The Flavour Thesaurus

Watch out for Niki’s long-anticipated follow-up, More Flavours focusing on plant-led pairings – coming in May 2023. ‘Delightful and informative … I love Niki’s style of writing – packed with knowledge and information, but conveyed with such a lightness of touch’ YOTAM OTTOLENGHI’The books I value most are those I return to again and again.
Such has been the case with The Flavour Thesaurus’ NIGEL SLATER’An eclectic combination of dictionary, recipe book, travelogue and memoir … A deceptively simple little masterpiece’ SUNDAY TIMESEver wondered why one flavour works with another? Or lacked inspiration for what to do with a bundle of beetroot? The Flavour Thesaurus was the first book to examine what goes with what, pair by pair and is divided into flavour themes including Meaty, Cheesy, Woodland and Floral Fruity. Within these sections it follows the form of Roget’s Thesaurus, listing 99 popular ingredients alphabetically, and for each one suggests unique flavour pairings that range from the classic to the bizarre.
You will find traditional pairings: pork & apple, lamb & apricot, cucumber & dill; contemporary favourites like chocolate & chilli and goat’s cheese & beetroot, and interesting but unlikely-sounding pairings like black pudding & chocolate, lemon & beef, blueberry & mushroom, and watermelon & oyster. There are nearly a thousand entries in all, with 200 recipes and suggestions embedded throughout the text. Now featuring a new foreword by Bee Wilson and a fold-out poster of the flavour wheel, The Flavour Thesaurus is a highly useful, and covetable, reference book for cooking – it will keep you up at night reading.
Observer Book of the YearBest Food Book – André Simon Food & Drinks Awards Best First Book – Guild of Food Writers Awards