new and rediscovered flavours and textures. --Robin Davidson
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
A new appreciation of British Food I first heard about Fergus Henderson via the writing and TV shows of Anthony Bourdain, whose introduction to this edition is very much worth reading too. I've always been a fan of the great British cuisine that has sometimes looked to be on the edge of extinction, so this book was definitely one for me. We British are often all too ready to dismiss our efforts in many walks of life, not least food. The variety, quality and ability to delight the tastebuds of this nation's many and various homegrown... more info
Written With Great Charm Fergus Henderson comes across as a lovely soul in this book and I think that's quite important when he's trying to encourage the consumption of some fairly spooky food, you don't need some nippy sweetie making you feel like a hick if you balk at the notion.
Offal isn't so much a matter of taste as it is of texture and for people who haven't eaten offal I don't know how much this comes through.
My only criticism is the lack of additional info about offal, the different types of tripe and liver... more info
An excellent and inspiring cook-book This is a classic of its type, outlining an approach to eating that combines elements of the classical French aesthetic with British ingredients and recipes. It is inspirational cookery without being overly aspirational. The book is only marred by a slight lack of clarity and occasional sloppy culinary proofreading. An example of this is Welsh Rarebit for 6 specifying four pieces of toast. This does not detract from the overall significance of the book, but may have the effect of heightening the... more info
Fantastic This book is beautifully written and has recipes that you couldn't hope to find elsewhere, which are taken from Fergus Henderson's St John Restaurant in London. Even if you don't fancy cooking tripe or brains there is plenty worth reading. Highly recommended.
