The Complete Nose to Tail - by Fergus Henderson (Hardcover)

About the Book

The Complete Nose to Tail is an exhilarating compendium that brings together maverick chef Fergus Henderson's two acclaimed cookbooks--Whole Beast and Beyond Nose to Tail.

Adventurous palates as well as some of the most famous names in the food world--including Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain, Jamie Oliver, and Daniel Boulud--flock to Fergus Henderson's London restaurant, St. John, to indulge in his culinary artistry. A conscientious and resourceful chef who lives by the motto "Nose to Tail," Henderson advocates using everything that is possibly edible of fowl, beast, and fish, creating dishes that fuse high sophistication with a strong tradition of rustic thriftiness.

The Complete Nose to Tail presents Henderson's complete culinary oeuvre: recipes that offer a unique and delicious eating experience. Both refined and curious eaters can enjoy a taste of the wild side with such dishes as Pig's Trotter Stuffed with Potato, Rabbit Wrapped in Fennel and Bacon, and Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad, as well as sumptuous familiar fare, including Deviled Crab; Smoked Haddock, Mustard, and Saffron; and Green Beans, Shallots, Garlic, and Anchovies. There are desserts, too: sublime puddings, such as the St. John Eccles Cakes, and the timeless favorite Chocolate Ice Cream.

Book Synopsis

"A cult masterpiece." -Anthony Bourdain

The Complete Nose to Tail is an exhilarating compendium that brings together maverick chef Fergus Henderson's two acclaimed cookbooks--Whole Beast and Beyond Nose to Tail.

Adventurous palates as well as some of the most famous names in the food world--including Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain, Jamie Oliver, and Daniel Boulud--flock to Fergus Henderson's London restaurant, St. John, to indulge in his culinary artistry. A conscientious and resourceful chef who lives by the motto "Nose to Tail," Henderson advocates using everything that is possibly edible of fowl, beast, and fish, creating dishes that fuse high sophistication with a strong tradition of rustic thriftiness.

The Complete Nose to Tail presents Henderson's complete culinary oeuvre: recipes that offer a unique and delicious eating experience. Both refined and curious eaters can enjoy a taste of the wild side with such dishes as Pig's Trotter Stuffed with Potato, Rabbit Wrapped in Fennel and Bacon, and Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad, as well as sumptuous familiar fare, including Deviled Crab; Smoked Haddock, Mustard, and Saffron; and Green Beans, Shallots, Garlic, and Anchovies. There are desserts, too: sublime puddings, such as the St. John Eccles Cakes, and the timeless favorite Chocolate Ice Cream.

"It would be disingenuous to the animal not to make the most of the whole beast; there is a set of delights, textural and flavoursome, which lie beyond the fillet." -Fergus Henderson

From the Back Cover

"It would be disingenuous to the animal not to make the most of the whole beast; there is a set of delights, textural and flavoursome, which lie beyond the fillet." Thus Fergus Henderson set out his stall when he opened St. John in 1995, now one of the world's most admired restaurants. His Whole Beast and Beyond Nose to Tail books are full of exhilarating recipes for dishes that combine high sophistication with peasant thriftiness. Now the books are to be joined together in a compendious volume, The Complete Nose to Tail, with additional new recipes and more brilliant photography from Jason Lowe.

Review Quotes

"A fantastic book, wonderful stories with nostalgic and inspiring recipes -an essential book for honest cooks." - Jamie Oliver

"His cooking and recipes are a joy." - Nigel Slater

"An astounding cookbook. This is food that might very well restore our plaintive spirits during a difficult time in world history. Anyone who loves cooking and doesn't buy this book should seek extensive therapy." - Jim Harrison

"My father was very adept at making wonderful charcuterie, but Mr. Henderson puts even my father's ability to use as many parts of the animal as possible to shame with his appetizing recipes using delicious food combinations. His text and recipe explanations--for so much more than offal--are wonderful and, in many cases, very funny. You feel that Mr. Henderson is right there in the kitchen with you--an old friend, discussing the dishes and lending you a hand." - Daniel Boulud

"Fergus Henderson's cooking is deliciously ballsy-which is as you would hope from a man whose motto is Nose to Tail Eating." - The Independent

"Fergus Henderson's joy in writing about food is what makes this such an exceptional book. I wanted to cook everything I read, almost as I read it. This is a most original and enjoyable book." - Rose Gray, author of The River Café Cookbook

"Fergus Henderson is the culinary brother I have never met. He is the smarter one, the better studewnt of the two of us, and yet we both cook with the same enthusiasm for the uncommon and delicious--as well as the same disdain for the filet mignons and the boneless chicken breasts of the world (both on the plat and seated at our tables). This book makes me want to start again from scratch, using these recipes as mu guide and the Italian vernacular as my pantry." - Mario Batali

With recipes including rabbit wrapped in fennel and bacon, Henderson takes what otherwise might be considered 'eating as extreme sport' and gives it a refined touch in his new compendium, THE COMPLETE NOSE TO TAIL." - Bookish (Cookbook Roundup)

"THE COMPLETE NOSE TO TAIL, a combination of Henderson's two coveted cookbooks "The Whole Beast" (2004) and "Beyond Nose to Tail" (2008), as well as some new photography and recipes, is pure eye candy: there's a handsome illustration of a pig (his restaurant's logo) wrapped around the cover, and the pages are full of clever culinary photographs, including one of a woolly sheep figurine set on fire to accompany the recipe for Burnt Sheep's Milk Yogurt, or that of a woman wearing a pudding atop her head for a meringue confection called Queen of Puddings. The conversational anecdotes dotting the book throughout make for pleasant, easy reading." - New York Times Style Magazine

"Here's THE COMPLETE NOSE TO TAIL by Fergus Henderson and Justin Piers Gellatly, a combination of the Henderson's previous books, The Whole Beast (2004) and Beyond Nose to Tail (2008). Henderson's London restaurant St. John - and arguably the cookbooks that came out of it - is almost entirely responsible for the modern nose-to-tail movement. (Check the book titles.) Either book is a must for chefs and home cooks alike, and now you can get them in a shelf-space-saving single volume." - Eater