Book excerpt: With over 200 authentic recipes, including 20 new recipes, for local specialities such as creme de noix and the famous cassoulets, Goose Fat & Garlic presents the entire repertoire of dishes from South-West France. Strang takes us chapter-by-chapter through regional delicacies, starting with the basic soup and continuing through to the various meats, fruits, desserts and wines. 'Rich with anecdotes, legends, the stuff of real daily life in South-West France, Goose Fat & Garlic is the kind of book you'll carry right into the kitchen, focusing your energies on meaty daubes, hearty country soups, simple salads dressed with rich, local walnut oil. As you turn the pages you can almost smell the potatoes cooking away with the garlic and parsley, and hear the sizzle of the fire as the leg of lamb turns on the spit. Culling recipes from the baker's wife, the cafe owner, anyone who would listen, Jeanne Strang has produced a book with a ring of authenticity; a must for all cooks with a sense of curiosity and a dose of ambition.' Patricia Wells.