Elizabeth David
Her life was remarkable and her legacy astonishing. Her brilliant writing stems from a genuine love of food and an intellectual interest in how and why it is prepared. For her food and living were inseparable. Drawing on dishes she had eaten and learned from cooks in France, Italy, Greece and North Africa, her books are evocative pieces of travel writing, creating an instant connection with the places she had visited, and hence her recipes are like a diary and have stood the test of time. Practically all of today's serious food writers have acknowledged her influence (and continue to do so).