steak: the biography

The essential reference for steak lovers.

An encyclopaedic yet accessible journey through the world of chefs, farmers, butchers and restaurants, Steak is the essential guide for enthusiasts improving their kitchen skills or diners chasing the greatest steaks around the world.

With stories, recipes, traditional cooking techniques and cutting-edge new ones, you’ll never again overcook a steak or wonder which cut to buy. Plus there’s a guide to butchery, a cooking course (including some steak science)... and Cow Maps.

Steak takes an in-depth look at the historical, cultural and social significance of our favourite cut of meat, and how we might continue to enjoy it sustainably into a long future - it’s the ultimate handbook for anyone who cares about sourcing and cooking great food.

Tim Hayward is an award-winning food journalist and broadcaster, and the author of Food DIY (2013), Knife (2016), The Modern Kitchen (2017) and Loaf Story (2020). He is a regular panelist on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet, frequently presents The Food Programme and in December 2018 made and presented The Gut Instinct: A Social Culture, a five-part Radio 4 series. Tim is both food writer and restaurant reviewer for The Financial Times, and winner of awards including the Fortnum and Mason Food Writer of the Year 2022 and Guild of Food Writers awards for Food Writing and Restaurant Reviews. He is co-owner of Fitzbillies Bakery in Cambridge, UK.