Made in Great Britain by Aiden Byrne

The standard image of traditional British cooking is that of over-cooked, under-flavoured, starchy, rich and stodgy ‘favourites' such as Toad-in-the-Hole or Bread & Butter pudding. In the last twenty or so years however, we have steadily been moving away from our bad culinary reputation. With the release of Aiden Byrne's new book, Made in Britain, we can finally stand proud and firm as a nation with an irrevocably world class cuisine.

BRITISH BORN, RAISED AND TRAINED

British born and British raised, Aiden Byrne has trained under Britain's finest chefs and worked in some of Britain's best restaurants. In that most British of institutions, The Dorchester, he currently occupies the position of Head Chef, where he uses chiefly British ingredients. He has won the respect of Tom Aikens, with whom he worked at both Pied á Terre and Tom Aikens Restaurant; he has gained two Michelin stars (one at the tender age of just 22); he has endured unpaid work, appalling pressure, bullying chefs, lack of encouragement and unimaginably long hours to get where he is today. But he has lost none of his fierce determination to succeed, his passion for good food, nor, as this book would illustrate, his modesty or charm.

MODERN BRITISH COOKING

Aiden's Introduction to the book talks about how he started out as a chef and the tough ride he has had along the way. He talks of his lack of confidence as a young chef, but, even today, his constant quest for perfection shines through. Aiden's passion for food and good British, seasonal ingredients is evident at the start of each chapter, where he goes into passionate detail about Vegetables, Fish, Meat and Desserts, explaining the importance of using local ingredients and talking enthusiastically about his own suppliers. Meanwhile, unusual and beautifully presented dishes such as Banana and Peanut Crumble with Roasted Pineapple, or Beef Fillet with Parsley Risotto, Braised Snails and Red Wine Garlic bring traditional British fare into a mouth-watering 21st century.

FIRST CLASS RECIPES, EXCELLENT PHOTOGRAPHY

So far so good, but is it all a bit daunting for your average home cook? Everything looks delicious, but the recipes are undoubtedly ambitious for the non-Michelin starred among us. Aiden admits that he has included dishes in all their glory, as he would serve them in a restaurant, and the book, he says, is geared towards the keen cook as opposed to the amateur. He recommends using the recipes as a guideline and experimenting - and if you're not quite brave enough to try one, you can always pass a happy hour looking at the spectacular photography that accompanies each dish.

Reviewed by Emily Jenkinson

Publication details:
New Holland Publishers
£25
ISBN 978-1-84773-160-9
Buy from amazon.com

To read The Good Web Guide's interview with Aiden, click here and to visit Aiden's website, click here

11th October 09