interesting look back on the history of food as well as the 90s

 

I was intrigued about this book and the 90s for me was a fun time-not being able to afford Michelin star restaurant food, but there seemed to be a influx of "celebrity chefs" - thank you to NetGalley for letting me review.

First of all as the author has written many Good Food Guides this was a theme running through the book. Essentially ,the description of this book calls “a tasting tour of 33 iconic dishes that still shape restaurant menus today,” There is a huge emphasis on the chef Marco Pierre White - so maybe the author was going to write a biography of Marco then thought differently as there were many famous chefs around this time. Although the emphasis on the 90s - there is history about foods we grew up - I was born 19 year after the war ended so a lot is familiar to me.

One thing to say was the sheer amount of testosterone in the kitchens and shocking bullying that went on that appears to have been accepted to get on within this cut throat industry some survived, some could not cope with the stress of a coveted Michelin star and I read in one of Hugh Fearnley Whitingstall books about his experience of having his head flushed down the toilet at River Cafe!!! We saw on TV Gordon Ramsey and Marco Pierre Whites way of managing a kitchen was to shout and swear which was shocking then and still is. 

For readers not so familiar with some chefs this may not be so interesting for readers and although ground-breaking we were not all able to have expensive meals with mortgage interest rates late 80s at 13% and juggling jobs to get through. 

I did travel and airline meals were included so we made to feel grateful that Brian Turner had spent a long time with his skills to be given a cheese and pickle sandwich with his name on or a chicken roast dinner with James Martin name on it - how they must have burnt the midnight oil with the recipes.

It did bring back nostalgia - Jamie Oliver showed you could make fab supper dishes for your friends with good ingredients and less faff.

I hoped Bradford would have got a mention as we ate some great curries in the 90s there, we also enjoyed micro breweries in West Yorkshire and I did enjoy a chicken in a basket and a Yorkshire pudding filled with roast beef and gravy. 

We watched Ready Steady Cook and were amazed at what chefs could cook with a few ingredients - I would now say what we have in the house so not really cheffy now.

It does show the chefs like Heston cooking with science, and Rick Stein and his empire in Padstow and the differing trends such as organic, field to fork, local and season ( which is one of the best) and definitely better food- the thing about resurrecting your grandmother meals - well for me they were awful so liver and onions today is well cooked but not in my mothers or grandmothers day.

In this time it was very male dominated and there was a lack of woman at the top, which thank fully has moved on and today, we have vegan which has taken us by storm.

I did think at times where was I in the 90s - but like a lot of us there was still industry long hours and we could not afford some of the meals.

In the 200s I did review a couple of recipes for a Gordon Ramsey cook book, saddle of lamb and the other fishcakes and my name is mentioned in the Olive and Good Food Magazine.

Interesting book and due for publication September 25 2025.