The Three Chimneys [Hardcover]

Shirley Spear (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2003

The Three Chimneys on the Isle of Skye is one of the world's finest restaurants. Confirmation of its status came earlier this year when the respected The Restaurant magazine placed it at number 28 in its annual survey of the World's Top 50 restaurants. The Three Chimneys was the only Scottish restaurant on the list, and one of only five in the UK. Award-winning chef Shirley Spear and her husband Eddie have come a long way since they upped sticks from London almost 20 years ago and headed north with a dream of starting their own restaurant in a converted croft on the Isle of Syke. Now Shirley has drawn on her experiences to put together a visually stunning and highly readable book. A winning combination of recipes, culinary essays, personal anecdotes and over 100 evocative images - of Skye, its produce and Shirley's mouth-watering creations - this is more than just a cookery book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The most talked about restaurant in Scotland' - Scottish Passport, STV 'Only a romantic with nerves of steel would ever have dreamt of opening a restaurant here... What makes The Three Chimneys so special is of course Shirley Spear's self-taught cooking.' - Tim Maguire, Scotsman 'My meal was the freshest, brightest, most exhilarating lunch I have ever had.' - Orlando Murrin, Daily Express

About the Author

Acknowledged as one of Scotland's leading chefs, Shirley was born in Peebles. She moved to Skye to run the restaurant with her husband Eddie Spear and two small children 18 years ago. She regularly contributes to the Scottish press and radio and has recently appeared on BBC2, Grampian Television and NBC in America.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841830437
• ISBN-13: 978-1841830438
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,506,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars True to the spirit of the restaurant, October 6, 2006

By 

Michele Kellett (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Three Chimneys: Recipes & Reflections from the Isle of Skye's World Famous Restaurant (Hardcover)

Visiting Scotland last summer, we were lucky enough to reserve a table at this remote and wonderful restaurant. We snapped up the cookbook immediately, partly because we love to cook, but also because the photographs of Skye are so much better than any we managed to take. As a cookbook, it is true to the simple, exactingly prepared food served at 3 Chimneys, featuring lots of seafood, beautiful broths and local dairy. Consequently, these recipes work only if the ingredients are perfectly fresh, because they have nowhere to hide: if your mussels are sauced, the sauce is made from their own broth. The shortbread (which is deceptively light) lives and dies by the quality of the butter used. And when approached this way, glorious food results. Ms. Spear is careful to explain the steps of each recipe, the order in which recipes should be made (like a lot of restaurant food, there are recipes within recipes)and how much time to plan for each. That said, it's not a perfect cookbook. You will need a scale that measures grams. The recipes seldom reveal how many servings will be produced (4 to 6, in my experience). And there are little mysteries sprinkled throughout: what is "medium oatmeal", and is it used raw or cooked? The cooking times are too short for steelcut oats, and I can't believe Ms. Spear uses instant rolled oats. However, even these quirks feel true to the spirit of a place that gives the diner less a slick, packaged restaurant experience than a gift of passionate care for beauty and sustenance.