The Bertinet Kitchen update....

It's been so long! I'm sorry... did you think that Richard Bertinet had whisked me away to some kind of culinary island where we could make delicious food all day, every day?

I wish.

Richard Bertinet and his third publication, Cook in a Class of Your Own

So it was less of an island more of a kitchen showroom on Wigmore Street, central London. Beggars/choosers.

I thought that Richard would talk through his book, his PR would talk through the book and then the chef would cook a few things in front of us.

Incorrect.

The best way to show the press the launch of a book is to get them involved in the whole process. Instead of Richard showing us how, he armed us with the ingredients and equipment we needed to make some of the recipes ourselves. What a great way to show off a book. The recipes were so simple to make and so delicious to eat!

I made a pesto, now I'm not usually a fan of pesto - I think I overdosed on it at university but this pesto was fresh, coarse and I could have eaten it on it's own, like a soup. The best thing about the recipe is that with a few whizzes on the blender the pesto is ready.

Here's what you need to make two 250ml jars... 3 garlic cloves, 100g Parmesan, 1 lemon, 100g pine nuts, 3-4 bunches of basil, 60ml extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.

Put the pine nuts, garlic and Parmesan into a blender and pulse for a few seconds until you have a coarse paste. Add the basil and pulse again until the basil has all been chopped. Add the lemon juice and a little of the olive oil and pulse again. keep adding oil to the mix, pulsing in bursts, until you have the texture you want.

Mouth watering alert... I ate a lot of the pesto on the delicious bread, which of course, came straight from The Bertinet Kitchen in Bath.

So I made it really quickly and then went on to help two other journos making strawberry croustillant, again it's easy as pie and I fell in love with rosewater after I made Chantilly cream.

I made this one... proud face.

I didn't help much with the smoked fish chowder but I certainly helped to eat it, as it was so delicious I cooked it at home a week later. Easy peasy and so full of flavour. I would have never have thought about picking up smoked haddock before this but now I'm going to make sure it's always stocked in the fridge.

In true Bertinet Kitchen style, once all the food was made we sat around the table to eat it all, along with pates relishes and cured meats and a LOT of rose wine.

Yum.

If every kitchen has a book it should be this one, it’s beautifully illustrated and contains all that you need to make you a confident cook, knowing why you are doing what you do rather than guessing your way through other complicated cook books that are on the market.

For even more great tips and easy, yet delicious recipes, Richard's book is available to buy now priced at £19.99 with a free DVD illustrating recipes and techniques from the book.

Mine is on order. Oh and sorry Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, I've got a new book to follow now. How fickle I am.