'Barnes believes in playing it by the book. He has no patience, quite rightly, with those celebrity chefs who give their names to lavishly illustrated books in which the recipes are so sloppily described that it is next to impossible to reproduce them in your own kitchen. Yes, but how big are his hands, worries the Pedant, when a chef recommends using a couple of handfuls of strawberries. And when does a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil become a downpour? No wonder cooking is so stressful.' Daily Telegraph The Pedant in the Kitchen is a witty and practical account of Julian Barnes' search for gastronomic precision. It is a quest that leaves him seduced by Jane Grigson, infuriated by Nigel Slater and reassured by Mrs Beeton's Victorian virtues. It is a perfect comfort for anyone who has ever been defeated by a cookbook and is something none of Julian Barnes' legion of admirers will want to miss. 'Barnes writes with limpid lucidity and elegance.' Observer