This revised and updated edition benefits from five years' research, carried out by the teachers and students at Leith's School of Food and Wine. Over this period every recipe has been tried again and again with minor variations, with the result that subtle improvements have been made to almost all of the 1400 recipes included in the first edition. The book also contains nearly 100 new recipes, including many adventurous innovations. There are new chapters on nutrition and healthy eating, and each of the almost 50 sections of the book has been updated to include the most recent information and methods. There is a wide range of recipes, covering soups, starters, vegetable dishes, salads, main courses, stockes, sauces, spreads, puddings, cakes, breads, biscuits, preserves, canapes, snacks and garnishes, each one honed to near perfection as is possible. In addition, there are illustrated instructions on how to perform every culinary operation, from boiling an egg to skinning a squid. This practical guide is useful for everyone, from the unskilled novice to the experienced professional.