Dirt

[A] rip-roaring buffet of a memoir... This is no typical expat-in-France tale and all the better for it - Buford's Lyonnais capers make for a literary feast.

French Property News, *Christmas Gift Guide 2020*

By turns funny, intimate, insightful, and occasionally heartbreaking. It's a remarkable book, and even readers who don't know a sabayon from a Sabatier will find it endlessly rewarding.

Publishers Weekly, starred review

Dirt is like a long and languorous lunch with far too much to eat and drink, but all the better for it... a very funny book.

Julia Platt Leonard, Independent, *Books of the Year*

Pure pleasure. Masterfully written. If you care at all about food, about writing, about obsessive people with a sense of adventure, you have to read this book. It is, in a word, wonderful.

Ruth Reichl

A witty and well-written account of his [Buford's] move from New York and his immersion into the hard and uncompromising world of the Michelin-starred restaurants of this beautiful city... a brilliant read... Because of Buford's book I'm saving up to go back to Lyon.

Robert Hamilton, Northern Soul, *Books of the Year*

One of the greatest writers of his generation... Bill's latest is required reading for anyone with a love of history, good eating, and masterful storytelling.

David Chang

Brilliantly written over endless drafts and many more years. We won't see its like again.

Allan Jenkins and Molly Tait-Hyland, Observer, *Books of the Year*

A chomping, romping, savoury tour de force: by turns hilarious (often at his own expense); and seriously thought provoking about our relationship with cooking and appetite... You finish it stuffed and groggy with happy illumination but as with every great feast, wanting even more!

Simon Schama

Buford is excellent company - candid, self-deprecating and insatiably, omnivorously interested... [I] wolfed it down.

Orlando Bird, Daily Telegraph

A book to drool for. Magnifique!

Mary Norris

This is no typical expat tale; Buford's vivid descriptions place you firmly in the heat of the kitchen, making for a mouth-wateringly thrilling and authentic dive into France's foodie culture.

France

This book may well be an even greater pleasure than its predecessor... Delightful, highly idiosyncratic.

Lisa Abend, New York Times Book Review

A welcome reminder of simpler times... Buford's writing is filled with humor and heart.

Annabel Gutterman, TIME

A warm and funny and very delicious story about a man late in life falling in love with cooking... Buford [is] an energetic, exquisite writer.

John Freeman, Lit Hub

Hugely entertaining.

Tim Adams, Observer

Another rollicking, food-stuffed entertainment... Gourmets and gourmands will savour this.

Adam Begley, Spectator

I adore Buford's enthusiasm, which is unstinting, endlessly curious and absolutist in the best sense.

Rachel Cooke, Observer

I admire this book enormously; it's a profound and intuitive work of immersive journalism.

Dwight Garner, New York Times

Buford has an inexhaustible zest for life; the book is a tour de force.

Karen Barnes, Delicious

Hugely enjoyable... Buford's patience and composure are remarkable, his reportage illuminating.

Roger Lewis, The Times

For a rip-roaring account of French food culture and the dos and don'ts of working in a kitchen, look no further.

Olivia Marks, Vogue *The Best Food Writing For Autumn 2020*

[An] ecstatic, turbocharged book.

Francesca Carington, Tatler *Best New Autumnal Reads*

Buford is excellent company - candid, self-deprecating and insatiably, omnivorously interested... [I] wolfed it down.

Orlando Bird, Telegraph

Fluidly readable... exhaustive and enlightening.

Stuart Walton, World of Fine Wine

As reportage, it's as immersive as you could wish for. It's also hilarious and humbling

Hephzibah Anderson, Observer