Читать книгу Len Deighton’s French Cooking for Men: 50 Classic Cookstrips for Today’s Action Men - Len Deighton - Страница 8

My brief for the cover design of French Cooking for Men was to include one of Len Deighton’s landmark cookstrips, an essential ingredient of the book and something that would give a flavour of the delights to be sampled within. We also felt that the addition of the red, white and blue of the French tricolour gave the cover a certain je ne sais quoi.

We chose the ‘Potato’ cookstrip for the cover as it seemed to capture the very essence of this book’s friendly and approachable method of instruction. What better example could there be of transforming the mundane into a culinary marvel by way of some simple French magic?

Taking a lead from the author I sought after an illustration of a group of chefs that would reflect the book’s slightly playful title. After considerable research I came across this vintage photograph of a large group of Continental chefs that seemed to fit the bill perfectly. They looked impressive, conveying a sense of professionalism, yet at the same time charmingly ridiculous. However, I was troubled by the inclusion of the central figure of a civilian in the picture, until I came up with the cheeky idea of transforming his features for that of this book’s author!

Arnold Schwartzman OBE RDI