Floyd on France: Learn to Cook the Floyd Way

by Keith Floyd

This selection of around 300 recipes cocks a snook at haute cuisine and takes inspiration from the classic dishes of French country cooking to create food that is uniquely Floyd. Whether it is a famous dish like Bouillabaisse or Cassoulet or one of his own, like Chicken Breast with Beetroot Sauce or Monkfish with Spring Vegetable, each recipe is inspired by a passion which defies the vagaries of food fashion. Keith Floyd has also written "Floyd on Fish", "Floyd on France", "Floyd on Britain and Ireland", "Floyd's American Pie", "Floyd on Oz" and "Floyd on Spain".

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, France

Paperback

First published May 28, 1987

About the author

Keith Floyd was a restaurateur and TV chef who produced many cooking shows, including Floyd on Fish and Floyd on France, for the BBC and Channel 5 and published many books combining cookery and his travels.
Famous for his distinctive bow tie, he talked, drank and cooked whilst imparting his knowledge of classical French cooking to the nation in an unpatronising way.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A typical Keith Floyd book - I can almost hear him telling me what I need to add to a recipie to give it the extra "edge". A real joy to use, and it has some beautiful photographs to show what the dish *should* look like.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had this book since 1988, and I have made some of the dishes (mainly chicken ones). I had forgotten how entertaining it is. His approach is very relaxed, so you need to be confident enough to be able to adapt where necessary - he is not always very precise about timings or quantities. There is a whole section of soups and sauces which looks very useful. Some of it is quite complicated and time-consuming, and some would require a lot of advance planning. There are also some things which I would not attempt, being squeamish in matters such as gutting things and reserving the blood, or boiling things alive. I am certainly not going to be making snail stew - although having said this it looks rather good, and would perhaps work without the snails. This was written for a British audience and he has a gentle go at people like me from time to time (still not going to change my mind about brawn, tripe, or molluscs!) Not everything has alcohol in it, despite his reputation, but when he uses it it is in very generous quantities. A lovely look at French regional dishes: conveys both his love of France and enjoyment of good living.

[The Antiquary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learn to Cook the Floyd Way i.e. with one glass of wine for the pot and one glass of wine for you - guaranteed success one way or another. It's always best to learn from someone with such obvious enjoyment of life.

[Terry Ravenscroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the recipes in this book are very elaborate with multiple ingredients, but then so is French cookery. Served up with a good helping of Floyd's ready wit and insight (worth the price of the book even without the recipes)I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Sebastian Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bizarrely and annoyingly, Floyd on France, the show that launched Floyd's fab career as a TV chef, introducing his inimitable character to first the UK, and then the world, isn't out (or at least has never been thus far/at the time of posting) on DVD. Really g'damn annoying!!! We have a decent amount of his other TV-cheffery on DVD, and love it. In the absence of that - and to supplement occasional viewings of excerpts of the original show on BBC iPlayer or YouTube or wherever, we decided to buy this.

I found a cheap secondhand decent quality edition, and I think (I'm not certain?) I paid about £2-3, inc. postage. Floyd's slightly manic slightly sozzled style is very nicely conveyed in the texts that accompany the recipes. Since buying it, we have yet to try any of the recipes. One thing I've noticed is that most of them seem to be aimed at extravagant dinner party style servings, for 6-8. We're just a couple, without kids/fame, and - at the time of writing this review - it's mid Covid-19 lockdown (number two!).

Even in normal times, we very rarely entertain, and even when we do, it's often just three or four total. So we need to adjust amounts accordingly. And Floyd makes no concessions economically, unabashed Tory boy that he was; his meals are about conspicuous consumption, as well as the less politically charged or more neutral 'pursuit of the good life'.

Cantankerous old curmudgeonly capitalist and bitter old alcoholic that he was, his passion for the joie de vivre of great French food shines through, making this a better than average cookbook. Why? Because it combines learning with fun, and facilitates the making of delicious nosh. Thank you Floyd. Gone, but never forgotten.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another review that has somehow disappeared!

Has this happened to anyone else?

This book is wonderful... especially for the creation of the "pot au feu"...

Simply divine.