The UK’s most influential food and drink journalist shoots a few sacred cows of food culture.Buying ‘locally’ does no good. Farmers’ markets are merely a lifestyle choice. And ‘organic’ is little more than a marketing label, way past its sell by date. This may be a little hard to swallow for the ethically-aware food shopper but it doesn’t make it any less true. And now the UK’s most outspoken and entertaining food writer is ready to explain why.Jay Rayner combines personal ...

Why are gravy stains on your shirt at the dinner table to be admired? Does bacon improve everything? And is gin really the devil's work? In this rollicking collection of his hilarious columns, the award-winning writer and Observer restaurant critic Jay Rayner answers these vital questions and many, many more. They are glorious dispatches, seasoned in equal measure with both enthusiasm and bile, from decades at the very frontline of eating

Britain's culinary Moses brings us the new foodie rules to live by, celebrating what and how we eatThe Ten Commandments may have had a lot going for them, but they don't offer those of us located in the 21st Century much in the way of guidance when it comes to our relationship with our food. And Lord knows we need it.Enter our new culinary Moses, the legendary restaurant critic Jay Rayner, with a new set of hand-tooled commandments for this food-obsessed ag...

I have been a restaurant critic for over a decade, written reviews of well over 700 establishments, and if there is one thing I have learned it is that people like reviews of bad restaurants. No, scratch that. They adore them, feast upon them like starving vultures who have spotted fly-blown carrion out in the bush.They claim otherwise, of course. Readers like to present themselves as private arbiters of taste; as people interested in the good stuff. I'm sure they are. I'm sure the...

I have been a restaurant critic for over a decade, written reviews of well over 700 establishments, and if there is one thing I have learnt it is that people like reviews of bad restaurants. No, scratch that. They adore them, feast upon them like starving vultures who have spotted fly-blown carrion out in the bush.They claim otherwise, of course. Readers like to present themselves as private arbiters of taste; as people interested in the good stuff. I'm sure they are. I'm sure they...

You're about to die. What would your final meal be?This question has long troubled Jay Rayner. As a man more obsessed with his lunch than is strictly necessary, the idea of a showpiece last supper is a tantalising prospect. But wouldn't knowledge of your imminent demise ruin your appetite?So, Jay decided to cheat death.The plan was simple: he would embark on a journey through his life in food in pursuit of the meal to end all meals. It's a quest tha...

An astronomical gastronomical undertaking —one of the world's preeminent restaurant critics takes on the giants of haute cuisine, one tasting menu at a timeLike the luxury fashion companies Gucci and Chanel, high-end dining has gone global, and Jay Rayner has watched, amazed, as the great names of the restaurant business have turned themselves from artisans into international brands.Long suspecting that his job was too good to be true, Rayner uses his entrée ...

*INCLUDED THE TIMES AND WATERSTONES' BEST FOOD & DRINK BOOKS OF 2021*Fill your year with flavour.The official The Kitchen Cabinet compendium is here at last, with over 100 hours of dinner table talk distilled into this handy almanac, a year in the life of our kitchens to aid you in yours.Open up to find food tips and tricks, stories, recipes, anecdotes and seasonal fun, all held together with our trademark titbits ...

'This is Rayner at his rambunctious best: upfront, full-fat, and always deliciously written.' Nigella Lawson'A sophisticated palate and a fiery, comic tongue. Jay Rayner's food writing is brilliant.' Stanley TucciWhy are gravy stains on your shirt at the dinner table to be admired?Does bacon improve everything?And is gin really the devil's work?In this rollicking collection of his hilarious columns, the award-winning writer and Observer r...

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Ten (Food) Commandments, written and read by Jay Rayner.Britain's culinary Moses brings us the new foodie rules to live by, celebrating what and how we eatThe Ten Commandments may have had a lot going for them, but they don't offer those of us located in the 21st Century much in the way of guidance when it comes to our relationship with our food. And Lord knows we need it.Enter ...

The UK’s most influential food and drink journalist shoots a few sacred cows of food culture.The doctrine of local food is dead. Farmers’ markets are merely a lifestyle choice for the affluent middle classes. And ‘organic’ has become little more than a marketing label that is way past its sell by date. That may be a little hard to swallow for the ethically-aware food shopper but it doesn’t make it any less true. And now the UK’s most outspoken and entertaining food writer is ready ...

An electrifying new side of the National Book Award Winner Yoko Tawada: her first book of essays in EnglishSHORTLISTED FOR THE NBCC AWARD IN CRITICISM AND THE GREGG BARRIOS BOOK IN TRANSLATION PRIZEA New Yorker Best Book of 2025I am trying to learn, with my tongue, sounds that are unfamiliar to me. A foreign-sounding word learned out of curiosity is not “imitation” per se. All of these ...