Product Description

Alan is passionate about using seasonal produce, classic marriages of flavours and innovative presentation. The ethical and nutritional element of the dishes he creates are taken into account at every stage. Over two years of blood, sweat and tears have gone in to creating a book that offers an insight in to the sometimes complex cuisine of a highly ambitious top-flight kitchen. Each of the stunning photographs to complement every recipe have been taken by the talented photographer Mark Law.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29779 in Books
• Published on: 2007-12-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 209 pages

Review
Among the hundreds of cookery books that have known in my time, there is absolutely no doubt that Alan Murchison's 'Food For Thought' is the most beautiful I have ever seen. A veritable work of art, it is the epitome of artistic imagination and exquisite taste, truly a feast for your eyes, even surpassing the evident usefulness for the ambitious cook. Its penetrating and highly selective attention to detail is overwhelming in every way. It is amazing that it has been produced (and even published!) by Alan Murchison personally. --Egon Ronay

Alan first came to work for me as Sous Chef having previously worked under a number of my protégés. During his 4 years with me at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons I watched him develop tremendously both in and out of the kitchen to become a great master of his craft. I have been fortunate over the years to have some very talented chefs grace my kitchen and Alan is up there with the best of them. His true passion for food, creativity and attention to detail are second to none. Alan has a first class team that work very well together. The ability to motivate and get the very best out of your team is an essential part of running a restaurant and in that area he excels. In his producing his first book Alan has worked extremely hard and the results are stunning. I am very proud to give you a little Food for Thought. --Raymond Blanc

This is a fantastic book with superb images and really tempting recipes that give you an insight into Alan's culinary mind. --Michael Caines

About the Author
Alan Murchison is the Chef Patron and Managing Director of Alan Murchison Restaurants Ltd, who operate the Michelin Starred L ortolan near Reading and the award winning La Becasse restaurant in Ludlow. Prior to running the L'ortolan Alan was the Sous Chef to Raymond Blanc and Director Ecole de Cuisine at the Manoir aux Quat Saisons. For further information, please visit www.alanmurchisonrestaurants.co.uk

Customer Reviews

Stunning..
Alan Murchison's amazing recipes are photographed so beautifully I can imagine the flavours and aromas just by looking at the stunning images.

A must have for any foodie

Pure unadulterated "Gastro-Porn"!

A book to inspire, subtle combinations of flavours and textures, the beautiful presentation and stunning photography make this one of the most beautiful cook books I own. As a keen amateur there are many inspiration and ideas I can draw from the book but without a small army of chefs and the backup of a professional kitchen I would not expect to be able to exactly reproduce many of them at home. Rather this book gives ideas, presentations, flavour combinations and every single turn of the page reveals another stunning photograph each one making my mouth water as I imagine the aromas rising from the page. It is both a coffee table book of beautiful photography and a reference book of some 233 "basic" recipes used to build the dishes shown.

Hold on a second...
Now, don't get me wrong, this is a cracking book, but I think some of the reviews are going over the top. The organisation is good (I would prefer a cross reference from the 'basics' to the recipes), and the presentation is simple and clean. It isn't really a work of art though, and it is a book with a fairly narrow target audience.

It will be of little use to you if you are not already a very competent cook, and even then you are unlikely to be able to make the food that is so beautifully photographed here (who can leave their oven on for 48hours at 60deg?, professional chefs apart?).

If, like me, you want to be inspired to try new things, and to learn many of the intricate building blocks of flavour that are at the books core, then it's money well spent. If you want to cook every dish in a book sucessfully, look at beautiful photographs, and enjoy the writing, go for something else (Simon Hopkinson's 'Week In Week Out' for instance).

As a book it's very good, but not earth shattering. As an appetiser for Alan Murchison's cooking it's great.