As many of you are aware, I have quite a few cookery books, many of which I have bought from shops, some old book shops, some from new, a few online from an auction site, some gifted from friends, and some inherited from my dad.

A great place to look for old cookery books is Janet Clarke Books. Janet is a specialist in books on gastronomy and has been trading old books for some time and is extremely knowledgeable about old cookbooks and food generally. Look at her website - www.janetclarke.com - there is something there for everyone.

This week’s book is something more modern, although still a book from 1998, ‘Novelli, Your Place Or Mine?’ is a book from my past that I used to stay up late at night and read, gazing at the images of the food and dreaming about creating these beautiful plates of food myself.

Jean Christophe Novelli is a culinary artist, a very good cook and many years ago, had a string of restaurants. Sadly, he didn’t manage to keep them afloat, but at the time, with his thick French accent he was up there as one of our great chefs. A good friend of Marco Pierre White, Novelli was never off the television. He brought something new and cool to cookery, and yes, it was probably a bit cheesy, but he could cook and developed the classics with a modern style. He became well known for his sugar springs, made by twisting caramel around a knife-sharpening steel to make a spring shape; he uses them a lot in this book, like his party piece, his signature.

I like his food in this book, rustic but well executed, his daube of beef looks incredible and confit duck leg with a garlic crust looks delicious. But it is his desserts that I think folk remember him for. I made his tiramisu for Christmas, and everyone loved it. A dish I used to make at the Atrium all those years ago. Doesn’t time fly…