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Editorial Review:
What a likeable cook and writer Rick Stein is, apparently quite without side or any need to posture. Tirelessly generous, Food Heroes salutes those people who work hard, in the face of market pressures and often widespread indifference, to make available the very best British produce. Cheese, eggs, poultry, meat and game, fruit and seafood--the list of foodstuffs over which many of us have relinquished any claim to demand quality is a long and depressing one. Top marks, then to Stein for travelling the country and bringing a bit of publicity to those who labour in the vineyard. He is remarkably good at making clear just why quality matters so much, not only in terms of flavour, but on humanitarian grounds too. (He pointedly muses on how very much more cruelty might be prevented if single-issue anti-hunt campaigners broadened their concerns to include intensive farming.)
Some of the names here are more familiar than others: many people have eaten Mrs Kirkham's remarkable Lancashire cheese (though some apparently think she is no more real then Mr Kipling), or enjoyed the products of Loch Fyne and the Duchy of Cornwall; they are merely the most prominent among more than 300 producers and suppliers listed in the extraordinarily thorough and useful directory. One wishes them all well and hopes that this book (and the TV series) will have an appreciable effect on the nation's food buying. At least no-one can say that Rick Stein hasn't tried. The recipes he produces to demonstrate how to make the best of this fine produce are, as always, simple and impeccable, mingling a nice appreciation for tradition with a clear-sighted modern practicality. Roast Grouse with Bread Sauce and all the Trimmings rubs shoulders, as it were, with Medallions of Venison with Red Wine and Morello Cherries accompanied by Roasted Hazelnut Spätzle (a remarkable dish), while simple, old-fashioned puddings like Coeur à la Crème and Summer Pudding sit happily alongside chef's creations such as Fresh Raspberry Tart in Coconut and Hazelnut Pastry. The book is a feast and a pleasure, and if used as Rick Stein intends, may make the world a slightly better place. --Robin Davidson
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Brilliant results ! Instructions are simple and the results are brilliant everytime. Having had a number of successes from trying the recipes in the book, I also started to watch his series Heroes:Another Helping on TV. Made me want to get the book out and try more.
Make them all! Anyone who has purchased a cookery book knows that they are unlikely to make every recipe contained in it. However, with this one there is such a wealth of knowledge, tradition and perhaps most importantly culinary passion that any home cook worth their 'maldon salt' will make most of them. And if it still doesn't inspire you and you can only muster the enthusiasm to make one recipe then make it the lemon tart on page 170 it's brilliant!
So useful This book is great - great recipes of course, but also a really useful list of suppliers. My favourite though is the section at the back of recipes for accompaniments to serve with the main dishes. It's so nice to have a bit of help working out what the perfect foil to your hard work should be!
A great TV series though! I like Rick Stein - a lot. He comes across as being passionate about food and it's production. I would go so far as to say that 'Food Heroes' was the best ever TV 'cookery' program ever!
So what's the problem with the book. There are two in my opinion. They say that you taste food with your eyes before you eat. The book therefore numbs all interest in cooking two thirds of the recipes included as there is no photo of what the dish should look like on the plate. I am sure that myself and thousands like me... more info
