I have been cooking since a child and have relied upon the knowledge I gained from my family, school and recipe books. Last Christmas I was given Larousse Gastronomique as a gift. It is a very heavy book with lots of information about techiques, food products and the history of dishes making it a great tool to consult when I am attempting something new like French pastry making. Like my other well loved source book (my battered old Dairy Diary from 1996) this has been a great help in understaning different cuts of meats as well as just being an interesting read. I doubt I will ever read everything as it is so vast but for people that wish to develope their skills it's worth getting hold of a copy.

This book is most perplexing and disappointing. 1. The very first word that I looked up in it was not there. I wanted to know more about a very simple thing - 'curdling'. Why does the mixture curdle when you add eggs to butter and sugar? Why is this a process to avoid and what do you do to prevent it? No mention in this book. 2. Next I wanted to know the differences between sultanas, raisins and currants. Why do cake recipes list a certain amount of sultanas and a certain amount of raisins? Why not all raisins or all sultanas or all currants? I got no help in this book. Under the 'dried vine fruits' entry and 'seedless raisins' sub entry, we learn that raisins come from the Thompson sultana grape. Why does a sultana not come from a sultana grape? I am no wiser in my cake-making. 3. Water - 'the one essential for all living organisms' does not have an entry in this 'world's most famous culinary reference book'. This most important ingredient is given a small mention under 'drink' but there is not even an entry for 'bottled water' or 'tap water' or 'ice'. These are most peculiar omissions for such a book. There is so much that can be written about water and its properties that are entirely relevant to cooking and serving meals.

Larouse Gastronomique is a must for any serious cook's collection! You can't be called a serious cook until you have this.

What can I say about it? If it is not in this book, it simply does not exist! A real classic! From every kind of fish to any imaginable dish you may have come across on your travels - they are all in there.

Half of it is an encyclopedia, which tells you the origin of an item, how it is best cooked, where it is raised, grown, and caught etc. The second part is for the recipes of all the items listed.

I do find many of the recipes include ingredients which are incredibly difficult to find, even in today's modern convenience society, but if there is something special you wish to cook that is out of the norm, then this is the book for you.

It is very expensive - prices ranging, I've seen from £70 - £35 depending on where you purchase it.

I feel it is more of a reference book to help learn about particular foods, but if you want to cook something really authentic such as a bouillabaisse, then there is really nowhere else to look (unless you are lucky enough to own an Elizabeth David book, which also lists all these delicious Mediterranean delicacies).

Definitely worth having, if you can justify the expense.

Prosper Montagne Larousse Gastronomique: The World's Greatest Cookery Encyclopaedia is more for the enthusiastic cook rather than the beginner. This well-illustrated cooking encyclopaedia contains many illustrations, charts and maps and details almost every style of cooking that has ever existed. It also contains information on how nutrition has developed to what it is today and which kitchen appliances will work best for different recipes. A big and beautiful book. Recommended