FROM THE BOOK JACKET:
The Chester Square Cookery School in the heart of London offers students a refined setting in which to master the fine art of choux pastry and hone their hollandaise. True, the ornate mansion doesn't quite sparkle the way it used to—a feeling chef Paul Delamare is familiar with these days. Worn out and newly broke, he'd be tempted to turn down the request to fill in as teacher for a week-long residential course, if anyone other than Christian Wagner were asking.
Christian is one of Paul's oldest friends, as well as the former recipient of two Michelin stars and host of Pass the Gravy! Thanks to a broken arm, he's unable to teach the upcoming session himself, and recruits Paul as stand-in. The students are a motley crew, most of whom seem more interested in ogling the surroundings (including handsome Christian) than learning the best ways to temper chocolate.
Yet despite his misgivings, Paul starts to enjoy imparting his extensive knowledge to the recruits—until someone turns up dead, murdered with a cleaver Paul used earlier that day to prep a pair of squabs. Did one of his students take the lesson on knife techniques too much to heart, or was this the result of a long-simmering grudge? In between clearing his own name and teaching his class how to perfectly poach a chicken, he'll have to figure out who's the killer, and avoid being the next one to get butchered...
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Orlando Murrin is a food writer and novelist.
His début crime novel, Knife Skills For Beginners, will be published by Transworld on 1 February 2024. Set in a cookery school in Belgravia, it is the story of Paul Delamare, a chef who must discover who committed a gruesome murder or be blamed for it himself.
As a food writer, Orlando has written six cookbooks. His latest are Two's Company and Two's Company Simple. A Table in the Tarn describes his adventure of setting up a gastronomic b&b in SW France.
In 2020 Orlando was elected President of the Guild of Food Writers. Since 2019 he has hosted the BBC Good Food Podcast with TV presenter-restaurateur Tom Kerridge. He writes regularly for Waitrose Weekend.
Read this book and join over 300,000 other readers with a free Library Online Book Club subscription
Subscribe
Catalog
Online Book Clubs
- Online Book Clubs is a fun way to discover and read books on your web browser, smartphone or tablet.
- Subscribe to the clubs for free to get access to the first few chapters of a new book. Receive a 5-minute read daily for 5 days.
- Author Buzz and Kids Buzz: exclusive weekly service featuring 4-5 authors, up close and personal. Authors offer free signed copies of their books and dozens of other free giveaways every week.
