Trinity: The Cookbook looks set to be Adam Byatt’s defining work, distilling what he’s learnt over more than three decades in professional kitchens. Byatt chose well, starting out as an apprentice under John Williams at Claridge’s and later working with Phil Howard at his celebrated Mayfair restaurant The Square.
The book marks 20 years since Byatt opened Trinity in Clapham Old Town and follows his first cookbook, How to Eat In, a decidedly less cheffy affair published in 2010 when Byatt wasn’t nearly as well known.
Michelin-starred chefs knocking out a cookbook or two is nothing new, but there’s something special about this one. Byatt has never been one to do things by halves, and the care that’s gone into choosing, writing and presenting the recipes is clear on the page.
As evidenced by his very popular social media videos, Byatt has a real gift for identifying and explaining the steps that elevate something from simply good to exceptional. His methods are exacting and detailed where they need to be.
The book follows the rhythm of a day at Trinity, from morning through lunch, afternoon, dinner and late night, with a separate section for Christmas. Alongside the recipes are essays and behind-the-scenes stories about the people, produce and service that have shaped the restaurant since it opened in 2006.
There are around 80 restaurant dishes, chosen to show how Trinity’s cooking has evolved over two decades. Among them are classics such as crispy pig’s trotters with sauce gribiche and crackling, beef tartare with pickled mushrooms, bone marrow and caviar, chicken vin jaune and the kitchen’s famed tarte Tatin.
Tucked into a neat little pocket at the back is The Trinity Repertoire, a roughly A5 handbook of simpler recipes and kitchen basics that sits alongside the more elaborate dishes in the main book. The recipes are developed and explained with the same care, whether it’s a stock, a hollandaise or a more complex bouillabaisse-inspired sauce.
Trinity alumni including Tom Sellers, Angelo Sato and Aaron Potter have gone on to make names for themselves, and the book feels like an extension of Byatt’s work as a mentor as well as a fitting tribute to one of London’s most beloved places to eat.
Trinity: The Cookbook
Number of pages: 320
Must try recipe: Salt caramel custard tart
Publisher and price: Quadrille, £55