Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many

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Jeremy Lee uses an old fashioned soup spoon for measuring which is quite quirky although he says a tablespoon will do just as well. Some of my favourite cookbooks have spines that makes them very difficult to see on a packed shelf (Dan Lepard’s Short and Sweet, Nigella’s How to Eat to name two), but this one is definitely grabbable! Pork chops - so simple and so delicious; devilled kidneys - sumptuous; tomato salad; simplicity itself. Anybody who has seen Jeremy Lee judge on the Great British Menu, or on one of his other rare TV appearances will know him to be a great raconteur, in addition to being a great cook. There are sections on the usefulness and frugality of breadcrumbs, black olive crumbs to serve with everything; impromptu puddings like peaches in wine with bay leaves or plum compote with ricotta and hazelnuts; pea dishes galore; superb versions of classics like chocolate St Emilion and pommes Anna; big dishes to serve a few such as marinated chicken with roast pumpkin salad; and essentials like a wild garlic purée.

this book is about good food honed from good ingredients whether that be some great potatoes, asparagus or some berries. Loved by the London food world since making his mark at Terence Conran’s Blueprint Cafe, it seems like an oversight that Lee has not published a cookbook until now. As anyone who has seen him laugh and charm his way through the room at Quo Vadis would expect, Lee is as generous in prose as he is when talking about the book, heaping praise on the close team who helped bring it all together. Lightly oil and season the skin side of the sardines, then lay them in the onion pan, skin side down, and cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, until the flesh turns pale.

The book, Cooking: Simply And Well, For One or Many, was the result of many years of work, on and off, and he wasn’t quite ready to face its reality. It’s also a journey through Lee’s career, from his signature snack of baked salsify, back to a classic pommes anna from his time at the London club Boodles, as well as a tribute to peers, mentors and his food-loving parents, who would think nothing of driving across Scotland for hours to pick up a good lobster. God knows that this kind of thing is standing on the shoulders of the great and the many,” he says, gesturing to the shelves on all walls of his home.

Discard any excess fat from the pan, pour the red wine vinegar on to the chop, and turn it a few times to make sure it’s evenly coated.Any leftover pastry can be sliced thinly, laid on a baking sheet and baked in a low oven until crisp and lightly coloured, making rather wonderful biscuits. Lay the spring onions on the hot pan to blister, turning after 3-4 minutes to blister the other side. They’re filled with books about food, from nouvelle cuisine pioneer Michel Guérard to current London pastry sensation Ravneet Gill.