Richard Olney’s 1974 classic is consistently rated ckbk’s ‘most recommended’ for good reason. The American-born food writer’s prose is so elegant, his recipes so surprisingly concise, and his thoughts and reflections on Provencal village life, gastronomy, wine, and human nature so knowing and well observed that the book demands to be read and re-read – and, most of all, to be cooked from.

Richard Olney was considered a culinary genius for his ability to elevate cooking to a practical art. He wrote evocatively about the beauty and pleasure in cooking by focusing on preparing simple foods well. This new edition of his classic cookbook includes a fresh cover, new interior design, and a foreword by Mark Bittman—so that a whole new generation of food lovers can enjoy this inspiring book. Olney’s 175 recipes are so straightforward that cooks will be inspired to go right into the kitchen: herb omelets, fish with zucchini, lamb shanks with garlic, and many more. He also shares techniques (several featuring his own illustrations), such as fermenting vinegar, in line with the back-to-basics trend in cooking. Olney’s emphasis on simplicity and improvisation in cooking will resonate with today’s cooks and food lovers.

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Allan Jenkins

Editor, Observer Food Monthly,

I am in a bit of a panic, I can't find my copy. I have lent it to someone and I don't remember who and it seems they have forgotten. All Olney's books are brilliant. I chaired a panel that declared his French Menu Cookbook the best of all time. But for my own taste, this edges the others. As much about good eating as cooking (obviously), now where the hell is mine?

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