Winner: ‘Most Innovative UK Cookbook’, World Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2006

David Everitt-Matthias, one of just a few highly respected chefs in Britain to have gained two Michelin stars, has been developing his unique cuisine over the past 18 years in a small restaurant in the Cotswold town of Cheltenham. Where other chefs have been seduced by the lure and bright lights of television and media stardom, David has been cooking relentlessly, not missing a single service since the day the restaurant’s doors first opened in 1987. In the ensuing years he has established himself as the ‘chef’s chef’ whose every new dish attracts the attention of fellow professionals and foodies alike. Amazingly, all this extraordinary food comes out of a kitchen with a brigade of just three! It is this necessary paring down of process and technique that makes his recipes so approachable for the domestic cook. His passion for wild food, which he searches out in the countryside near his home, adds a very singular and appealing dimension to his food and gives his book, Essence, its very special flavour. Beautiful photography by Lisa Barber completes this very special book. Foreword by Gordon Ramsay. David’s follow-up book, Dessert, published 2009, is also available.

Reviews

‘Books of the Year’
‘A world away from the comfiness of Nigel Slater, this is for anyone who wants to put on some seriously show-off dinner parties.’
Sunday Telegraph

‘Best Christmas Cookbooks’
‘Of all the chefs’ books this season Essence is the one: great recipes, great descriptions.’
Saturday Guardian

‘Best Cookbooks for Christmas’
Observer Food Monthly Magazine

‘This is a book, unlike many, that will get well thumbed over the years.’
Caterer & Hotelkeeper

‘Sure to help you impress over the festive season.’
Food and Travel Magazine

‘This is a very special book and a good recommendation for the serious cook.’
The Bookseller

‘The Rolls-Royce of recipe books. It is breathtaking.’
Shropshire Star

‘These recipes are something else.’
Gloucester Echo