The Good Cook

Author: Allegra McEvedy

Review

When Allegra McEvedy wrote The Good Cook in 1999 she was 28 and head chef at the Good Cook restaurant in London's Notting Hill, having previously worked at Robert de Niro's Tribeca Grill in New York City and at the River Cafe, London. Her first cookbook was, in her own words, about "simple principles, great flavours and a desire to make people think about what I believe in".

For someone who has spent most of her adult life cooking in professional kitchens, McEvedy does a good job of producing a book for those looking to prepare good food for themselves at home. There are plenty of recipes that the averagely interested cook will think 'I like the sound of that and it's easy to make'.

Typical recipes include:

Beetroot risotto
Chickpea and brocolli curry
Penne with Spinach and Garlic (Robert de Niro's choice)
Chocolate Brownies
Kedgeree
Macaroni Cheese
Fiery Dipping Sauce

There is a good dose of Indian, Chinese, Thai and other south-east Asian twists and ideas in The Good Cook and it is a pleasing wander through a wide variety of (largely) easy to cook meals.

The book is divided into the following sections:

Everything Starts With An Onion
Keeping It Local
@ The Tab
Getting The Waiter's Attention
Down to Earth
The Italian Job
Fancy A Quickie
The Whole Cook
The Slow Cook
Just Off The Boat
Keeping The Talent Happy
The Wild, Wild West
The Irish Question
Feeling Chili? West Meets East
Good Morning Food
Kitchen Memo
For the Next Generation
Sauces of Life
A Bit on the Side
Party Nibbles
Cold Hands Warm Heart
Thirsty Work

It is a well laid out book with one recipe per page, which makes it easy to cook from in a crowded or small kitchen. On balance, it is a surprisingly good first book from somone relatively young and also with a background in professional cooking and it would be a good addition to any cook's bookshelves.

Allegra McEvedy has since gone on to become one of the founders of Leon, a successful London-based 'fast food' chain of restaurants serving healthy snack foods.

Publisher

Hodder and Stoughton, 2000, £14.99, 208 pages (paperback)

Reviewer

Spencer Jackson (8 May 2007)

<br>