Looking Back... Looking Forward

When I came to think about a new book, I decided a complete change of perspective was needed. French Brasserie Cookbook was a book focused on my roots in French cooking – looking back to recapture the past traditions of my childhood (with some modern twists along the way, of course). But things have changed in cooking in France, as it has in countries around the world, and I wanted to reflect those changes.

So, I realized during the Covid-19 lockdown that what was going to be important to people was the return to simplicity. In fact, one of the few upsides of the pandemic is that people have started to spend more time in the kitchen; we have rediscovered the pleasure of cooking for ourselves and our family, of sharing food, and are seeking out recipes and cookery books. So, I decided to revise Revolutionary French Cooking, to make it simpler and more in line with what I feel people are looking for right now. Initially, the issue was getting access to any produce, then later, for some, accessibility to good-quality produce, knowing where it came from and who made it; it seemed people were starting to think differently.