The most instructive book on fine French cooking written in the English language (Elizabeth David )

It will gladden the heart of all good cooks ... an alchemist's stone which enables any cook to turn base ingredients into gold (Caroline Conran Sunday Times )

As close to a divine text as you can get (Matthew Fort Guardian )

'This isn't just any cookery book. This is Mastering the Art of French Cooking and it's a book that is a statement, not of culinary intent, but of aspiration, a commitment to a certain sort of good life, a certain sort of world-view; a votive object implying taste and appetite and a little je ne sais quoi. Julia Child's books are a triumph, and also a trophy.' A A GILL,The Times

 

This is the bestselling classic guide to French cooking with over 1000 clear authentic and delicious recipes for every key French dish from Boeuf Bourguignon to the perfect croissant.

 

And now to celebrate its 50th anniversary Penguin have reset and redesigned the text and there is a special anniversary introduction from Julia Child. Published in time for Mother's Day, this boxset with its two beautiful hardback volumes will become the essential ingredient for any cultivated kitchen

Julia Child revolutionised cooking in the US and this was the cookbook that launched her career. Having studied at Paris's famous Cordon Bleu, and worked under various distinguished French chefs, In 1951 Julia Child started her own cooking school in Paris, L'Ecole des Trois Gourmandes, with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, and the three women started compiling the first volume of this cookbook. Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published in 1961 and was an instant hit. When Julia Child later appeared on the television seriesThe French Chef she and the book became even more popular. Fifty years later it remains the classic work on French cooking.