In this lively and exceptionally enjoyable book, Niki Segnit takes 160popular ingredients and explores all the ways they might be combined inthe kitchen. She has scoured thousands of recipes in countless recipebooks, talked to dozens of food technologists and chefs, and visitedhundreds of restaurants - all in her quest for flavour pairings. Theresult is a unique book that is full of quirky observations, practicalinformation (hundreds of recipes are embedded in the narrative) andgood jokes. Here are a couple of randomly chosen entries:Celeryand Dill: Like a couple of spry septuagenarians who still bother tofind the right necklace for their frock, wear silver shoes to thetheatre and are more than capable of a waspish, flirty conversation ifgiven the attention they deserve. Come alive in the red-blooded companyof beef, or more workaday tinned tuna, but left to their own devicescan make a thrifty but classy soup.Coriander Leaf and Peanut:Substitute coriander and peanut for basil and pine nuts and you have adelicious Vietnamese-style take on pesto. Process a large bunch ofcoriander leaf with a tbsp ground nut oil, a tsp fish sauce, maybe afew mint leaves if you have them, some chilli and a squeeze of lime.Add half a handful of ground peanuts. Toss through warm noodles - eggor rice - and serve with more peanuts scattered on top.Beautifullypackaged, THE FLAVOUR THESAURUS is not only a highly useful, andcovetable, reference book that will immeasurably improve your cooking -it's the sort of book that might keep you up at night reading.

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'The books I value most are those I return to again and again. Such has been the case with The Flavour Thesaurus' Nigel Slater'Every time I return to it, which is often, it makes me tingle with happy greed' Bee Wilson 'A bible for anyone who cooks by grabbing ingredients from the fridge' IndependentEver wondered why one flavour works with another? Or lacked inspiration for what to do with a bundle of beetroot? The Flavour Thesaurus was the first book to examine what goes with what, pair by pair and is divided into flavour themes including Meaty, Cheesy, Woodland and Floral Fruity. Within these sections it follows the form of Roget's Thesaurus, listing 99 popular ingredients alphabetically, and for each one suggests unique flavour pairings that range from the classic to the bizarre. You will find traditional pairings: pork & apple, lamb & apricot, cucumber & dill; contemporary favourites like chocolate & chilli and goat's cheese & beetroot, and interesting but unlikely-sounding pairings like black pudding & chocolate, lemon & beef, blueberry & mushroom, and watermelon & oyster. There are nearly a thousand entries in all, with 200 recipes and suggestions embedded throughout the text.The Flavour Thesaurus is a highly useful, and covetable, reference book for cooking - it will keep you up at night reading. Observer Book of the YearBest Food Book Andr Simon Food & Drinks Awards Best First Book Guild of Food Writers Awards