WHAT NEIL DID NEXT
Today, Neil Perry is not happy. Not what you’d expect from someone who is publishing a book brimming with joyful cooking. “I’ve done better,” he explains on the day after the start of the Sydney lockdown, which has hit his new restaurant, Margaret, hard, “the very day I was opening…”
His glorious new 400+ page book is the focus today. “It started out as a ‘best of’, then I just kept writing. This food represents a look at my career, what I cook in restaurants and at home. It felt really nice to write one last book.” As you’d expect, there is plenty of raw food and salads, but with more than 20 recipes in the sandwich chapter alone, it’s clear they’re a favourite. “Sandwiches are very underrated; they are so satisfying, and there’s something amazing about really good bread, fantastic butter and whatever you want to stick in between. It’s one of the best things in the world – with high quality and moderation, of course.”
Neil’s own table is a simple but varied affair. “I like a shared table with anchovies, butter, bread, chopped tomatoes, prosciutto and braised zucchini,
