Ians Autobiography
Ian McAndrew’s memoir, Just Call Me Chef, traces over five decades in professional kitchens, from a working class childhood in County Durham to Michelin starred success in London. With wit and honesty, he reveals the pressure, sacrifice and joy behind a life spent cooking at the very top.
£9.99
The kitchen isn’t just a place to work; it’s a place to live.
From dodging metalwork class to running Michelin-starred restaurants, Ian McAndrew’s career has been anything but conventional. In Just Call Me Chef, McAndrew offers a candid, warts-and-all account of over five decades spent shaping the face of modern British cooking.
This autobiography invites you behind the hotplate, chronicling the journey of a scruffy lad from Seaham, County Durham, who rose to become one of the UK’s most respected culinary figures.
🔪 What’s Inside:
- The Early Days: Discover how a domestic science class—inspired by a teacher who resembled pop star Sandie Shaw—sparked his lifelong passion.
- The Big Leagues: Relive the intense atmosphere of London’s most prestigious kitchens, from The Dorchester to The Carlton Tower, and his foundational work as a member of Mosimann’s Club 9.
- Michelin Stardom: Follow his rise as he achieved his first Michelin Star at Eastwell Manor, less than a year after opening, and opened his own celebrated Restaurant Seventy Four, which quickly earned a star itself.
- A Life of Ventures: Go behind the scenes of ventures like Cogan House, an English Brasserie, his foray into London with Restaurant One Sixteen, and his transformative role in NHS catering reform.
- The Personal Journey: Read about his enduring partnership with his wife, Jane, and the deeply personal story of adopting their son, Connor, later in life.
- A Chef’s Legacy: Reflect on the hard-won lessons from industry crashes and fierce critics, culminating in his eventual retirement from running the acclaimed Blackaddie House Hotel in Scotland.
Just Call Me Chef is more than a food memoir; it’s a journey through the evolution of the hospitality industry, revealing the relentless discipline, unexpected humour, and sheer passion required to build a lasting culinary legacy.
