My Kind of Food is a very personal book from John, full of the food that he loves to cook and eat, recipes that he makes away from the cameras and professional kitchens.
In John’s words:
‘My world as I know it started with my Nanna’s roasting tin, a chicken and a wooden spoon. The food she cooked was always simple, but delicious. Her cauliflower cheese was awesome, her caramel slice wonderful and I am still searching for a recipe to make her apple tea cake.
So life started simply for me. Since then I have cooked in professional kitchens, run my own restaurants and done a lot of telly. Some of you may have eaten in my restaurants, some may have seen me on MasterChef, but I guess that not many of you know what I really cook for myself and my friends and family.
This book is about how I cook at home and the chapters reflect me and the things in life I love - how I eat and how I cook. At its heart, it is simple, but it’s definitely also influenced by my years in restaurant kitchens. I don’t tend to define my food by type or style. I guess you could say that these are my real favourites - a behind-the-scenes look at my own kitchen!’
BRUNCH TO LUNCH
The Aussie in me is all about eating through the morning. My perfect day starts slowly - if breakfast is the meal of kings, then brunch is the food of emperors.
FOR THE FAMILY
Although I am a professional cook, I have a number of dishes that I rely on at home. They are all tried-and-tested, some are posh, some are simple, but all are favourites.
IN A RUSH
I cook every day, but sometimes it needs to be quick and easy. But there’s no reason why a quick meal should not be tasty.
STORES AND LEFTOVERS
Great food is created from necessity. Open your cupboards and look for the potential in your fridge. For many a minefield, but for me a gold mine. These are the recipes I know well from being a boy and watching in wonder what could be made with a bit of this and a bit of that. Not complicated just delicious.
ALL OUTSIDE
Well, I am an Aussie. Some of the best food in the world is cooked outside, where having fun is as important as cooking.
AND TO FINISH
I love a good dessert. A proper steaming pudding with thick custard or real ice cream. It’s all about being a kid and not caring about sugar and spice. Cakes and tarts and pies and lots of them.
