I am not ashamed to say that I spend a reasonable amount of time at charity shops, not just looking for that rare mid century piece of furniture that they don’t realise is worth more than what they are selling it for, but to search for cookery books. I adore looking through old bookshops and finding a real gem and sometimes I walk away with half a dozen under my arm, other times none, it is a constant search. This week is a gem of a book, Simple French Cookery by Raymond Blanc. It is a really good book if you wish to start cooking French food, with simple instructions and good photography. It contains all the absolute classics from the kitchens of M. Blanc, heavily influenced like so many chefs, by his mum’s cooking including moules mariniere, coq au vin, gratin dauphinoise and tart tatin, a real treat pudding. This is a real gem actually and one I enjoy looking through to remind me to keep it simple. I paid £2 for it at a local charity shop, worth every penny, and will be very well used.

I worked for Raymond Blanc in the mid 1990’s and he was a tough guy to work for, many chefs came and went in the time I was there. He was always kind to me but he could give a serious bollocking if something wasn’t right. In my first week at Le Manoir I must have scrubbed 100kg of black truffles, a memory I shall never forget. I stank for days after that and I am sure a few pigs were chasing me home every night.