Taken from his much-loved columns in The Independent, Week In Week Out brings together 52 stories about ingredients with their associated recipes. Each week Simon focuses on a particular seasonal ingredient, such as scallops, or a particularly apposite dish, such as Wintery Citrus Puddings or a favourite foodie topic such as the best dishes eaten on a recent trip to Paris. The recipes all take their lead from the time of year, and use the very best in-season ingredients. Simon Hopkinson's enthusiasm for robust, flavoursome and homely cooking and quality ingredients is infectious; his writing is warm and witty and his ethos - 'cook for pleasure rather than slavishness towards fashion' - permeates the book. It is a book written to be used and used regularly in the kitchen.

Widely recognised as one of the UK's finest food writers, Simon Hopkinson attracts a large and loyal following. Following the success of his first restaurant in Dinas, near Fishguard, Simon moved to London and soon became one of the most highly acclaimed chefs in the capital. In 1995 he relinquished his post as chef at Bibendum to concentrate on writing - his great passion. He has written several inspiring books and his captivating writing in The Independent received many accolades. His first book Roast Chicken and Other Stories won both the Andre Simon and Glenfiddich Awards. More recently, it was voted 'the most useful cookery book of all time' in a survey of food writers, chefs and restaurateurs - a measure of the huge respect Simon has from his contemporaries. His other books include Second Helpings of Roast Chicken and The Vegetarian Option, which was also published by Quadrille.