Simon Hopkinson

Simon Hopkinson is a former chef and an excellent writer--he is often hailed as the 'food writer's food writer'. He was born on the 5th of June 1954 in Bury, Lancashire. He left school at 17 to begin a career as a chef in the kitchen of Yves Champeau, which formulated a lasting impression, developing his passion for French regional cooking--a passion that would later reveal itself throughout his writings. It was in 1983 when Simon announced himself onto the London restaurant scene, opening Hilaire and drawing attention as a leading young chef. Designer and entrepreneur Terence Conran spotted his talent and persuaded him to lead the kitchen for the opening of Bibendum in 1987. Bibendum was created out of the abandoned Michelin House on Fulham Road which served as Michelin's UK headquarters from 1911 to 1985. Inside the restaurant Hopkinson continued his philosophy of well-judged simple cooking which he garnered from his influences Richard Olney, Jane Grigson and Elizabeth David. Simon left the restaurant in 1995 to concentrate on writing cookery books. Notably Roast Chicken and Other Stories was declared the 'most useful cookbook of all time' in 2005 by Waitrose Food Illustrated, it also won a Glenfiddich Food and Drink Award. He also began a cookery column in The Independent newspaper. Simon Hopkinson has written several other titles since leaving Bibendum, including; Gammon and Spinach and Other Recipes, Second Helpings of Roast Chicken, The Vegetarian Option (which contains two non-vegetarian options), Week In Week Out, Sweetbreads, and Liver and Kidneys. In June 2011 Hopkinson began presenting his popular cookery show The Good Cook on BBC Television. He is represented in the UK by Useful Talent who are experts in celebrity-led endorsement campaigns.