The Big Fat Duck Cookbook

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Author: Heston Blumenthal
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Category: Book

List Price: ~~£100.00~~
Buy New: £60.00
You Save: £40.00 (40%)

New (4) from £60.00

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

12 reviews
Sales Rank: 147

Media: Hardcover
Pages: 532
Shipping Weight (lbs): 11.6
Dimensions (in): 16.7 x 12.8 x 3.1

ISBN: 0747583692
EAN: 9780747583691
ASIN: 0747583692

Publication Date: October 20, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours

Also Available In:

•	Hardcover - The Big Fat Duck Cookbook

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Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Art in Itself! November 16, 2008
This isn't a cook book in fact, the title itself is a play on words. This is a work of art, truly sublime and a piece of gastronomic history. Well worth the wait (weight) Heston in both volume and time! It will be a true Godley family heirloom and be passed from generation to generation. Absolutely wonderful, you have surpassed yourself, yet again.

The visual illustrations and the sheer design of the book are just breath-taking. No compromise, your integrity as always intact and compounded further by this amazing publication.

Thanks again. I am off to make a souffle from a flip flop and a varnished chair leg ( that was a joke)....cheers! JANEY

5 out of 5 stars

No ordinary cook book November 13, 2008

The Fat Duck Cook Book is not just for cooks. It is a beautiful book in its own right. There are some lovely illustrations and will be a treasure in years to come.

5 out of 5 stars

A Pretty Ugly Duckling October 26, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

The parallels between Heston Blumenthal's new baby and Hans Christian Andersen's 1844 adventure (a better translation of the Danish 'eventyr' than `fairy tale') may not be obvious at first. But both authors' works are autobiographical, and in both we're presented with a story that speaks of struggle and self-education leading to great success in a tone that's meant to sound mildly surprised, but actually invites congratulation in a mildly toe-curling way.

Then there are the parallels in appearance. Andersen's story is a morality tale about taking the trouble to look beneath the surface towards truth in order to discover quality. The `duckling' is born into a farmyard of creatures who are all more beautiful than he, and more at home in that environment than he is.

Blumenthal's book has a tasteful cover of sorts (though it's so big and so fat that it's slightly cumbersome, elephantine in grey and pearlised ivory) though the ironised impossibility of the feather decoration on the slip case immediately challenges you to put aside expectations that the book will be `stylish'--anyone with a tidy mind will find that if one side of the slip case is `up', its reverse is inescapably `down', and the book's contents are just as challenging as the cover.

The heavily saturated colours of the illustrations inside the book, and the Scarfe-like illustrations by Dave McKean, poke a firm finger in the eye of anyone whose experience of expensive cookery books leads them to hope for something elegant. Comparing 'The Big Fat Duck Cookbook' with the fabulously tasteful productions of the Adrias (listed under their restaurant, El Bulli's name)--and make no mistake, this is clearly and deliberately designed to be compared with them--first impressions are not entirely favourable. Why is this such a big, fat, ugly duck?

There's no mistaking the answer: where other cookbooks have elegance and style, this one has substance, and in spades. The historical and philosophical introduction by Heston Blumenthal is as well written as the explanatory chapters of his 'In Search of Perfection' twins (which is to say, very well written indeed) and the recipes are a model of clarity and precision. For once, we have a chef who doesn't talk down to his audience, but who values their interest in, and enjoyment of, his food, and who relishes the idea that home cooks might get enormous pleasure from climbing the foothills of this kind of cooking before they come and enjoy the peaks he and his enormous brigade can mount at The Fat Duck.

The volume closes with a substantial anthology of scientific articles by a starry gathering of those who've contributed, each in their own way, to the development of Blumenthal's cuisine. As with the recipes, what we see here is `the real thing', not watered down stuff for amateurs but genuinely challenging and interesting material, an opportunity for cooks to develop their own creativity and to respond in their own way to new materials, techniques and ideas.

In my view, 'The Big Fat Duck Cookbook' is a huge contribution to the literature of cooking, indeed to literature. Even if it looks like an ugly duckling, the exceptional quality of the contents show it's actually a swan, and a pretty impressive one at that.

5 out of 5 stars

Mr. J. De Bres Misses the point October 19, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful

The whole point is that Heston's style is overblown, impractical and expensive. It is also inquisitive, investigative, testing, tasting, trying and challenging to the old doctrines. If you didn't want that you should have bought Delia's cheats book.
This book is for anyone who will happily spend time, effort and money in the pursuit of discovering the best and then ultimately introduce the findings into their cooking.

5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful, and possible. One step at a time! October 17, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

I had been waiting for this book to arrive for some time. When the package arrived, I was stunned by the size. On the outside, it is good looking, but not over the top. As I gingerly opened the book, marvelling at the weight and feel of the book, I felt I was being smacked in the face with flavours and sensations. I ate at the Fat Duck earlier this year and recognisable creations and happy memories stared out at me.
The true value of this book is in the feelings and the enthusiasm that it generates. You need to look to the detail and start with manageable steps. I made the pistachio scrambled egg today. I don't have a 600 pound heatable blender, but inventiveness is a key part of cookery and the feeling of achievement at pulling off a simple part of a dish is an important stepping stone towards achieving something memorable.
Most importantly, every time I look in the book I feel excited and motivated to experiment and push my own limits. So what will you do with this book? If Heston Blumenthal knocked on your door a year from now, do you want him to see it in pristine condition, sitting on the coffee table, or propped up in the kitchen, slightly the worse for wear but obviously loved and used? For me, I choose the latter.
Yes, these recipes require planning, a touch of compromise and some research. But you also feel you achieve something. Now, what shall I try next?

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