I just bought the Fat Duck cookbook

[fivemack]

I doubt I'll be cooking anything from it, at least not any of the recipes that take two double-page spreads to describe and include 'titrate with malic acid to reach pH 3.4', or instructions as to which four single-malts to blend to get exactly the right taste of nostalgic whisky, or take three kilograms of crabs to produce an ounce and a quarter of crab reduction. But it's a marvellous artefact in itself, and filled with pictures to enthuse the palate even when I'm somewhat laid up with a cold and planning nothing but cheese on toast and Sainsbury's chicken soup.

And given the existence of the Myhrvold Modernist Cuisine set, this £40 cookbook is scarcely extravagant at all.

Comments

[naath.livejournal.com]

Yes, I bought that one and thought... yeah, not going to make any of that any time soon :-p

Made me want to go eat there though.

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

Go for it! It costs no more than a couple of kilos of fine alpaca yarn ...

[naath.livejournal.com]

plus getting there, and back, and potentially staying there...

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

It all depends on the fineness of the alpaca yarn.

£31.20 return train to Maidenhead, about a tenner each way for the taxi to the Fat Duck (or walk one way, it's a couple of miles), £38 for a cheap hotel in Maidenhead. In aggregate the same as the difference between the cheapest and second-cheapest wine pairing available.

The price has gone up about 20% since I was there five years ago, but I suppose food and skilled labour are very prone to inflation. Probably comparable in price with the boat train to Sicily.