***

THE title is very suggestive, and the sub-title “Chefs and the Organisation of Fine Dining”, is even more so.

The book purports to celebrate, after decades of neglect of fine food and high-level restaurants in Britain, a massive explosion of interest in food, cooking and eating out. But in truth, it is a celebration of a food industry which has cottoned on to the fact that you can con most of the public most of the time, and nearly all of the foodies nearly all of the time.

Cordon bleu morphs into nouvelle cuisine morphs into fusion food with ever more exotic ingredients cooked in ever more exotic ways and with even more exotic price tags. Cash is truly king in the kitchen and sadly, even once “common” foods such as black pudding, belly pork and pigs’ cheeks, have now become staples of pricey bistros and gastro pubs.

Lane features interviews with chefs, diners and Michelin star inspectors and their views are interesting, if not suspect. In the end, after all, it all comes down to the food and what it is supposed to do for us.

Napoleon one said that an army marched on its stomach. Well, if it fed on “foodie” food, you can bet it wouldn’t get very far. Bon appetit!

Steve Craggs