French cooking taught the world how to cook and has been quietly running the show ever since. The techniques, the sauces, the unhurried approach to building flavour, all of it has filtered into virtually every other cuisine in some form. Learning to cook properly means learning to understand at least some of what France has been doing for centuries, and I say that as someone who has spent nearly thirty years in the kitchen finding out exactly how right the French were about most things.

What I love most about French cooking is the balance between rigour and pleasure. Yes, there are rules and techniques worth understanding. But at its heart, French food is about eating well and enjoying the process of getting there. A slow braise in red wine. A simple pan sauce that makes a Tuesday night feel like an occasion. Eggs done properly, which is harder and more rewarding than it sounds. This collection covers the French recipes I cook on repeat, adapted for real kitchens and real weeknights, but never stripped of what makes them worth cooking in the first place.