Rogan

You will not be disappointed in this wonderful cookbook. I liken it to the “French Laundry” but not overwhelming in procedure. Can’t wait to visit his restaurant!

This could well be my favourite of 50+ cookbooks. It's a real saliva-inducing page turner!! The recipes are all beautifully photographed and, so far, straightforward to follow (perhaps not ready in 30 minutes though). I'd say you'd need a degree of competence in the kitchen to execute most of the recipes, but then if you're buying a book from one of the most respected, Michelin-starred chefs in the country, you're probably expecting that. There's plenty of interesting detail about some of the more featured ingredients as well as a useful photo glossary of some of the foraged foods (which feature fairly prominently). As you might expect, there are a few quirky ingredients although most of these are available online.

Stunning. The most beautiful cook book I've seen. Not for everyday recipes but incredible non the less. Having eaten at l'enclume, I was hoping for the secrets of how to make the cod yolk mousse, but every page has blown me away with its detail and Chef Rogans mantra of having quality ingredients and how they are sourced.

I wouldn’t recommend this book for a casual cook, but for a professional chef or experienced hobbyist, it’s fantastic! Whenever we feel a lack of inspiration in my kitchen, this is one of our favourite books to browse. Every time we come away with something we feel proud to serve.

Rohan’s hard work sourcing and cultivating his ingredients is inspiring, as is his Cumbrian location. However, I live in Cumbria and was very disappointed with the photography in this book which is average at best and lazy at worst. Even some of the food styling is average compared too similar books i have read.There are a few wonderful recipes in here but Rogan’s philosophy of using wasted bits of animals (eg. Sweetbread and Offal) comes across as environmentalist and anti-food waste but also somewhat driven by profit margins that home cooks just don’t worry about.Let me put it this way - imagine the thrill at serving offal and off-cuts and being a good chef that the resultant food is described breathlessly a s “to the country”! All power to Rogan, but such recipes are of little use to most keen home chefs and I feel like he should have considered this when preparing this cookbook.

First off... Pretty much none of the recipes in this book are doable as unless you've planned your kitchen garden and foraging activities a year before, as you won't have all the ingredients. However if you take the book as a lesson in technique and understand flavour, the opportunities are endless. The hardest of kitchen techniques seem simple. It's the perfect dinner party book. Create the sauces as per the techniques in the book with what ingredients you have, fry some meat and bingo you have a dish.The book allows you to be your own chef.