seasoned with the kind of historical and
scientific detail that make my geeky heart
sing. I’m so sad I never got to meet you
and tell you how much I admired your
work, or how much your perfectionist
approach has inspired my own. By the
time I’d started writing about food, you’d
already left for Dubai, though I remember
colleagues telling me what a pleasure you
were to interview. It wasn’t until I heard
the news of your untimely death last
year at just 59 that I realised I’d always
assumed our paths would cross at some
point, yet now they never will.
It’s only in the course of writing this
letter, looking afresh at my copy of New
British Classics, that I notice your dedication
to the great – and very French – Roux
brothers, “For me... the godfathers of the
culinary world”. An unlikely choice,
perhaps, but your explanation makes
sense; they showed that ancient tradition
and classical methods could be the
“bedrock for new ideas”, whatever your
culinary heritage.
Bread and butter pudding, perhaps
your signature dish, is the perfect example;
instead of reinventing the wheel, you
refined it, enriching the custard with
double cream and soaking the breadFelicity
before cooking,allowingit to“takeon
a new textureandhavetheflavoursall
the waythrough”,beforeaddinga brûlée
top of crunchycaramelisedsugaras
a clevercontrasttoallthatwonderful
squidge.It’sstilla classicbreadand
butter pudding– justbetter.
Classicflavourcombinationsare
harnessedtonewends;thepepperedbeef
salad withstiltonandquick-pickledred
onions isasgoodnowaswhenI first
tasted italmosttwodecadesagoand,of
course,thereareyourmeat-freesausage
rolls, yearsbeforeGreggsgotinonthe
action, andwhichinspiredmyversion
overleaf.I couldn’thelpsmilingat
your intro:“Ifyou’rewonderingwhat
a vegetariansausagerollis:simple!It’s
fantastic,that’swhatit is!”Thatsumsyou
up to me:endlesslypassionatebothabout
achievinggreatnessineventhesimplest
of thingsandaboutsharingthatpassion
with others– andGary,mayI saythat,
as always,yourhairlookedfantastic.people.
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Felicity’s recipe →