MELANOS Kitchen

''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 a working kitchen.''