"Dreamlike... His sorta-cookbook stirs up inspiration and helps us think about flavor-and the experience of eating-differently. It's trippy like that... It'd make an unexpected and great gift for curious, science-minded cooks, or pro chefs who like to get a little weird." –Bon Appetit, "Best Cookbooks of 2022"
"An intriguing title from the three-time James Beard Award-winning, Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal. This is a wonderfully unique option for fans of the chef and those who dare to try something unconventional." -
The Daily Hive, "Best Cookbooks of 2022" "Notoriously progressive chef Heston Blumenthal turns each into a creative cooking journey colorfully guided by illustrator Dave McKean. It is a cookbook. But also more." –
Epicurious "This will delight folks looking to dabble in gastronomy without five-star efforts. . . Dave McKean, Blumenthal's longtime collaborator, provides quirky illustrations that reflect the playfulness of the recipes. . . Cookbook readers will enjoy how the narrative seems plucked from Blumenthal's mind with little thoughts and tips deposited between recipes in illustrations. . . Perfect as an introduction to gastronomy, Blumenthal's quirky and readable book will delight fans and create new ones." –
Library Journal "[The recipes] evoke childlike playfulness ... McKean's trippy sepia-toned ink drawings that appear throughout will put readers in mind of John Tenniel's
Alice in Wonderland images. This heady ode to the joy of intuitive cooking is a tasty head trip." –
Publishers Weekly "Heston Blumenthal shares more of his life philosophy, in which the mechanics of cooking are only one part of a larger, fulfilling experience . . .
Is This a Cookbook? is not just a reference book. It's a book to sit with, read cover to cover and then revisit for whenever inspiration is needed–or a reminder to slow down and fully experience life." -
Shelf Awareness "Dazzling . . . There's culinary sorcery at every turn." –
Time Out New York, on HISTORIC HESTON "[A] book that defies description . . . A headfirst dive down the rabbit hole, with Blumenthal as the Mad Hatter." –
The New York Times Book Review, on HISTORIC HESTON "[A] showstopper." –
Los Angeles Times, on THE BIG FAT DUCK BOOKBOOK "Like no other book I have seen in the last twenty years... monumentally important." –
Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, on THE FAT DUCK COOKBOOK