The Savoy Cookbook
Famous grand hotels have to evolve to survive. Knowing how and when to push forward and when to leave well alone takes judgement. In his time at the Savoy, Anton Edelmann kept the kitchens ticking over, shifting subtly with each new fashion without ever subverting traditions. It was a safety-first policy that worked. Standards never lapsed. The Grill and the River restaurant always seemed to fit the image.
The Savoy Cookbook, ironically published now that he's left the hotel, reflects his style. He didn't tinker with the famous Escoffier classics, the peach Melba and the souffl‚ Rothschild, but he was happy to put cheese and garlic in the topping of a fish pie. Kippers, his "favourite", never left the breakfast menu, but he wasn't afraid to prettify them with a quail's egg and lardons.
His recipes don't come across as creative, but they do present as reliable - and enjoyable. He never mismatches ingredients. He doesn't put things on a plate that jar. Presentation flits from the classical (lobster thermidor) to the Jo‰l Robuchon-inspired geometry of the 1980s and the Italian chic of the 1990s. It's stylish, but subdued.
In contrast, the Savoy itself seems far more upfront than its head chef. Archive photographs of Marilyn Monroe, of long-vanished waiters queuing at the pass or even a black-and-white picture of a cocktail shaker have glamour of their own. They're so strong that they distract attention from the excellent food photography. Flicking through it, the reader could be forgiven for thinking this is a book more about the Savoy rather than its chef's contribution to it.
The text can be a distraction, too. Sometimes Kate Whiteman, the "ghost", refers to Edelmann as "he"; more often he speaks in the first person as "I".
An account of art deco at the Savoy is on a page marked breakfast, sandwiched between kippers and a fig compote. This confusion permeates the odd recipe. Brioche, destined for toasted fingers to dip in boiled eggs, falls halfway between a loaf and a brioche à tête.
The chapters - Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, Supper and Light Meals - show that the demands on a hotel chef differ from those on someone with only a menu and an à la carte to service. The Savoy can be grateful to its chef for sustaining its reputation 24 hours a day for the last 21 years.
Michael Raffael, food writer
The Savoy CookbookAnton Edelmann
Pavillion
£25
ISBN 1-86205-387-1
