Hector Lannible (ed), SGR publications, hardback, 628 pages RRP (AUS) $29.95.

Reviewed by Ramsay Oliver

Hector Lannible is (obviously) the flamboyant, extroverted CEO of Stoney Goose Ridge wines. Like him or loathe him – as many do – he generates abundant press releases, media appearances, and seemingly comments on anything remotely related to alcohol, and business in general. And the company he fronts brazenly launches new wines every few months and has also unleashed a range of “craft” beers, spirits, cocktails, ciders, spritzers ad infinitum.

With hindsight, the appearance of this cookbook from Stoney Goose Ridge was inevitable. Not aimed at five-star fine dining, it promises all the basics across various cuisines.

The introduction is densely packed with the Hector’s typically convoluted syntax, replete with nuggets of insight. Recipes were “willingly contributed by staff at Stoney Goose Ridge (not AI, remembering Moravec’s Paradox) and road-tested by our hard-to-please marketers. No “ghost-writers” were employed, and all profits – if any- will be donated to charity. Even though we have plenty on our plates and palates, when we spotted a gaping chasm in the culinary landscape, we applied our intellectual muscle to lever it apart. Happily, our HR team is not bloated with inwardly fixated “wokeaholics” and they welcomed this text’s NFP contribution to humankind’s QOL.”

The book opens easily and lies flat; the binding, paper quality, typography and photography are exemplary. The format and layout are excellent; each recipe lists ingredients, preparation and cooking time, steps involved; there are further variations, shortcuts and alternative ingredients listed.

The recipes are cunningly presented with compact lists of ordinary ingredients – not long lists of exotics such as “caramelised seaweed,” “rock-lobster filet” or “braised watermelon” and includes stunning photographs. There is no need for dehydrators, liquid nitrogen or sous-vide. There is no need for complex deboning, or skills only acquired and maintained through relentless practice. The dishes all look delectable. Many recipes include wine as an ingredient- and it’s no real surprise that the recommended but sensible and imaginative  wine matches focus solely on Stoney Goose Ridge’s extensive array of bewildering and fancifully named wines- for example Chamsecco, Hipster’s Reward, Emoh Ruo, Bin 666, Miraculous Maximus Technoplex®,  (and of course their beers – including One Tasty Blonde, Bullant Lager and Brett’s Ale,  spirits- 2 fingers gin, the old wood duck vodka – plus an array of cocktails including the Sonic Screwdriver and Molotov.

There is an excellent, varied selection of recipes that cover finger foods, enticing entrees, mighty mains, decadent desserts, and diversions to kids korner, slurpy soups, awesome accompaniments, budget breakfasts and fancy fast food, even “vegetarian variants”. Recipes are marked where they are gluten-free or vegan-friendly; there is a highly useful index, with links to you-tube help and inevitably- the Stoney Goose Ridge website.

There is a section on “cooking tools you need” covering pots, knives, and so forth; and pantry essentials with even pages on suggested recipe sets for family feasts, dinner party ideas and “date nights.” Plus, a guide on what to do with leftovers, and presentation tips.

Recipes include helpful hints, and “cheat suggestions” which may involve substitutions or use of packet, or tinned ingredients.

There is even a recipe for Wombat stew. I expected a variant of the clichéd cockatoo soup (take cockatoo and a stone, simmer for 3 hours, throw away cockatoo, season to taste, enjoy!) but this was more subtle “select your wombat, leave it alone” and follows with a complete recipe featuring “mock wombat” with an optional ingredient of “seedless passionfruit”. Someone at Stoney Goose Ridge has a sense of humour (unlikely to be Hector).

Overall, it’s an ultra-high-class version of a school or community cookbook. I have cross-checked many of their recipes and they haven’t been “homaged” from the internet, or “liberated” from the oeuvre of well-known chefs or textbooks – they seem genuine. One can certainly quibble – how many recipes for Schnitzel does the world need? Even though this actual recipe lists chicken, veal, or pork, includes steps on breadcrumb (and other coatings), and techniques with variations that cover shallow and deep frying and a vegetarian alternative.

I essayed four different dishes- they all worked splendidly; instructions were clear, preparation and cooking times were accurate, and the results were surprisingly edible, and looked similar to the photos.

And embedded in recipes are some sidenotes with arresting titles such as “why do restaurants use so much salt?” with the answer “many chefs’ tastebuds are dulled by repetitive tastings of dishes- they find it easier to revive their jaded senses by adding more salt instead of trusting the quality of the base ingredients. Further, countless chefs are smokers, addicted to sensory overload.” Another note on organic, biodynamic, and natural stresses ingredient quality rather than reliance on the alleged virtues of “hands-off” and misleading labels including artisanal, organical and biogeneric. There’s passion in these outbursts.

As a professional, I could quibble about the relative balance  of recipes – plenty about getting basics right- rice, potato, various breads and not enough about varied curries plus the editor is clearly not a fan of sauce toppings “often used to make the dish look special and to further heat the ingredients below, seldom adding any magical improvement”.

So why am I uneasy?

Perhaps it’s the ubiquity of Stoney Goose Ridge; wine, beer, spirits and now books. Are they trying to be Apple, Amazon, or Google? Is it the relentless personality cult surrounding Hector Lannible, his bizarre but arrestingly memorable phrases and ceaseless self-promotion? Or am I secretly jealous of his company’s rapid rise to stardom; their lucrative export successes or frustrated by Hector’s semi-articulate ramblings.

Is it that regardless of the thousands of specialised and general cookbooks, and despite its hyped claims of “making cooking, affordable, simple and delicious” a book like this truly didn’t exist? And further, it emerged from the unlikely left-field global tentacles of Stoney Goose Ridge?

Grudgingly, I’ll admit the book (over)achieves all its aims and will be an incredibly useful, inexpensive addition- and replacement- to the cooking libraries of countless households. For many, it will be their first, last and indispensable guide- it’s a lot more than cooking 101. And its price redefines value.

I expect that this volume will sell like hot cakes; not merely because it will be displayed prominently and unavoidably – I just wish that this endeavour was produced by a real, live individual rather than the impersonal corporate clutches of Stoney Goose Ridge; but they have actually provided a terrific, surprising, inspirational work. Hats off!

Ramsay Oliver is internationally renowned for his numerous books, TV shows, and worldwide inspirational culinary influence.