Chef Margot Henderson says Elizabeth David’s words are wise and clear – and this book, a collection of recipes and robust opinions, is an essential read
I started reading Elizabeth David in the early 90s. I’d just got my first head chef job, at First Floor in Notting Hill, and I had to get my act together pretty fast so I was reading non-stop. Her writing informed how I wanted to cook in a major way. She taught me to have the confidence to leave things out, that less is more. If you have a great loaf of bread and good butter, she says, who cares about anything else?
An Omelette and a Glass of Wine is more a collection of opinions and thoughts than a book of recipes. Her constant theme is how we seem to be able to ruin the most simple of dishes – we can never quite leave things alone. That simplicity carries through to her writing. What should an omelette taste like? It should taste of fresh eggs and fresh butter. The way she says it, you can see the omelette – “a soft bright golden roll, plump and spilling out a little at the edges” – and you can almost taste it.
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