THE HAND AND FLOWERS COOKBOOK.
H & F Photography by CHRISTIAN BARNETT. BLOOMSBURY ABSOLUTE. LONDON * OXFORD * NEW YORK * DELHI * SYDNEY.
FIRST EDITION. 2020. 270 x 210 x 35. Inside cover and fep. double-page b/w photograph of the kitchen during service. [1] Half-title with Tom Kerridge's signature. Verso Frontis piece of Tom cooking. Title page. Verso a b/w photograph of Tom and Liam Gallagher. (1) Dedication. Verso night-time photograph of The Hand & Flowers pub. 1p Contents. Verso b/w photograph of Tom. 9-21 Introduction. 22-28 A series of b/w images of twenty-four hours in the Kitchen. 29-410. 411-419 Index. 420-427 Thanks. 1 double page b/w photograph of the kitchen being washed-down after evening service. 430 -431 double page About the Author with a b/w photograph of Tom. Verso with Printer's details. 1fep. Back cover the same as the front with a double-page b/w photograph of the kitchen during service. The full white strong hard covers and spine with b/w text. Very good condition; as new.
- Tom Kerridge is an unusual chef. The introduction to this book alone, is in itself a fascinating read. He is a highly acclaimed cook trained in fine-dining kitchens. His love of pubs and the bonhomie of locals and neighbour's drinking, chatting and enjoying boozy banter and laughter, is the deep 'raison d'etre' behind the 'Hand and Flowers Pub' in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. In the introduction, Kerridge explains: "The pub dining scene broke the 'posh barrier' down [from high-end fine dining establishments] and made it possible for people to go out and eat simple food in lovely, un-stuffy environments". At the relatively young age of 31 years, he and his wife Beth, gained the tenancy and opened the pub in 2005. Tom's fusion of high-end simply presented, flavour-driven cooking, unexpectedly, ten months later in 2006, gained him his first Michelin Star. An extraordinary feat. Behind his ready ability to have a laugh, Kerridge's easy nature hides a shrewd and intelligent operator. He tells us that in the beginning before opening 'Hand and Flowers', he wrote to Michelin and enclosed his CV and also explaining the thoughts behind his pub opening. This cuts out immediately the wait that owners or chefs of most serious, ambitious eateries experience while they depend on slow 'word of mouth' to alert the Michelin inspectors. The engrossing Introduction gives a very well described idea of just how tough the building of the pub business was for Tom and Beth. He notes four qualities needed; Consistency, Drive, Character and Teamwork all backed up by sheer bloody-mindedness of never, ever accepting 'that will do'. This ethos is behind most successful ventures in any field of endeavour. Tom Kerridge changed the face of great cooking. He had the strength of conviction to bring it to the local pub. His ongoing focused efforts on the quality of his cooking are mirrored in Jay Fai's Thai Street food stall in Bangkok, where her famous Crab Omelette among other dishes has gained its first Michelin star. From a specific English pub to a specific Thai Street food stall, the tastes are completely different, but the desire to give of their best and to please their customers is the very same admirable intent. A very good cookbook.
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Modern category
ref number:
11265