The Good Table

The food you put on your table is at the heart of the house, as a matter of survival and joy. Everything we eat sustains family, friends and self, and The Good Table shows that it is best when sourced and cooked with love and care. Whether making comforting favourites such as Toad in the Hole or Paella, classic dishes such as Beef Suet Pudding or a Brandy Snap with Berries, or recipes from far-flung shores such as Lapland Fish Soup and a Spanish dish of Chorizo in Cider, Valentine's omnivorous curiosity and attention to detail set his recipes apart.

In this timely book, Valentine pays homage to the slow cooking of cheaper cuts of beef, pork and lamb, whilst encouraging us to enjoy less widely-used meat such as rabbit and venison. His ingredients are local, mostly inexpensive and easy to find, yet his dishes are often surprising, based on forgotten classics or hailing from distant countries such as Mexico and Morocco.

For Valentine, The Good Table starts with good shopping, and he encourages us to not be afraid of buying new ingredients, especially when they are affordable and plentiful. He seeks out sustainable fish, creates luxuries from everyday ingredients such as bread and eggs, and cooks fruit and vegetables when they are in season.