The cook's friend - Alastair Williams

Crammed full of fabulous foodie facts and seasoned liberally with the choicest quotes from classic and contemporary writing, this is an ideal gift to be savored between meals or tucked into as a bedtime treat

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
—Virginia Woolf

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food."
—George Bernard Shaw

Many people's warmest childhood memories revolve around food. Whether it's a Sunday roast with all the trimmings, freshly baked cinnamon rolls straight from the oven on a cold winter's morning, or pizza and hot dogs while out enjoying the game, the flavors and aromas of food take us back to the innocent pleasure of childhood. Despite all the souffls that don't rise, the chickens that blacken, and the snooty waiters we encounter, few pleasures on earth can compete with the pride of putting together the perfect dish, or the delight of eating it. This miscellany is for anyone who's ever thought about wielding anything from a spatula to a carving knife—or even just a menu—and contains a smorgasbord of interesting trivia, a dessert trolley full of practical tips, and a Jeroboam of the best quotes and poems on what can only be described as "Food, glorious food!"