Roast Chicken and Other Stories

by Simon Hopkinson, Lindsey Bareham, Flo Bayley (Illustrator)

"Good cooking depends on two common sense and good taste."

In England, no food writer's star shines brighter than Simon Hopkinson's. His breakthrough Roast Chicken and Other Stories was voted the most useful cookbook ever by a panel of chefs, food writers, and consumers. At last, American cooks can enjoy endearing stories from the highly acclaimed food writer and his simple yet elegant recipes.

In this richly satisfying culinary narrative, Hopkinson shares his unique philosophy on the limitless possibilities of cooking. With its friendly tone backed by the author's impeccable expertise, this cookbook can help anyone--from the novice cook to the experienced chef--prepare delicious cuisine . . . and enjoy every minute of it!

Irresistible recipes in this book
- Eggs Florentine
- Chocolate Tart
- Poached Salmon with Beurre Blanc
- And, of course, the book's namesake recipe, Roast Chicken

Winner of both the 1994 André Simon and 1995 Glenfiddich awards (the gastronomic world's equivalent to an Oscar), this acclaimed book will inspire anyone who enjoys sharing the ideas of a truly creative cook and delights in getting the best out of good ingredients.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food Writing, Reference, Culinary

229 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 27, 1994

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: Simon Hopkinson


Simon Hopkinson is often hailed as the ‘food writer’s food writer’. He left school at 17 to begin a career as a chef in the kitchen of Yves Champeau, which formulated a lasting impression, developing his passion for French regional cooking.

Simon announced himself onto the London restaurant scene in 1983, opening Hilaire and drawing attention as a leading young chef. Designer and entrepreneur Terence Conran spotted his talent and persuaded him to lead the kitchen for the opening of Bibendum in 1987. Simon left the restaurant in 1995 to concentrate on writing cookery books. Notably Roast Chicken and Other Stories was declared the ‘most useful cookbook of all time’ in 2005 by Waitrose Food Illustrated.

Reviews

[Jeremy]

"The most useful cookbook of all time"... perhaps, if you have brains lying around on the shelf, or mutton. I cannot speak for the recipes in the book, since I did not cook any: but then, none looked particularly appealing. It is filled with sporadic, cutting criticisms of select foods, cooking styles, and eating styles, in a faux "matter-of-fact" tone that has become an ample substitute for food acumen. I don't doubt his acumen, really, but I don't care to follow along, either.

[Karen Tripson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading it and cooked several recipes that were successful.

[Jill · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but the problems started when I realized I was looking at a book about roast chicken instead of roasted garlic, and it just went downhill from there. The idea is good - a cookbook arranged in alphabetical order by ingredient, with a little something about said ingredient to introduce it. However, this man seems to have a generally limited palate. He seems to like blander items and LOTS of meat. The recipes tend to be very heavy on butter and heavy cream, and I haven't seen a cookbook with so many deep-fried recipes in years. He recommends vigorously boiling veggies. Jamie Oliver would have a fit!! Additionally, and perhaps this is a British thing, but he has a large portion of recipes (and specific sections) devoted to tongue, liver, kidney, heart, brains, sweetbreads, tripe, and whatever other pieces of offal (a word used surprisingly often for a cookbook) he can find. Other recipes are for fish that tend to be particularly British, but are hard to find there anymore, too, and things like grouse and squab and rabbit, which really aren't common in the cities in the States. He came to things like cilantro and Italian food later in life and ignores anything related to South American cooking. He borrows most of his recipes from other people and likes to do a lot of name-dropping about the cooks with whom he has spent time. I will copy out an anchovy hollandaise sauce and the eggplant recipes to help with my collection, and then return the book to the library, relieved that I didn't buy it.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Roast Chicken and Other Stories a little different from the other cookbooks that I've used. The thing I like most about this book is the conversational tone throughout the book. Even while working through the recipes, I felt like I was having a nice conversation with the author. He'd tell me about the places he'd travelled, why he'd added this recipe to the book, or about an interesting experience. I think that perhaps this friendly, down to earth tone made me a little more willing to try recipes that I might not necessarily try otherwise. In all cases, I was thankful that I had made the effort because the dishes were absolutely delicious and quite easy to prepare once I had gathered all of the ingredients.

Although I liked the conversational tone, I don't think it completely matched the recipes in this book. The recipes are divided into sections, each one representing a different food from anchovy and chicken through kidneys and potatoes to squab and veal. From the title, I had expected a cookbook filled with down-home recipes that contained roast chicken and all of the fixings. I think the tone of this book would have matched that theme well. However, many of the recipes in this book included main ingredients that I wouldn't normally buy let alone know how to serve. Most of the dishes that I will cook again will likely be for special occasions rather than daily meals.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with great enjoyment. Here was a chef who was writing the mature and sober version of what Jamie Oliver was doing when he was young and exciting. Hopkinson is a better chef and a more knowledgable foodman than the young Jamie. He's got wide and diverse tastes and some of the recipes are sensational. I cooled a little as he ventured into the Rick Stein - I first came across this recipe in a taverna on the edge of a precipice on the lost island of Atlantis where chef, and bloody good mate of mine, Anton and his lovely wife Euridice, knocked it up after we'd been pearl diving - aren't I wonderful twaddle. I like the fact he includes such ingredients as brains and tripe (one I'm squeamish of, the other I was served regularly as a child and have tried every now and again since but always with the same upchuck reflex). The recipes (like the early Jamie) are generally simple and effective and the ones I have tried have been better than rather good.

A much better read than the likes of Nigel Slater. This boy can cook.

Very rare for me to read a cookery book cover to cover but this isn't an average cookery book. For a start there are no pictures and this made me all the keener to try out some recipes. They say that the best pictures are in the imagination or on the radio.

[kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Undoubtedly, this book is misnamed. (It is a recipe book, not a story book.) And perhaps it is overly-praised. I imagine every recipe in this book tastes perfect, but only if one's palate has been cultivated in a particular way.

Mr. Hopkinson has no use for the avant-garde, saying that their ideas are very often "misguided." He claims that good cooking is a blend of common sense and good taste, and prefers to please diners rather than impress them.

I *do* very much enjoy reading this book. The prose style is lovely. The author loves the dishes he describes. I find his arguments about proper cooking very compelling.

However, I also think that he, like the conservative in any aesthetic tradition, misses out on some wonderful things. I agree that it's more noble to give guests something to comfort them than it is to present them with show-offy flourishes of culinary prowess. That said, and with all due respect and fondness for lip-smacking, memory-evoking, home-cooked goodness, I do think there's another way of cooking, and that a person would have to step outside Mr. Hopkinson's way of thinking to discover it. There are many ways to delight dinner guests by surprising them, I think. Such surprises can be at least as generous and pleasing as any roast chicken.

[Rae · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love books about food. So I was very excited to read this after a glowing article in the NYT Magazine food column (12/2/07). It had knocked Harry Potter off the top of the UK Amazon bestsellers list and was described by Waitrose, a British food magazine as "the most useful cookbook of all time" Wow!
So...I was a little perplexed when this wonder book turned out to be very slight (lots of white space) and with no illustrations to speak of. Divided into 40 alphabetical chapters, each highlights a single ingredient. That could be fine, but his choices? -BRAINS (no, I'm not kidding), kidneys, sweetbreads - these are the worst, by far, but there's also an entire chapter devoted to smoked haddock. This is going to set the British culinary reputation back about 50 years.
The book can at times be fun to read - he begins each chapter with a short essay about each ingredient and his recipes have a conversational tone that feels like he's right there in your kitchen helping you to cook. But the recipes are mostly classics that you have elsewhere. As for me, I think I'll continue to invite Ina and Julia in to help me when I cook.

[Stephanie]

Hopkinson is a culinary reactionary in a mostly endearingly cranky way. This was the "it book" in the culinary world a few years ago. I looked at it in Politics and Prose but didn't think I needed recipes for brains, liver, kidneys, grouse, cod, smoked haddock, sweetbreads, or tripe. The "most useful cookbook of all time" blurb made me laugh--only in England! But he includes more enticing foods too: the simple pleasures of asparagus, chicken, chocolate, cream, eggs, endive, spinach, potatoes. He has a brief essay on each, and then a few recipes, mostly old favorites he has tweaked, with reminiscences about their origins. It's rare and pleasurable to find recipe instructions with a voice, as here for rice pudding: "Add the milk, which will seethe, and the rice/butter/sugar mixture will set into lumps. Fear not. Feel around with a wooden spoon and disperse the lumps because as the milk heats it will dissolve all in its path." I love that. Inevitably, I disagreed with some of his pronouncements, but I was glad to find someone else who's anti- raw spinach salads. There is also something very charming and profound about the idea of a cookbook as a collection of "stories."

[Karima · Rating 3 out of 5]

WARNING:
NOT for the cholesterol conscious!
Heavy on meat, butter, cream. Here is an example of some of the chapters:
Brains. Cépes. Cream. Grouse. Hake. Kidneys. Liver. Rabbit. Squab. Sweetbreads. Tripe. Get the picture?
Each chapter of this book is launched with meditations on whatever food the chapter is highlighting. No photographs but lovely little watercolors, just one per chapter.
The author felt that his book would be a success because, in his words, it is filled with, "Nice things......you want to eat."

Review
"Simon Hopkinson's passionate intensity in the kitchen continues at his writing table. He explains as well as anyone alive why good food matters so much, both for our individual happiness and for our global survival." --Alice Waters


There is now a sequel out. SECOND HELPINGS OF ROAST CHICKEN.

[Whitney Archibald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hybrid between a food memoir and a cookbook. My best explanation for it is that it was like taking a private cooking class from a famous chef with a great personality -- minus the tasting part, unfortunately. I love how he organized the book. He chooses one main ingredient, writes a brief essay about it, then follows it with delightfully chatty recipes, which include tips and techniques.

My only beef with the book is that he goes on and on about how simplicity, good ingredients, and good taste are the key to good cooking. Some of his recipes stay true to this philosophy, but many include difficult-to-find ingredients and seem pretty complicated to me.

So far I have only made his asparagus and potato salad, which were both very good. I plan to try several others, including roast chicken, of course, and every recipe in the "Cream" chapter.

[Leslie (updates on SG) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if this is the "most useful cookbook of all time," but it is a lovely read. Hopkinson's tone is opinionated, but not overbearing. I was a little surprised how many recipes come from published sources, but amused by shout-outs ("fanfare") to fellow chefs.

My favorite quote:

It is interesting to hear what the Larousse Gastronomique (the technical food bible) has to say about sweetbreads: "Chemical analysis of this substance shows that it contains three times more albumen and four to five times more gelatin than beef and only half as much fiber." I thought you should know this.

[Liz De Coster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd call this book 'adorable,' if it didn't sound so patronizing. I'm not normally a fan of cookbooks in this style - no pictures (I love food pr0n), tiny font on small pages, etc - but the writing and descriptions in this book made me feel ... happier. It's the sort of book I'd like to curl up with in bed, in hopes that it will lead to lovely water-colored dreams.

Unfortunately, many of the ingredients described in the book are outside of the range of what I eat. So, happiness aside, I will probably not purchase this book.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quaint and informative. I read this over the course of 8 months a while back, when I was dating Marisa. I left it in her apartment and would read a chapter (they're short) here and there before bed. Great book for that sort of set up. The writing is dry, witty and incisive. This man has no shortage of opinions in the kitchen. I disagree with a very few, but on the whole, Hopkinson can do a lot to advance most amateur or intermediate cooks quite a lot by way of his wit, perspective and stories. Not to mention the recipes.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent cookbook. Hopkinson's stories about each ingredient read like they're from an old friend, and the book itself could be kept in the kitchen or by your bed to read at night. It's short, but filled with interesting recipes by ingredient (though some, like brains, I'm not wont to try soon) that are a mix of classic, useful, and avant-garde. I would suggest this as a supplement to whatever mainstay cookbooks you already own.

[Yuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a new appreciation for Anchovy.. Not quite ready for Brain (but I won't refuse to try it).. The recipe for roast Chicken is spot on - nearly identical to my tried-and-true "Real Simple" magazine recipe and what I've gleaned from James Beard cookbooks. Had opp to try monkfish liver sushi and it IS just like foie gras! Chapters are in alphabetical order, which is a little odd, but highlights interesting foods. I like the watercolor illustrations - don't expect photos of finished dishes.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that the book was organized by ingredient-- spanning the more traditional asparagus and endive to the more adventurous brains and tripe, with plenty or recipes for each. The short sections make it a good bus read. The "stories" are more like essays, and at only about a page long. The recipes sound good (I didn't try any), but the novel-sized layout/format of the book seems like it would be impractical for trying to keep open on a countertop.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, there is no way that this is the "most useful cookbook of all time." But it's funny, and personal, with great stories about food, and a strong point of view, and I love it.

I love the recipes for more out-there ingredients, and the unabashed usage of butter and cream in large quantities.

I'll never cook everything in it, but the things I have cooked have been great (with the exception of the roast chicken, actually--fine but unremarkable).

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoping for a few more stories than recipes, I have to say that I really won't be going back to the book for the in-depth recipes. If you are looking for good British food or if your idea of great food is deep fried anything, anchovies, or eggplant, than this is the book for you. (Not that I dislike any of these items, but just not what I was expecting.)

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Times Dining section recommended this book recently. I found it at a used bookstore, where I happened to be WITHOUT A WALLET, but my accommodating spouse bought it for me. (I hope he will benefit down the road.) The review was right. This is a cookbook in disguise: no photos, small size, it feels more like a small, artsy little volume. The writing is enjoyable. I haven't cooked from it yet.

[Fiona715 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just started reading this book which was named one of the best cookbooks of 2007 by a number of sources. Tonight I made the simple roast chicken and it was fabulous! Seriously, lemon juice, tarragon, thyme, garlic and butter combine for one of the juiciest (and simplest) meals I've had in ages. Can't wait to explore the rest of this book.

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I bought when I was really first learning to cook (not, of course, that you ever stop learning really). Hopkinson takes one classic ingredient per chapter and talks through its virtues and uses before leading the salivating reader through a selection of lovely recipes featuring the highlighted ingredient. Fab, and another book I come back to frequently.

[Kieran Watkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit pretentious for me but there are a couple of recipes I’ll try.

[Thaddeus Croyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more, but it just wasn't the book I was expecting. I wanted longer essays and fewer recipes. There were recipes in here I'd try, but most were reprinted from other places I'd be more likely to look first; the curse of the slim generalist cookbook.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. I heard about it on NPR as a good book to get as a gift for a chef. I finally ordered it to give to the chef in our family. When it came, it looked interesting, so I picked it up and started reading. Wonderful insights on foods and cooking.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm conflicted about this book. On the one hand, it's kind of charming and cranky, and his voice is strong and sure. On the other hand, I have no desire to cook anything in it, except maybe one or two things, maybe. I think a cookbook should have you salivating and dashing into the kitchen.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haven't totally decided whether this is a cookbook or a book of essays. The recipes I've tried have been quite good, though they're very idiosyncratic in their selection (which I guess is the idea). Perhaps less suited overall to the kitchen than the bookshelf.

[christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is fantastic! each chapter is a litle anecdote about a recipe ingredient and then a handful of recipes using that ingredient. and its british so its recipes/stories about inns in seaside villages or pubs.

[Sheral · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed how the author got his inspiration for the recipes that he uses or invents.
This would be a nice book to own for anyone looking at cookbooks more than any other book.
Its always nice to hear how a person comes up with their interpretation of a recipe or technique.

[Birgitta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read and good, mainly British and French classical recipes. Just tried 'Slow-braised belly pork with soy, ginger and garlic' and it was lovely, very good flavours but still very simple to make (used pressure cooker so didn't take more than about an hour in total)

[Philippa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Endearing and friendly book, lots of interesting ideas. Can't imagine I will cook all that much from it but I liked reading it. Particularly enjoyed the "fanfare" sections where the author pays tribute to a cook or food writer who has inspired him.