Introduction

To Sonic - always comforting and ready to eat the mistakes

All recipes serve four unless otherwise stated

The idea for this book came about when I was touring for my autobiography, ‘Spilling the Beans’. At each and every question-and-answer session following my talks, the same question came up: what would I cook when I got home? And because, by the end of the tour, I had been away from home for three and a half months, the answers to this question became something I fantasised about. This should have been the easiest of books to write, and while preparing the recipe list over the Christmas holidays, I looked forward to the project with enthusiasm. The saying, ‘If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans,’ comes to mind, however, as for me this has turned out to be the hardest book I have ever written.