Do celebrity chefs really write their own books?

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

I can't imagine Gordon Ramsey sitting down at a computer, can you?

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, I suspect, writes every word of his, because the River Cottage Meat Book reads like exactly the kind of cookery book someone with an Oxford arts degree would write.

Jamie Oliver - I think he wrote the first Naked Chef book and the next few were done on a dictaphone. Now someone just has a chat with him and produces Jamie-like text, just like someone writing a celebrity biography, though I'm sure he does most of the recipes (that's my guess).

Does anyone actually know, or want to join me in speculating?

oh and not just the books, the weekly newspaper columns too.

I think Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater definitely write their own books.

I would like to think Jamie Oliver wrote Jamie's Italy as there is a lot of comment in there about his trip and the country and the food.

Ummm... I bet Delia writes every word of hers, because she is good and nice.

LOL MaMonkey.
Yes, I bet you're spot on.
Especially about Delia.

i can't bring myself to cook any of the stuff in hugh's books which is a giant pain as i have several and they are massive. didn't i read here that he doesn't use his own recipes? i am sure he doesn't write them, they don't really hang together and have a whiff of free paper columnist desperately rewriting traditional faviourites. am certain he writes every bloody word of the endless bloody sermon at the front though.

poor nigella seems to have run out of inspiration, she def writes her own, but each book has been more and more of a collection of other people's recipes.

I'm trying to think of other chefs to make spurious judgements about, but I'm having trouble.

As a sweeping generalisation, I reckon that most of these Michelin star chefs who turn up on food programmes for a while, then chuck out one glossy book full of pictures rather than recipes and then disappear again with the cash don't write them themselves.

"but each book has been more and more of a collection of other people's recipes"

You know, though, that's partly what I love about her and Nigel Slater. They are quite happy to admit that not all the recipes are new or theirs (and frankly, there can't be a lot of new recipes out there anymore) and having a collection of tried and tested recipes all brought together in one book for me to read is much more appealing than going back to the original sources.

Although, having said that I do adore Elizabeth David.

You're kidding Fishie - I love the River Cottage Meat Book, though Hugh's Guardian recipes never seem to appeal. I have cooked a few things from the first River Cottage book as well and they've all been lovely, though it's a bit random in terms of finding something you actually want to cook/can find ingredients for.

I can believe he doesn't really innovate, but that's fine by me.

I suppose celeb chefs like Nigella have to do a book a year or they will drop out of the public eye. Hence the endless repetition.

gordon's aren't really recipes, just suggestion of how to cook (say) a lamb chop. with half a pack of butter.

i prefer cooks to chefs, prefer hairy bikers over raymond blanc any day. (oh dear)

i've got a lot of traditional type books - daily express granny's cookbook from 1950s, that sort of thing. so i always use them rather than hugh and that really doesn't leave much. and i followed his instructions for roast beef and it was RAW because he doesn't allow for smaller joints properly.

I am a recent convert to nigella. I picked up her domestic goddess book in a friends house and just had to buy the book. Her writing actually makes me taste the food. Sadly my excellent weight loss of the past year is now in serious trouble.

I love the hairy bikers.

Si is my Crush Of Shame.

I adore Elizabeth David in theory but I when I make her stuff I always end up feeling that I've not got it quite right. Perhaps I am just not a good enough cook to manage without glossy photos. (I am not that good )

Are Hairy Bikers good? I never have exotic enough ingredients.

LOL @ you having a crush on one MaMonkey. Did you see them on Saturday Kitchen where someone switched the eggs for boiled ones in the omelette challenge?

Hmm, do you think James Martin writes his?

I have avoided Nigella so far because I am worried there is something not quite feminist about her recipes. Perhaps I should stop worrying and just make the damn cakes.

i love nigella too, all of her books are in constant use.

i've got far keener on non-celeb books lately, have got this www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0754817040/202-1592214-5955047 from library, very good.

I like readind ED but very rarely cook her stuff. I feel like it gives me a grounding and understanding of the food she is writing about.

I think it's probably difficult to reproduce though as she presumably using a completely different quality of ingredients than we would be able to. Tomatoes grown under a Mediterrean sun, best quality olive oil, fish just off the boat, the sort of thing that we rarely see these days.

I love the omlette challenge on Saturday Kitchen! Especially that one.

I hope James Martin writes his, as he seems like such a nice boy (I really need to stop thinking like I know famous people cos they're on my TV!). I watched his gardening programme and he seemed really genuine and excited on that.

I've also moved away from more famous names (apart from food writers rather than chefs) and I agree, a lot of these generic books are really good. Especially if you can be bothered to do the research and find the ones that are edited by writers/editors from the foodie magazines. I think it's because all the recipes are better tested than those jotted down by cleb chefs in between servings.

is si the sweet little one? i haven't exactly got a crush but i'd def make him dinner. actually the big viking one is quite nice too. i quite like beards.

can't stand bloody james martin and his horrid poncy puddings. did you see that vile series where he made horrible meals for mismatched couples on a yacht? he just wanders around pitching stupid ideas at random till he gets another series. i bet he's got an enormous home ec team and he swans out of dressing room to waft a spoon at the camera.

Si is the big viking one! He could pillage my village, or something. I think he appeals to my throwback genes.

Oh no! I think James is a darling boy. Admittedly he certainly does know how to make the money though.

His last series - Sweet Baby James - was a bit odd though. Veh homoerotic with littleWill. Maybe he's looking to get into a new market!

interesting about prefering chefs to cooks, me too. I am a cook although I describe myself as a chef for simplicity - but in actual fact a chef is much more of a manager than a hands on ingredient fondling recipe formulating cook, that's if they are actually working in theses restaurants they claim to run, although as "Executive Chef" they may be consulted about seasonal changes to menus and stylistic content and marketing strategies but I bet they very very rarely get time both in the kitchen and in the food markets unmolested in order to actually create.

Jamie has dyslexia and learning challenges so he may have found it easier to dictate.

MaMonkey, I like your theory as to why my Elizabeth David stuff never tastes that good.

I like Australian Woman's Weekly for generic books.

Will watch the Hairy Bikers with more interest next time they're on.... somehow I have never thought about them in that way.