 This is the first cookbook by Rose Carrarini, who co-founded the much-imitated delicatessen, Villandry, in London in 1988 and now serves her signature simple, seasonal and natural food at Rose Bakery, one of Paris’ most affectionately regarded bakeries opened by Rose and her husband Jean-Charles, in Paris in 2002.
At Rose Bakery, everything is prepared, cooked and served fresh on the day. Rose and Jean-Charles discovered an old ‘chartil’ (a place where the old fruit barrows for the markets were kept) near the Gare du Nord where the boundaries between shop window, counter, dining area and kitchen are blurred, a place where visitors feel at home, where the design is timeless and the quality of the food shines through.
Rose defines her principal aims as being: to maintain high quality, to increase the use of organic produce, to encourage more vegetable based dishes, to offer healthier (if possible) desserts and cakes. Rose’s philosophy is that whatever the technique, one does not need fuss and flourish, as it is the flavour that counts. It should have its own dynamic and look right.
 Breakfast, Lunch, Tea includes more than 100 recipes of Rose Bakery’s most popular dishes, from breakfast staples such as crispy granola and fresh fruit compotes to afternoon treats, including lemon tart, sticky toffee pudding and carrot cake as well as soups, risottos and other dishes perfect for a light lunch.
Typical dishes served at Rose Bakery for lunch and included in the book are Courgette and Parmesan Pizzette and Kohlrabi, Cucumber and Mustard Cress Salad, Artichoke and Pea Tart and Asparagus, Chicken and Almond Salad.
Before launching their bakery, Rose and her husband worked in the fashion industry for ten years, running a knitwear business. They often travelled to Italy, France and Japan for work although it soon became obvious that their real interest lay in seeking out local food markets, special restaurants and the best regional produce.
 In 1988 they set up Villandry, the ‘epicerie fine’ in Marylebone which inspired many other havens for food lovers in London with a concept unlike any other at the time: to bring a whole market into one small roof and which formed the foundation for their work at Rose Bakery.
Breakfast Lunch Tea by Rose Carrarini, with photographs by Toby Glanville, is published by Phaidon Press 2006, £19.95 / €29.95. For more information visit www.phaidon.com
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