There are over 500 recipes in this classic work from one of the country's most respected food writers. First published in the 1980 and twenty years in the making, now available again in a handsome new hardback edition. The recipes come from twenty-five countries, ranging from Ireland in the west to Romania in the east, Iceland in the north to Turkey in the south. This enormous compendium covers Vegetables, Potato Dishes, Bean, Lentils, Polenta and Cornmeal, Rice, Pasta and Noodles, Eggs, Milk and Cheeses, Fish, Poultry, Small Game, Pork, Shepherd's Meats, Beef, Breads and Yeast Pastries, Sweet Dishes, Herbs, Mushrooms and Fungi, Oils, and Preserves. Written with the scrupulous attention to detail and authenticity that is the hallmark of Elisabeth Luard's cookery writing, the recipes are peppered with hundreds of fascinating anecdotes and little known facts about local history and folklore. Elisabeth Luard is the food columnist for The Oldie and a regular contributor to Waitrose Food Illustrated as well as many national newspapers. She is the author of ten cookbooks and two volumes of autobiography. ' ...this is one of the great cook books of all time.' - Tom Parker Bowles, Mail on Sunday ' ...puts other outpourings in the shade, such is its range, passion, erudition and downright deliciousness.' - Matthew Fort, The Guardian Weekend AUTHOR: Elisabeth Luard is a British food-writer, journalist and broadcaster specialising in the traditional cooking of Europe and Latin America (though she'll take a swing round Africa and India if asked), placed in its social, geographical and historical context. The step-daughter of a British diplomat, her early schooling was in Uruguay, Spain, France and Mexico