Book Review

I've heard that Alain Ducasse's Grand Livre series is the heaviest collection of cookery books in history, and I wouldn't doubt the claim. I've just read the fourth, the Mditerrane, and I wouldn't advise dropping it on your toes.

It's presented in the same format as the previous three - cleanly laid out in an alphabetical listing of recipes which, in this case, cover classic Mediterranean dishes, ranging from cod brandade and spaghetti vongole in the west and central Med, to eastern Med staples like dolmas (stuffed vine leaves) and a lovely collection of rabbit with olives.

We tried out a few of the recipes and found them quite accessible, with easy-to-follow methodology. However, you do have to read carefully and be flexible with a few of the ratios, but that's nit-picking. Each recipe, incidentally, includes a full-page colour picture to sell the dish to you and offer a visual aid to the intended result.

If you have read any of the other books in the collection, you might notice some repetition in the dishes, which begs the question: do you need all four volumes of the Grand Livre or just the one that suits your needs most? I would certainly recommend thinking carefully before buying all four.

It doesn't seem right to criticise such an iconic chef, especially when you take into account the effort Ducasse and his core team have put into producing such a comprehensive book. It's a great reference tool for young chefs and provides a solid foundation for their cooking. And, if I'm honest, the book's a great memory jogger for restaurateurs with failing memories!

The only other thing that concerns me is that the price will put it out of young chefs' reach and deprive them of the inspiration to cook these classic Mediterranean dishes. Perhaps libraries could hold the whole collection and make them more accessible to aspiring cooks?

Marc Wilkinson, chef-proprietor, Restaurant Fraiche, Oxton Village, The Wirral, Cheshire

Grand Livre de Cuisine d'Alain Ducasse: Mditerrane
Alain Ducasse
Les Editions d'Alain Ducasse,
204.25 (141) www.amazon.fr
ISBN 2-95164 73-6-0