The Book

I divided this book into chapters in quite an unsystematic way. More than anything, it reveals the way I think and work when writing a recipe. At the centre of every dish, at the beginning of the thought process, is an ingredient, one ingredient – not just any ingredient but one of my favourite ingredients. I tend to set off with this central element and then try to elaborate on it, enhance it, bring it out in a new way, while still keeping it in the centre, at the heart of the final dish.

So the chapters reflect this bias. They focus on some ingredients and neglect others, and they hold them together in clusters that make sense to me. Some components are so central to my cooking – like aubergine, of course – that I dedicate a special chapter to them alone. Then there are botanical categories, like brassicas, that although a bit scientific actually make sense to me; they bring together vegetables that I naturally associate with each other, earthy yet fresh. Other headings stem from other private associations and the way I shape my menus.