Frances Bissell

Food writer

I love this book for its evocation of the very hot summer of 1976 when I bought it on my way home on a breathlessly sultry day in London. The idea of chilled lettuce soup, little cold filled omelettes and all manner of cooling desserts is appealing today as it was then. As I write this in a less than sultry month of June, I see that these dishes did, indeed, figure in my kitchen diaries in summer 1976, accompanied by some amazing 1971 hocks.

Alison Lea-Wilson

Sea salt producer

Could have been any of her books but this one is particularly well used and was taken on holiday with us to France so we could make the most of local ingredients in poorly equipped gite kitchens.

Beverly LeBlanc

Author

The strawberry ice cream is unbeatable, and a regular feature of my summer meals.

Cristine MacKie

Author

Prue Leith

Founder of Leiths Group, food writer and author

Shuko Oda

Koya Bar Head Chef

Tamar Adler

Food writer