Spotted Dick, S'Il Vous Plait: An English Restaurant in France

by Tom Higgins

Tom Higgins, a translator who was spending much of his time in Geneva and his wife, Sue, a doctor, the brave English couple in Spotted Dick, s'il vous An English Restaurant in France, did just that. A foolhardy venture, perhaps, because not only did they possess little experience in the professional food trade, they had the audacity to serve English cuisine to discerning Lyonnais. It is a well known fact the Lyon is not only the gastronomic capital of France (some say the world) boasting many Michelin-starred establishments, but that the French have a notorious disdain for English cooking. Would they be able to overcome the national horror of English pudding?
Tom Higgins' entertaining chronicle of the long, and rather bumpy road to fulfilling their dream is presented in an anecdotal style laced with a good dose of self-deprecating humor. His stories of French bank managers, petit bureaucrats and construction workers are an amusing glimpse into the French daily life. But the difficulties and financial risks of doing business in a foreign country - not to mention the language barrier and the exhausting hours - have been offset by the great compensation of living in Lyon and the beautiful countryside that surround it; planning the meals and shopping the terrific local markets for the freshest ingredients; visiting the nearby vineyards to stock cellar and kitchen; and finally, getting a good reputation and a steadily growing clientele. And, Tom has included a dozen of their favorite recipes, including one for that English pudding-of-all-puddings, Spotted Dick.

Genres: Memoir

248 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 1995

Reviews

[Rhode PVD · Rating 3 out of 5]

He seems like a genuinely nice man, who would make a good friend or neighbor. It's not great literature, but a pleasant enough read.