There's no doubt that it's Pierre Koffmann, the three Michelin-starred chef, who is the granddaddy of French cuisine in Britain. Now celebrating 50 years in the business, the self-effacing Pierre has been coaxed out of the kitchen just long enough to write this superlative collection of his classic recipes.

Ranging – as you would expect – from Entrées to Desserts, and everything in between, Classic Koffmann is a worthy successor to Pierre's Memories of Gascony, which earned him the prestigious Glenfiddich Award in 1990. As if its collection of over 100 star recipes from the master chef weren't enough, Classic Koffmann is also beautifully illustrated with photography by master photographer, David Loftus.

And, since Pierre Koffmann has been described as 'the chef of chefs' and 'the chef all other chefs look up to', it's no surprise that many of his protégés – the likes of Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsey, Bruno Loubet, Tom Aikens, William Curley, Helena Puolakka, Tom Kitchin, Eric Chavot, Paul Rhodes – have declared themselves 'honoured' to contribute to this epoch-making book. This younger generation of chefs – all culinary luminaries in their own right – have added their own special stories of their training with Pierre, the insights they gained from him and, of course, their paeans of praise for the man who set them on their path in the world of cooking.

Classic Koffmann offers a masterclass in all that’s best in the French culinary tradition and will most certainly be the must-have cookery book of the season.