Marco Pierre White in Hell's Kitchen [Paperback]

Among the latest batch of celebrity chefs, Marco Pierre White is undoubtedly one of the most talented and outspoken. The blurb for White’s Hell's Kitchen describes him as ‘legendary’, and for once the adjective is not just hyperbole. And while this same blurb mentions White’s outspoken opinions and reminiscences, the most important element here is the collection of 100 tempting recipes, from starters and soups to ambitious (but achievable) meat and fish main courses and (of course) the exquisite deserts that are one of the chef's specialities. As many of the great French chefs will assert, the basic sauces, stocks and essences are at the heart of fine cuisine, and they are lovingly celebrated in the recipes here.

Among the most useful features here are the shortcuts and tips designed to get us through more difficult aspects of cookery. And it is particularly welcome to note that the recipes (though usually contained in just one or two pages) are still detailed enough to give us the wherewithal to create, say Breast of Pigeon with Foie Gras wrapped in Cabbage or Panaché of Langoustines and Sea Scallops with Cucumber and Ginger (for the latter recipe, Marco Pierre White points out that langoustines, while fished in the Scottish seas, are mostly exported to France and Italy, making them hard to find the UK -- as well as expensive). But after reading the recipes here, readers will be inspired to make the effort.

It goes without saying that we won't be able to achieve results as impressive as Marco Pierre White, but the recipes here are designed to give us the confidence necessary to tackle them. And we can dream, can’t we? --Barry Forshaw

Accompanying the hugely popular primetime 10-part ITV1 series, the first cook book in 7 years from the original bad boy of cooking

Long before Gordon Ramsay and Antony Bourdain, there was Marco Pierre White: the first and the greatest enfant terrible of the cookery world. His book, White Heat, caused a sensation on publication in 1990. Now Marco puts his chef's whites back on and returns to the kitchen for the first time in years as he puts the celebrities through their paces on this exciting and enduringly popular television show, moving into its third series. The colourful chef, as famous for his ability to make headlines as for making headturning dishes, serves up 100 delicious recipes in this mouthwatering cookery book. Alongside the wonderful recipes - ranging from partridge pie with creamy wild mushroom sauce to melting chocolate souffle with vanilla cream - come shortcuts, masterful tips and tricks of the trade. Marco Pierre White is a natural for television and this fully illustrated book allows his talents to shine. Use this book at home and you'll have a taste of what it's like to cook in the company of a culinary genius.

Marco Pierre White was born on a council estate in Leeds in 1961, and his Italian mother died when he was six years old. He became the youngest chef ever to be awarded three Michelin stars and today is a star chef of international renown and a multi-millionaire businessman. His many restaurants include Mirabelle, Drones, L'Escargot and the Belvedere.