Acknowledgements

The last page seems hardly the most appropriate place to offer a note of profound thanks to the many people who have assisted me with this book. However, thank you all for your patience, time and wisdom. Firstly to my eighteen chefs, their spouses, partners and teams who cooked for me, talked and gave so freely of their magnificent hospitality. To Martin Brigdale whose beautiful photography enlivens these pages and who has become a good friend. To Elizabeth David, Derek Brown, Richard Binns, Drew Smith, George Perry-Smith and Heather Crosbie with whom I spent many stimulating hours debating the state of British gastronomy. To Joe Hyam of Caterer and Hotelkeeper, Frank Kelly, Alistair Hankey and Bedford Pace of the British Tourist Authority, and John Petersen and David Rodin of American Express for their invaluable support. To Anne Snead-Cox for introducing me to Octopus Books and to Isabel Moore, my publisher, who had the confidence to commission a complete stranger. To my editor, Isobel Greenham, who mustered the fortitude of Boadicea and the kindliness of a saint to steer her argumentative author to a safe harbour. To my great friends Kevin and Fran Loftus who supplied me with the wherewithal for my manuscript. And to my valiant secretary, Gill Whatmore who, with her understudy Jacqui Gifford-Bennett, gladly undertook the labour of typing, filing and proof reading.