Felicity Cloake

A charming, witty romcom and coming of age story set in London's restaurant scene

'A glorious freewheel through the culinary quirks and delights of the USA – an unmissable treat!' – Tim Spector When the nation’s ‘taster-in-chief’ Felicity Cloake announced her dream to cycle across America, the reactions were… mixed: “You’ll get squashed,” warned a Californian colleague. “You’ll be murdered,” added her mum. Friends panicked: “But… what will you eat?” Determined to prove there’s more to American food than the cartoonish glamour of burgers and doughnuts (though she tries those too), Felicity embarks on the ultimate coast-to-coast adventure, tackling highways, byways and pieways by bike in an unforgettable election year. While the news cycle spins with outrage, what she discovers on the ground is far richer: a wildly varied place of warm hospitality, local pride and unforgettable flavours — from crawfish stew to sauerkraut balls, Memphis barbecue to Mission burritos, Italian beef to Tex-Mex gyoza, she dives into iconic dishes and the stories behind them. Drawn to the scale, energy and contrasts of a country as complex as its cuisine, Felicity takes us along for the ride — mile by mile, meal by meal — finding a nation that’s welcoming, generous and full of heart where it counts: around the table.

These rhymes compare two things, which, though they seem to be the same/ reveal themselves to be unique in character and name Charming, fun and whip-smart, these rhymes from food writer Tara Wigley tell you everything you wanted to know about ingredients, cooking and kitchens, but were afraid to ask. ‘Some of the greatest kitchen conundrums – solved, clarified, demystified. With her signature rhythm and rhymes, Tara has found a one-off way of shedding light on the niggling questions food lovers love to obsess over. And even if you don’t tend to lose too much sleep over the difference between a pumpkin and squash, say, or between an ice cream and a gelato, you will surely be tickled. As ever with Tara, this is informative and entertaining!’ — Yotam Ottolenghi Confused as to whether you should use baking soda or baking powder in your cake? Can you tell a King Edward from a Duke of York? Or pick a Parmesan from a pecorino? In these 30 rhymes, Tara imparts years of cooking knowledge from the world-famous Ottolenghi test kitchen to solve all your culinary conundrums in a way that is accessible, memorable, witty and – most of all – fun. The rhymes can be gobbled up in one sitting or carefully chewed in bitesize portions. Playful riffs on etymology, Anglo-American cultural differences lost in translation, and the subtle differences between products and ingredients feature throughout, teaching us about where our food came from, and why we call it that, and ultimately celebrating how food bring us together. As with Tara’s first book of rhymes, How to Butter Toast: rhymes in a book that teach you to cook, this book will equip you with the tools to convert temperatures, bake effortlessly and swap out ingredients like a pro without you even realising it. With colourful and bold design and irreverent and intriguing illustrations throughout drawn by Alec Doherty, this book is the ideal bedside companion for foodies and the perfect Christmas gift for any cooks in your life. Includes What’s the difference between… A sausage and a frankfurter A Manhattan, a margarita and a martini Jam and jelly Ice cream and gelato A cupcake and a muffin A cook and a chef Nigel and Nigella A bun and a roll and a bap and a cob

'A glorious freewheel through the culinary quirks and delights of the USA – an unmissable treat!' – Tim Spector When the nation’s ‘taster-in-chief’ Felicity Cloake announced her dream to cycle across America, the reactions were… mixed: “You’ll get squashed,” warned a Californian colleague. “You’ll be murdered,” added her mum. Friends panicked: “But… what will you eat?” Determined to prove there’s more to American food than the cartoonish glamour of burgers and doughnuts (though she tries those too), Felicity embarks on the ultimate coast-to-coast adventure, tackling highways, byways and pieways by bike in an unforgettable election year. While the news cycle spins with outrage, what she discovers on the ground is far richer: a wildly varied place of warm hospitality, local pride and unforgettable flavours — from crawfish stew to sauerkraut balls, Memphis barbecue to Mission burritos, Italian beef to Tex-Mex gyoza, she dives into iconic dishes and the stories behind them. Drawn to the scale, energy and contrasts of a country as complex as its cuisine, Felicity takes us along for the ride — mile by mile, meal by meal — finding a nation that’s welcoming, generous and full of heart where it counts: around the table.

The charming and joyful follow-up book from ‘the nation’s taster in chief,’ Felicity Cloake. If there’s one thing that truly unites Britain, from Aberdeen to Aberystwyth, St Ives to St Pancras, it’s an obsession with breakfast. We all have an opinion on the merits of brown sauce versus ketchup on our morning bacon sarnie. In this eagerly awaited follow-up to One More Croissant for the Road, the nation’s favourite taster-in-chief Felicity Cloake sets off on a cycle trip of condimental proportions to investigate and celebrate the legendary Great British Breakfast. Travelling the length and breadth of the UK to establish once and for all what makes a perfect fry-up, she rates them on criteria from the crispness of the bacon to how long they keep her pedalling. But a woman cannot live by All Day Breakfast alone, so as well as recipes for the Savoy's Omelette Arnold Bennett and proper Scottish porridge, she lavishes her attention on the regional specialities she encounters along the way, from a desi breakfast in Birmingham to a Greggs Geordie stottie cake. This is a freewheeling gastronomical tour like no other. Eaten with as much relish in The Wolseley on Piccadilly as in Glasgow’s University Cafe, Britain loves nothing more than a good breakfast. The only question is: what do you have with yours?

The charming and joyful follow-up book from 'the nation's taster in chief,' Felicity Cloake.

‘Joyful, life-affirming, greedy. I loved it’ – DIANA HENRY ‘Whether you are an avid cyclist, a Francophile, a greedy gut, or simply an appreciator of impeccable writing – this book will get you hooked’ – YOTAM OTTOLENGHI The nation’s ‘taster in chief’ cycles 2,300 km across France in search of the definitive versions of classic French dishes. A green bike drunkenly weaves its way up a cratered hill in the late-morning sun, the gears grinding painfully, like a pepper mill running on empty. The rider crouched on top in a rictus of pain has slowed to a gravity-defying crawl when, from somewhere nearby, the whine of a nasal engine breaks through her ragged breathing. A battered van appears behind her, the customary cigarette dangling from its driver’s-side window… as he passes, she casually reaches down for some water, smiling broadly in the manner of someone having almost too much fun. ‘No sweat,’ she says jauntily to his retreating exhaust pipe. ‘Pas de problème, monsieur.’ A land of glorious landscapes, and even more glorious food, France is a place built for cycling and for eating, too – a country large enough to give any journey an epic quality, but with a bakery on every corner. Here, you can go from beach to mountain, Atlantic to Mediterranean, polder to Pyrenees, and taste the difference every time you stop for lunch. If you make it to lunch, that is… Part travelogue, part food memoir, all love letter to France, One More Croissant for the Road follows ‘the nation’s taster in chief’ Felicity Cloake’s very own Tour de France, cycling 2,300km across France in search of culinary perfection; from Tarte Tatin to Cassoulet via Poule au Pot, and Tartiflette. Each of the 21 ‘stages’ concludes with Felicity putting this new found knowledge to good use in a fresh and definitive recipe for each dish – the culmination of her rigorous and thorough investigative work on behalf of all of our taste buds.

'A gift for anyone who is learning to cook' Diana Henry, Sunday TelegraphHow can I make deliciously squidgy chocolate brownies? Is there a fool-proof way to poach an egg? Does washing mushrooms really spoil them? What's the secret of perfect pastry? Could a glass of milk turn a good bolognese into a great one? Felicity Cloake has rigorously tried and tested recipes from all the greats - from Nigella Lawson and Delia Smith to Nigel Slater and Heston Blumenthal - to create the perfect version of hundreds of classic dishes. Completely Perfect pulls together the best of those essential recipes, from the perfect beef wellington to the perfect poached egg. Never again will you have to rifle through countless different books to find your perfect roast chicken recipe, mayonnaise method or that incredible tomato sauce - it's all here in this book, based on Felicity's popular Guardian columns, along with dozens of invaluable prepping and cooking tips that no discerning cook should live without.'Completely Perfect is aptly named!' Nigella Lawson'A classic. Long may Felicity Cloake test 12 versions of one recipe so we can have one good one' Rachel Roddy'The nation's taster-in-chief title belongs unequivocally to Felicity Cloake' Daily Mail