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White Truffles in Winter/We'll Always Have Paris #HolidayReads

A book about the famous french chef Escoffier and a book about a woman wanting to be french, guess where I went on holiday this year?

Yep you guessed it France and as I like nothing more than a good location read I had been saving White Truffles in Winter by N M Kelby and We'll Always Have Paris by Emma Beddington for this very purpose. 

As I read them simultaneously (pool book and balcony book respectively) it seems only fitting that I review them together. Not to take anything away from either, they were both brilliant.

First up White Truffles, imagining the life of Auguste Escoffier head chef at the Ritz and the Savoy, creator of the last meal eaten on the Titanic, inventor of the Peach Melba and winner of his wife during a game of billiards. Very little is known about Escoffier's private life other than he was married to the poet Delphine Daffis (Madam Escoffier, said billiards 'prize') and was linked to the actress Sarah Bernhardt (who I now want to know more about). 

The book is a shrine to all things food and I couldn't imagine a more perfect setting to read it in than rural France in the summertime. The plot skipped about a bit, and it didn't really progress as I thought it would have however the real delight was in the descriptions of the food, the recipes, the ingredients and little things such as why a chef's hat has pleats. The characters were definitely second in chain of importance yet I didn't mind a bit. 

It reminded me in some ways of Anthony Capella's The Food of Love which I equally loved for its foodie fabulousness. If you like food read it, preferably by the pool in France.

We'll Always Have Paris is Beddington's memoir of a lifelong obsession with France and whereas it is nothing like White Truffles it does feature an astoundingly lot of patisserie, flan in particular of which I was of course forced to try as all dedicated readers would! It was another venture in to the non-fiction/memoir genre for me (Names for the Sea and This is Going to Hurt both recently read by the book club) and I have to say I am growing more and more to love books of this type.   

It is always slightly difficult to review a book about someone's life as how can you be critical about someone's actual life choices? I needn't have worried however as I loved it. The book does become quite meaty (sorry cake lovers for the non-sugar including description) and covered issues I really didn't expect from the cover/blurb. Beddington surprised me with her honesty, and whereas I didn't always agree with her decisions I loved her for being truthful enough to share even the dark parts. I am so pleased as to how the book ended and much checking of Twitter was swiftly done to establish said ending is still in place! 

I am now a follower of Emma's blog, Belgian Waffle, (please write more Emma!) and, as with White Truffle, reading it in France without doubt added to my enjoyment. Both were perfect Holiday Reads and both are staying on my shelf. 

The links above for both books take you to the very lovely Forum Books in Corbridge, set in an old chapel they do a fab ordering service if you're not local and host loads of author events.  



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