Lanchester, John

(British, 1962– )

‘This is not a conventional cookbook’, is an appropriate opening to The Debt to Pleasure (1996) as you'll spend the first third of it thinking, ‘What on earth's he up to?’ Tarquin Winot, the narrator, is staggeringly pompous, opinionated, and won't use one word where five will do. This makes for quite a challenging read but you won't be bored; Tarquin is genuinely knowledgeable about food and art. While he is engaged in describing four tempting dinner menus, one for each season, Tarquin's life story unfolds. The recipes are deliciously described and you will want to try them for yourself, but stay away from the wild mushroom omelette. And don't get attached to any of the other characters because they never last long. A very sophisticated first novel. His second, Mr Phillips, was published in 2000.

A. S. Byatt, Angela Carter  RV