GOOD TEMPERED FOOD is quiet, unhurried, unchaotic cooking to be savoured with its natural accompaniments - conversation, music and a glass of wine. This is old-fashioned, slow cooking - the food we love to eat and cook with a new way to think about it. Preparation, marinating, half-cooking it before time, and adding the last minute touches without feeling stressed. It is what proper cooking is all about. 'This is one of those books that I suspect will never leave my kitchen. I want to eat everything in this book.' Nigel Slater