Food for Thought, Alain Murchison. I was given this book by Alain at a food festival in Ludlow. We’d gone for the weekend and had a fabulous dinner at Mr Underhill’s – one of the best dining experiences we’ve had. The following day was the food festival and we’d signed up for a talk by Alain called Food for Thought. The premise of the talk was that there is a difference between cheap food and food from “quality” producers. We were encouraged to taste the difference between sliced white bread and Alain’s restaurant bread. Then cheap chicken and a lovely free range chicken. Finally comparing a well known chocolate brand with an artisanal chocolate. Suffice it to say the differences were huge. Alain’s philosophy was to buy the best but buy it less often. Alain used a Thermomix which we asked him about and he raved about it. He had a copy of his book next to it. The book was about to be published. He said we should come to his show later that day because it would be a bit more light hearted. We duly did and Alain duly got me up on stage with another unsuspecting victim to make soufflé in front of a live audience. Alain proceeded to “sabotage” my soufflé by doing all the things you shouldn’t do – knocking the air out and opening the oven door. Suffice it to say none of his antics had an impact on the outcome and whilst he gave me a good ribbing throughout he presented me with a signed book at the end. The book is a real chefs book with some pretty hard core recipes and fabulous presentation. We went for the rather wonderful take on Coq au Vin. A classic but Alain elevates it with multiple stocks and reductions, roasted tomato, a perfectly smooth puree. I have to say it was one of the best coq au vins I’ve cooked. Thanks Alain for a lovely book and an awesome story to be able to tell.