Simon Hopkinson's much-admired Roast Chicken and Other Stories now appears (unchanged) in Ebury Press's uniform paperback cookbook series, following its original publication in 1995 and a subsequent paperback career. The present edition is handsome, user-friendly and durable, with good paper and secure stitching. These things matter. The book itself is as much an incitement to cook as it ever was. The contents are a stroll through 40 of Simon Hopkinson's favourite ingredients, from anchovy and asparagus to lamb and leeks to tripe and veal, with a discursive introduction to each followed by a number of recipes. Those familiar with Hopkinson's writings will not be surprised that, despite his former reputation as a top restaurant chef (Hilaire and Bibendum in London), the recipes are robust, flavoursome and--if this is the right word-- homely. At any rate, they are all eminently cookable. Mostly they are drawn from the repertoires of British and classic French cooking, with dishes such as "Le Grand Aioli", "Brandade de Morue", "Fruit Fool", "Breast of Lamb Ste-Menehould" and "Omelette Arnold Bennett" giving perhaps an indication of Hopkinson's taste for simple, honest food. Spain and Italy, Australia and South-East Asia also put in an appearance, to vivid effect, with items such as "Gazpacho", "Risotto alla Milanese" and "Coriander and Coconut Soup". Simon Hopkinson's enthusiasm is infectious; his writing is warm and witty. Anyone who hasn't encountered this book in a previous incarnation has a treat in store. --Robin Davidson
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Beware the Lemon! I got this cookbook for Christmas and 1 year later, I've made a fair few of the recipes within the covers. They have been without exception delicious. I also like the writing on French food which I'm not particularly knowledgable on. I find some voyeuristic pleasure in reading what this guy has to say because he drifts into foods that you would never find in a supermarket (see chapter on brains!) and would probably never dream of cooking; but he makes it sound like your missing out on a massive treat!more info
Roast Chicken and Other Stories I found Roast Chicken and Other Stories a little different from the other cookbooks that I've used. The thing I like most about this book is the conversational tone throughout the book. Even while working through the recipes, I felt like I was having a nice conversation with the author. He'd tell me about the places he'd travelled, why he'd added this recipe to the book, or about an interesting experience. I think that perhaps this friendly, down to earth tone made me a little more willing to try recipes... more info
Waste of time I wrote some time ago that this book was not worth buying, but it never got published. Give me Nigel Slater any time. I love to cook and over the years have bought many recipe books, but this was definitely the worst.
`The most useful cookbook of all time' - `Waitrose Food Illustrated' I have to be honest, I am not normally drawn to this sort of `cookbook', but I am so glad I was and looked inside!
A friend and colleague described this book as a `grown-up' cookery book and I now understand what she meant!
Along with its companion, `Second Helpings of Roast Chicken', in its pale blue guise, the two volumes are just simply...... different! Within the dark blue covers are not the oodles of colour photos that would normally encourage one to flick through.
In fact the... more info
