First published sixty years ago while food rationing was still in force, Elizabeth David used this book to introduce to the nation s bland palate, ingredients and recipes previously undiscovered in postwar Britain. Many people of that era had never experienced anything other than British cooking meat, two veg and a nice steamed pudding. She starts by setting the record straight Those who care to look for it will find the justification of France s culinary reputation in the provinces, at the riverside inns, in unknown cafes...in sea port bistros...and nowadays in cafes routiers, the lorry-drivers restaurants. In such places the most interesting food of France is to be found. From having lived with a French family while studying over there, she was able to bring firsthand knowledge to this short yet concise guide to provincial French cooking.She starts with a chapter on the Batterie de Cuisine. But it s the collection of regional recipes that follow that made this book such a treat for 1