My Kitchen

Stevie Parle is a new and erudite young talent who started cooking at 16 and has already worked at three of the UK's most fashionable restaurants: the River Cafe with Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray, the renowned Petersham Nurseries for Skye Gyngell and the landmark Moro with Sam and Sam Clark. He has also travelled and worked all around the world, including Tokyo and New York, picking up recipes, magpie-like, wherever he goes. Since setting up his pop-up Moveable Restaurant in spring 09, food lovers have clamoured to join Stevie's twice-monthly word-of-mouth supper club events, one of which was hosted by Nigella Lawson. My Kitchen is the greatest hits collection of his life so far in food, gleaned from his travels and his intimate knowledge of ingredients. This eclectic, quirky book is a charming mixture of anecdote, tales from his Hammersmith houseboat and Stevie's wonderful recipes as well as occasions from his life such as 'A Ligurian supper for friends, who would prefer to be on holiday but have to work' and 'A foggy breakfast wrapped up on the deck'. Divided into 12 chapters for the months of the year, the dishes are based around seasonal bounty and Stevie's global inspirations. Though his influences are incredibly wide, Stevie understands the rules of food and doesn't mess with the classics, instead finding new ways to approach old recipes, using his vast creativity and impeccably trained craftsmanship. Within each chapter, he also gives a masterclass about a single foodstuff, with the aim of teaching readers how to cook better by watching subtle changes in the pan and paying attention to the life cycles of fresh produce. It all makes for a unique cook book from a stunning young talent.