This is the book on the way we eat. Solidifying her standing as a preeminent observer & scholar of everyday life, Margaret Visser takes on the sweeping history of table manners, from the civilizations of ancient Greece & medieval Europe to the way that technology has altered, & continues to alter, our behaviour over dinner. She writes of everything from cultural idiosyncrasies around preparation & consumption, to the surprising origins of tableware
- forks took eight centuries to become common utensils, the plate began as a four-day-old slice of bread. Blending folklore, history, & humour, this is a feast of fact & observation on one of our most primal rituals: the meal.
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` The dining room has long attracted old-world grandees & now enjoys a new stream of gastronauts eager to try Williams` ” Menu Surprise” for the first time.. . Extraordinary standards.`
- British GQ`[ John William`s] distinctive classical British dishes match their beautiful surrounding.`
- Telegraph` These establishments have long & illustrious histories, but the cooking at both has never been better than it is today.`
- Rebecca Burr, Editor of the Michelin Guide` John`s remarkable career is an example to anyone who wants to become the very best in the culinary world.`
- Andrew Oxley, Head of Hotel & Hospitality Services at The AAThe Ritz: The Quintessential Cookbook is the first book to celebrate recipes of the dishes served today, at lunch & at dinner. The book features 100 delicious recipes, such as Roast scallops bergamot & avocado, Saddle of lamb belle epoque & Grand Marnier Souffle, & is divided into the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn & winter. The recipes reflect the glorious opulence & celebratory ambience of The Ritz; seasonal dishes of fish, shellfish, meat, poultry & game. Desserts include pastries, mousses, ice creams & spectacular, perfectly-risen souffles. There are recipes that are simple & others for the more ambitious cook, plus helpful tips to guide you at home. Along the way, John Williams shares his culinary philosophy & expertise. For any cook who has wondered how they do it at The Ritz, this book will provide the answers. There will be plenty of entertaining tales about the hotel & unique glimpses of London`s finest kitchen beneath ground.



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When TV presenter Philippa Forrester first met Charlie, a wildlife cameraman, she thought he was a show-off
- & he thought she
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From the internationally bestselling author of the high fantasy series The Books of Pellinor comes a powerful story about the exploitation of indigenous people by the First World. Endorsed by Amnesty International as contributing to a better understanding of human rights, this poetic coming-of-age story combines magical realism & fable, & features beautiful black-&-white chapter illustrations. Simbala`s village has two treasures: the River, their road & their god; & the Book, their history, their oracle & their soul. Simbala is a Keeper of the Book, the latest in a long line of women who can use it to find answers to the villagers` questions. As developers begin to poison the River on which the villagers rely, the Book predicts change. But this does not come in the form that they expect; it is the sympathetic foreigner who comes to the village who inflicts the greatest damage of all. ...

` Most of what we have learnt has been from Italians who we`ve cooked side by side with. With this book, we want you to cook side by side with us`
- Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers. Over the last twenty years, Rose & Ruth have both visited Italy time & again & during these visits have learned the many different subtleties that appear in dishes from the different, & very diverse, regions of the country. They have cooked alongside mothers, grandmothers, cousins & wine makers who have shared their family recipes. This book is Rose & Ruth`s personal interpretation of these recipes. It`s a celebration of the real, classic food of Italy; the traditional, regional food they both love to eat when they are in Italy, & the food they love to cook at their restaurant & also at home. The precious recipes that they have become well known for, as well as the ones that are cooked less & less in Italy these days.
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` Ingredients are at the heart of everything we do at River Cottage. By gathering our all-time favourites together, I hope to inspire you to look at them with fresh eyes & discover new ways of cooking them` Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall The definitive River Cottage kitchen companion. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall & his team of experts have between them an unprecedented breadth of culinary expertise on subjects that range from fishing & foraging to bread-making, preserving, cheese-making & much more. In this volume they profile their best-loved & most-used ingredients. With more than three hundred entries covering vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, meat, fish, fungi, foraged foods, pulses, grains, dairy, oils & vinegars, the River Cottage A to Z is a compendium of all the ingredients the resourceful modern cook might want to use in their kitchen. Each ingredient is accompanied by a delicious, simple recipe or two: there are new twists on old favourites, such as cockle & chard rarebit, North African shepherd`s pie, pigeon breasts with sloe gin gravy, or damson ripple parfait, as well as inspiring ideas for less familiar ingredients, like dahl with crispy seaweed or rowan toffee. & there are recipes for all seasons: wild garlic fritters in spring; cherry, thyme & marzipan muffins for summer; an autumnal salad of venison, apple, celeriac & hazelnuts; a hearty winter warmer of ale-braised ox cheeks with parsnips. With more than 350 recipes, & brimming with advice on processes such as curing bacon & making yoghurt, the secret of perfect crackling & which apple varieties to choose for a st&-out crumble, as well as sourcing the most sustainable ingredients, this is an essential guide to cooking, eating & living well. More than anything, the River Cottage A to Z is a celebration of the amazing spectrum of produce that surrounds us
- all brought to life by Simon Wheeler`s atmospheric photography, & Michael Frith`s evocative watercolour illustrations.
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Admiralty Collection is a range of beautiful historic chart replicas from UK Hydrographic Office Archive in Taunton, Somerset. Admiralty have now discontinued this series. The maps listed here are the last remaining copies & unfortunately we will not be able to order more. If you need any further information or help choosing a print, you can email us at maritime@stanfords.co.uk. ...

A river cruise through ancient desert lands becomes a mysterious adventure when Bill disappears! While Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann, Jack & Kiki the parrot are desperately searching for Bill, they become trapped beneath a forgotten temple where no one has set foot for 7, 000 years. What dangers lurk within, & will they ever escape? ...

The River of Lost Footsteps is a fascinating look into Burma. For nearly two decades Western governments & a growing activist community have been frustrated in their attempts to bring about a freer & more democratic Burma
- through sanctions & tourist boycotts
- only to see an apparent slide towards even harsher dictatorship. But what do we really know about Burma & its history? & what can Burma`s past tell us about the present & even its future? In The River of Lost Footsteps, Thant Myint-U relates the story of modern Burma, in part through a telling of his own family`s history, in an interwoven narrative that is by turns lyrical, dramatic & appalling. His maternal grandfather, U Thant, rose from being the schoolmaster of a small town in the Irrawaddy Delta to become the Secretary General of the United Nations in the 1960s. & on his father`s side, the author is descended from a long line of courtiers who served at Burma`s Court of Ava for nearly two centuries. Through their stories & others, he portrays Burma`s rise & decline in the modern world, from the time of Portuguese pirates & renegade Mughal princes through the decades of British colonialism, the devastation of World War II, & a sixty-year civil war that continues today & is the longest-running conflict anywhere in the world. The River of Lost Footsteps is a work both personal & global: a distinctive contribution that makes Burma accessible & enthralling.

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Guide to The River Rhone Cycle Route, an 895km bicycle ride starting high in the Alps of central Switzerland & finishing at the Mediterranean Sea, near Marseille. The route
- which is mostly downhill
- is divided into 20 stages (averaging 45km per stage) & can be completed by most cyclists in 12-14 days. The described route uses two waymarked national cycle trails: the Swiss R1 Rhone Route & the French Via Rhona, which together have been adopted by the ECF (European Cyclists` Federation) as Euro Velo route EV17. The guide provides detailed route descriptions & 1:150, 000 mapping for each stage, together with plenty of practical advice such as preparing for the journey, transport options there & back, what to take, accommodation en route & more. A Swiss/ French glossary is also included. Taking in dramatic mountain vistas, Lake Geneva`s enchanting beauty & the coastal delights of southern France, the route showcases some of the region`s most spectacular scenery, making it a veritable gem for any tour cyclist looking to stretch their legs in stunning surrounds. If a visual feast is not enough, cyclists can indulge in the gastronomic wonders of the region. And need we mention the fact that the Rhone flows through some of the greatest wine producing regions of both Switzerland & France?

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