Simply the Best by Tamasin Day-Lewis

This book is a celebration of seasonal produce and champions the cause of the small, and more importantly, local producer. Readers of The Daily Telegraph will have come across much of Tamasin Day-Lewis' material in her weekly Saturday column but there is no need to feel cheated. Simply the Best is still a pleasure to read and the book is one to treasure.

There is a tendency to look upon writers such as Tamasin Day-Lewis and envy the fact that she lives in an area (Devon) that is surrounded by seemingly fields of gold, producing the finest ingredients that Britain can provide. But with a little research into your own county, it is not too difficult to winkle out similar gems and start buying food reared and grown locally. For this, The Organic Directory, published by the Soil Association, is a good starting point.

Tamasin Day-Lewis'approach to writing on food is simple: make readers feel hungry, suggest food they are capable of cooking and give them the ingredients that they can find. However, Simply The Best is not just another cookbook. You will find things in here that Tamasin feels passionate about, whether it is the Slow Food movement, the work of Tom Jaines at Prospect Booksor the local village post office. David Loftus' photography is, not surprisingly, superb but the book does not lead on it. Emphasis is given to the written word and the pictures are an agreeable by-product.

Tamasin devotes much space to George Perry-Smith,the famous restaurateur of the Hole in the Wall in Bath and then latterly of the Riverside at Helford in Cornwall. She holds him in high esteem and Simply The Best is dedicated to him. She says that ‘He has been the single biggest influence on my love of food and cooking, more so than even the great cookery writers, Elizabeth David, Jane Grigson, Claudia Roden.' This man, was referred to by Jane Grigson, along with Elizabeth David, as ‘The two most important people behind the revolution of interest in good food as we now enjoy in Britain.' Perhaps we should urge Tamasin to work on his biography, as little is known of him by your average food lover.

The two essential ingredients, which Tamasin goes for every time, are taste and quality. The recipes are indeed full of taste, using quality ingredients. Guinea fowl stewed with Treviso Chicory and Crème Fraîche is a deliciously rich and caramelised dish, using the maroon chicory from Treviso. You can always use ordinary endive and pheasant. Scallops with Parsnip Purée provides an interesting combination, two delicate tastes reflecting simplicity at its finest. Hot Beetroot Purée is the perfect complement to smoked eel fillets. She suggests using a combination of both golden and the gem like purple beetroots for dramatic effect. Needless to say, there are many more besides.

Tamasin Day-Lewis is a writer of the highest calibre. Her passion for food is visible on every page. Simply The Best is written from the heart and stands testament to each and every person involved in the production of food of the supreme quality. She champions their cause and with your patronage, they are succeeding.

Put this book on your Christmas List.

Publication details:
303pp. Photography by David Loftus. £25
Published by Cassell & Co.
ISBN 0304356549.
2001

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