'At no point did I ever think that I would be writing a book so early on in my career and so early on at a restaurant, but why not'

Earning a Michelin star for Tony Parkin at The Tudor Room was as great an achievement as the chef had hoped for in 2019, just four months after he took the helm at the Great Fosters Estate Restaurant.

From an apprenticeship under John Campbell at The Vineyard at Stockcross, Tony went to Kommendaten and Noma in Copenhagen, then to Michelin-starred Northcote in Lancashire, three Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Restaurant Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House, and even cooked as a private chef for Lord and Lady Bamford of Daylesford Estate. 

So when the opportunity to write a cookbook presented itself in the midst of the pandemic, he had enough experience to seize it.

"At no point did I ever think that I would be writing a book so early on in my career and so early on at a restaurant, but why not," his introduction reads.

Not just a book of recipes, but a testament to his culinary journey so far, it is filled with dedications from those closest to him, starting with his wife, Laura - attesting to how living with him in the run up to the release of The 2020 Michelin Guide as "like living with a bear with a sore head" - and the many chefs who have cooked by his side, including his sous-chef, Tim Sheed, as well as Gareth Ward, Mark Birchall and Tom Spenceley, to name a few. 

Another chapter  is dedicated to Tony's suppliers; as, he said, "I'm very proud to work with people that have as much passion in their product as we do. That makes my job easier, because you can't help but get excited when you see what they do."

Each recipe comes with a story, that of its inception and of what it means to the chef: his Milk & Honey dish that earned him a 10/10 score from Great British Menu 2021 veteran judge, Paul Ainsworth; his signature Newlyn Turbot inspired by a dish served to him by his friend and fellow chef John Chantarasak, and multiple iterations of Mike Robinson's Fallow Deer, who he describes as "not only a hunter gatherer but also a phenomenal chef."

Not for the amateur cook, this book is for anyone who may wish to try their hand at Tony's particular brand of cooking, perhaps best described by award-winning chef Mickael Viljanen in his foreword:

"You will never get a plate of pickled pine cones or birch leaves when you dine at The Tudor Room, but what you will get is a dinner you won't forget, cooked with ingredients you can understand, cooked in a way that you can't."