Product Description

David Everitt-Matthias, one of just a few highly respected chefs in Britain to have gained two Michelin stars, has been developing his unique cuisine over the past 18 years in a small restaurant in Cheltenham. He has established himself as the 'chef's chef' whose dishes attract the attention of fellow professionals. His passion for wild food, which he searches out in the countryside near his home, adds a very singular and appealing dimension to his food gives his book a very special flavour. It includes a foreword by Gordon Ramsay.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8784 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Caterer and Hotelkeeper, October 2006
'This is a book, unlike many, that will get well thumbed over the
years.'

The Bookseller, July 2006
'This is a very special book and a good recommendation for the
serious cook.'

The Shropshire Star, October 2006
'The Rolls-Royce of recipe books. It is breathtaking.'

Customer Reviews

A unique book
If you're lucky enough to have eaten at Le Champignon Sauvage, you'll know just how wonderful the food is. This book is a stunning and fitting representation of David Everitt-Matthias's wonderful double-Michelin-starred food. What at first appears to be a daunting array of multi-layered dishes as they would appear in the restaurant is, on closer inspection, a collection of detailed recipes that can be deconstructed in such a way that one can unite separate elements from different recipes to make the dish they want. This is an ingenious way of presenting genius food: a pick 'n' mix of the highest order.

There are wonderful inclusions of rare and wild ingredients -- leaning towards David's passion for hedgerow ingredients (which is appendicised into a handsome wild food glossary at the back of the book) -- with sensible more widely available alternatives suggested to make sure that all of the recipes remain within the capabilities of the home cook.

The book is beautifully photographed, showcasing David's fine eye for presentation and the intrinsic beauty of each dish and component part.

And if this note or praise doesn't convince, then read the words of two of the few who could genuinely be regarded as David's peers: a glowing foreword by Gordon Ramsay and a couple of dozen words on the back of the book from Heston Blumenthal: they sum up the significant contribution to this country's cuisine that Everitt-Matthias has made over the last twenty years.

Essence is a singular and stunning book by one of the most talented, dedicated and insprirational chefs around.

Simply Superb
If you want to recreate Michelin star food for dinner parties this is the book for you. The recipes are actually the ones used at 'Le Champignon Sauvage' Michelin 2 star restaurant in Cheltenham. Though they all comprise several components and take a while to prepare the instructions are clear and precise including how to assemble the finished dishes. The forward interestingly is written by Gordon Ramsay but this book is far superior in recipe quality to any of his watered down offerings.
David Everitt-Matthias deserves every success with this bible.
Simply Superb!

User friendly book to inspire the serious diner and cook
Unlike the dumbed-down recipes that appear in many of the books attributed to top chefs, these are dishes that David Everitt-Matthias has actually put in front of the paying customers in his Michelin 2 star restaurant. Dishes are broken down into their individual components with a clear explanation of how each is prepared and the presentation on the plate is beautifully photographed.

David E-M clearly wants readers to be able to take lessons from this book into their own kitchens without necessarily reproducing any of his dishes in their entirety. Thus he emphasises that his recipes are not set in stone but are there to be borrowed from or adapted.

Nonetheless, seeing the imagination and technical skill involved in these dishes will make many readers reach for the phone to book a table rather than head for the kitchen. A very wise move! Quite how David E-M managed to produce food like this for many years with only one other chef in the kitchen is baffling - even after a recent expansion there are only four of them serving 40 covers. And, as every article written about Champignon Sauvage seems to mention, David E-M has never missed a service in its 19-year history.