What is the first evening meal that Ian Fleming describes in the James Bond books? The answer is a very small tournedos with sauce Béarnaise, and a single artichoke heart, which James Bond consumes in the restaurant of the Hotel Splendide in Casino Royale
Entering Orléans during his pursuit of Goldfinger through France in Ian Fleming’s 1959 novel, James Bond reflects that in other circumstances he would have spent a night at the Auberge de la Montespan, situated on the north bank of the Loire.
To celebrate his promotion to the Diplomatic Section in You Only Live Twice, James Bond decides to take his secretary Mary Goodnight out to dinner at Scott's for their first roast grouse of the season
As you may know (and even have heard), the other week I appeared on The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4. I had a great time recording the programme and talking about the food of James Bond, and I even cooked two recipes - oyster stew (as mentioned in '007 in New York') and Bond's … Continue reading James Bond food on air
In John Pearson's 'biography' of James Bond, Bond recalls how, before the war, he and an old school friend, 'Burgler' Brinton, had motored from Geneva to Paris. On the way, they stopped at Mâcon for lunch of poularde 'comme chez soi' and Champagne at the Auberge Bressane.
One of the oddest things that James Bond eats in Ian Fleming's novels is the half avocado with French dressing in Casino Royale. It's not so much what he eats, but when he eats it.
In an article in The Times, journalist Oliver Moody reported on the opening up of the archives of one of the UK's most famous high-street retailers, Marks and Spencer. Looking at some of the foods mentioned, the piece could have been describing James Bond's typical diet, which serves to remind us just how unfamiliar and exotic Bond's food was to the early readers of Ian Fleming's novels.
A slice of pineapple is the perfect response to the richness of James Bond's main course of lamb cutlets and asparagus with sauce Béarnaise at M's club, Blades, in Moonraker.
My recipe for oyster stew appears in my cookbook, Licence to Cook. That version uses smoked oysters, but if you prefer to use live oysters, then look no further.
James Bond diet doesn't consist entirely of gourmet dishes, rich sauces and Champagne. In 'For Your Eyes Only', Bond's on survival rations.
