WILLAN, ANNE — Chateau Cuisine

Conran Octopus. 1995. Soft cover with dust jacket, 28.5cm. Ill.: Christopher Baker (photography). Book, 224 jealousy-inspiring pp, French flaps (how appropriate) & just over a kilo to post. Rather than me wax lyrical about a Lotto win here's an appropriate comment from shesabetty > The book, a mix of coffee table travel book and cookbook, is by Anne Willan, the founder of the renowned La Varenne cooking school. Willan's a fascinating figure in her own right, a somewhat less-heralded, British Julia Child. For many years, she ran her cooking school from the Château du Fey in Burgundy; that building is included here, along with 33 other châteaux from all over France. As a child, I remember marveling at this book's fairy tale architecture, country landscapes, and slightly bizarre French country dishes. Chicken in cider jelly? Pan-roasted wood cock? Tarragon liquer?! I could only dream of what these things tasted like, and in my dreams they were spasm-inducing delicious. BTW we have several other Willan titles including the gift-worthy The Country Cooking of France. Excellent/None issued.