I have chosen a book that really appeals to me for being timeless. ‘Sally Clarke's Book: Recipes from a restaurant, shop & bakery’ is a smashing book. I have always admired Sally’s work and, going way back to the 1980s, my dad, when he was studying for his degree, had to interview two chefs and he chose Madhur Jaffrey and Sally Clarke. I always remembered how impressed my father was by her professionalism and how much time she gave to him.

I ate there a few years ago at her wonderful restaurant and had a lovely evening. Good food, wine, and ambience, the quality of produce and the atmosphere was excellent. After dinner, I popped downstairs and thanked her but was too shy to mention my dad. The recipes in this book are quietly understated, ungimmicky, and some say elegantly simple. I like that term. Rowley Leigh describes them as, “the essence of simplicity and balance”, and he is not wrong when you consider grilled turbot, marinated peppers, olives and parsley, potato and chive pancake, or baked vanilla cream with Armagnac prunes and ginger Florentines. And the grilled skewered scallops with gremolata, sprouting broccoli, and sea kale sound divine. I want to eat this proper type of food when I eat out and I dream of going back to Sally’s amazing restaurant.