Great book, but don't buy if you have "Keep it Simple", 05 Jan 2009
This is a great book with great recipies but don't buy if you already have his "Keep it Simple" book as many of the recipies are repeated. I was pleased to receive this as a gift on christmas day but looking through it, was able to see my favourite recipies from keep it simple, like pork boulangerie, tuna with horseradish, burnt lamb, chicken livers with mincemeat were repeated. I feel a bit cheated rather than delighted now!

great!, 26 Dec 2008
I've always been a fan of Gary's but never to the extent that I've bought his books. This I got and it is great and there are so many recipes that I wish to try. Plus the bargain is quite a few have turned out to be lower fat ones or ones I can easily adjust to make lower in fat, etc. So, to me this is a great book which will be used to death.

top class flavour in a quarter of the time, 16 Oct 2008
Gary Rhodes's recipes are always absolutely amazing, but usually they are fiddly and take loads of ingredients and effort to do. This book is more along the lines of "Keep It Simple", but is even more aimed at the home chef than that book was. I respect Gary as a top class restaurant chef, but with this book you can make his versions of normal home cooking. I tried out the Macaroni Cheese recipe this evening. Instead of requiring a fiddly roux-based cheese sauce, his version has a much lighter, quicker whipped together sauce of creme fraiche and strong-flavoured cheese. It was ready almost instantly, and tasted much healthier and generally just better than other Macaroni cheese recipes. I will definitely make Macaroni Cheese like that from now on.

It isn't just nursery cooking, though; he has quick midweek suppers for one like stir fries and quick fish dishes - slighter posher menus for two; and then lengthier recipes again like roast lamb for weekends. There's also loads of breakfast ideas (even gammon and pineapple!) healthy lunches like grilled tuna with nicoise salsa; and afternoon tea. Everything sounds really tempting, but more importantly, you can really often buy all the ingredients in Sainsburys Local/Tesco Metro without having to trek to a "proper" supermarket. I am really excited about the idea of having a simple recipe book for everyday eating that actually tastes delicious. Well worth the money.

Great book, but don't buy if you have "Keep it Simple", 05 Jan 2009
This is a great book with great recipies but don't buy if you already have his "Keep it Simple" book as many of the recipies are repeated. I was pleased to receive this as a gift on christmas day but looking through it, was able to see my favourite recipies from keep it simple, like pork boulangerie, tuna with horseradish, burnt lamb, chicken livers with mincemeat were repeated. I feel a bit cheated rather than delighted now!

great!, 26 Dec 2008
I've always been a fan of Gary's but never to the extent that I've bought his books. This I got and it is great and there are so many recipes that I wish to try. Plus the bargain is quite a few have turned out to be lower fat ones or ones I can easily adjust to make lower in fat, etc. So, to me this is a great book which will be used to death.

top class flavour in a quarter of the time, 16 Oct 2008
Gary Rhodes's recipes are always absolutely amazing, but usually they are fiddly and take loads of ingredients and effort to do. This book is more along the lines of "Keep It Simple", but is even more aimed at the home chef than that book was. I respect Gary as a top class restaurant chef, but with this book you can make his versions of normal home cooking. I tried out the Macaroni Cheese recipe this evening. Instead of requiring a fiddly roux-based cheese sauce, his version has a much lighter, quicker whipped together sauce of creme fraiche and strong-flavoured cheese. It was ready almost instantly, and tasted much healthier and generally just better than other Macaroni cheese recipes. I will definitely make Macaroni Cheese like that from now on.

It isn't just nursery cooking, though; he has quick midweek suppers for one like stir fries and quick fish dishes - slighter posher menus for two; and then lengthier recipes again like roast lamb for weekends. There's also loads of breakfast ideas (even gammon and pineapple!) healthy lunches like grilled tuna with nicoise salsa; and afternoon tea. Everything sounds really tempting, but more importantly, you can really often buy all the ingredients in Sainsburys Local/Tesco Metro without having to trek to a "proper" supermarket. I am really excited about the idea of having a simple recipe book for everyday eating that actually tastes delicious. Well worth the money.

Does what it says on the cover, 19 Nov 2008
I like this book, far more than my wife, as its good wholesome food generally with a slight twist.
None of the recipes particularly blow your mind, but they are all quite easy to make and taste good.

Simple, but not lacking in flavour, 02 Jul 2008
I believe in simplicity.In my business, at the gym and in the food I eat.This is a godsend. Simple doesn't always mean easy, but in this case it's easy to use and produce delicious food, with a minimum of fuss.Any chef worth their salt will tell you food is at it's best when it's kept simple.Using this as your guide, you can create fantastic meals without slavishly following recipies, as Gary gives you lots of tips and ideas to vary the dishes to suit you.

Typically Gary Rhodes - 'keeping it simple', 04 May 2007
A cookery book where `the basics' such as simply roasting pork, or lamb or beef and making their natural partners such as Yorkshire Pudding or Horseradish Sauce or `Simply the Best' Potatoes meet the more ambitious sounding:-
'Halloumi with Cucumber Pappardelle and Avocado' and 'Leek, Ham and Brie Slice'!

`This is the book I've wanted to write for so many years, one that isn't dictated or overly influenced by my 30 years in professional kitchens.
Yes, there are bits and pieces of that here, but generally, I'm just sharing with you the foods and dishes I like to cook at home....
Good cooking doesn't have to consist of lots of expensive ingredients, 'the simpler the better' couldn't be more accurate.
It's important to remember, however, that `quality' ingredients are the essence of good food. These hold so much flavour which means they don't have to rely on overcomplicated cooking.
Quite a variety of ingredients feature in these pages; most are cheap and easy to find, but none of the recipes are set in stone. Follow your own instincts and use this book as a guide from which to discover and create your own favourites, treating the recipes as a sort of 'pick 'n' mix', swapping and changing ingredients where it suits....
I want you to enjoy cooking and eating from this collection as much as I do...'

415 high quality shiny pages split over 10 main chapters:-

keeping fish simple
keeping seafood simple
keeping poultry simple
keeping pork simple
keeping lamb simple
keeping beef simple
keeping vegetables simple
keeping pasta & rice simple
keeping eggs & cheese simple
keeping desserts simple

sandwiched between an introduction, `my kitchen' and a concise index.

Each chapter opens with relevant narrative and notes e.g. selection and cooking of the specific ingredients.
Simple or basic recipes precede the main ones.
Each recipe is clearly laid out with number of servings, ingredients and method. Most have opening notes and all finish with `and more' hints, which is additional information - to `enhance' or `tweak`.

A majority of the main dishes are accompanied by mouth-watering, full page photographs.

A taste of the recipes within (and there are so many, it really is hard to choose a small selection!):-

Dover sole with hot lemon butter
Turbot t-bone with a béarnaise sauce
Prawn bisque
Chicken with wholegrain mustard asparagus
Roasted duck with red wine blackberries
Pork chops with an apple tart topping
White pork and wild mushroom stew
West Country squab pie
Café de Paris butter
Steak au poivre burger
Asparagus vichyssoise
Ragù
Ratatouille omelette
Clapshot
Pasta tartare
Sloe gin and stilton bites
Chocolate brownie mousse
Steamed Simnel pudding
Cracked raspberry meringue

Another Gary Rhodes book I couldn't live without, 05 Mar 2007
When I moved to the Middle East several years ago I enjoyed great new tastes but after a while I hankered for good old home cooking like Mum used to do but which I never quite mastered. My sister-in-law suggested Gary Rhodes New British Classics and it's a book that is dog-eared from use. I'm the first one to admit that my culinary skills are limited to say the least but Gary's New British Classics recipes are easier than you would expect from a man who does complicated for a living.

When I saw Gary Rhodes bring out a book called `Keeping it Simple'....well it just looked made for those of us who like tasty recipes but who are challenged in the kitchen arena. Keeping it Simple didn't disappoint. The dishes are arranged by section with all the fish recipes together, poultry together and so on. At the beginning of every section Gary details how you identify a good piece of chicken/fish/beef and lists some simple methods of cooking them and some easy complimentary sauces. And all that is before you even see the recipes! The recipes are easy, no-fuss recipes with few ingredients but which are big on taste. The accompanying pictures make your mouth water and although my finished results don't look quite as impressive as Gary's pictures each recipe has been a great success. A definite book for those who want to be able to cook nice food without pulling their hair out!


One of My Top Five, 22 Feb 2007
I have been cooking for 20 years and to be honest not a fan of watching gary rhodes but this book is fantastic. All recipes have a handful of ingredients and he proves this is all you need to make a fantastic meal. I have a craving for thick end of pork belly since this book you have to try the recipe, what an underated meat. Every recipe has been fantastic.

Great book, but don't buy if you have "Keep it Simple", 05 Jan 2009
This is a great book with great recipies but don't buy if you already have his "Keep it Simple" book as many of the recipies are repeated. I was pleased to receive this as a gift on christmas day but looking through it, was able to see my favourite recipies from keep it simple, like pork boulangerie, tuna with horseradish, burnt lamb, chicken livers with mincemeat were repeated. I feel a bit cheated rather than delighted now!

great!, 26 Dec 2008
I've always been a fan of Gary's but never to the extent that I've bought his books. This I got and it is great and there are so many recipes that I wish to try. Plus the bargain is quite a few have turned out to be lower fat ones or ones I can easily adjust to make lower in fat, etc. So, to me this is a great book which will be used to death.

top class flavour in a quarter of the time, 16 Oct 2008
Gary Rhodes's recipes are always absolutely amazing, but usually they are fiddly and take loads of ingredients and effort to do. This book is more along the lines of "Keep It Simple", but is even more aimed at the home chef than that book was. I respect Gary as a top class restaurant chef, but with this book you can make his versions of normal home cooking. I tried out the Macaroni Cheese recipe this evening. Instead of requiring a fiddly roux-based cheese sauce, his version has a much lighter, quicker whipped together sauce of creme fraiche and strong-flavoured cheese. It was ready almost instantly, and tasted much healthier and generally just better than other Macaroni cheese recipes. I will definitely make Macaroni Cheese like that from now on.

It isn't just nursery cooking, though; he has quick midweek suppers for one like stir fries and quick fish dishes - slighter posher menus for two; and then lengthier recipes again like roast lamb for weekends. There's also loads of breakfast ideas (even gammon and pineapple!) healthy lunches like grilled tuna with nicoise salsa; and afternoon tea. Everything sounds really tempting, but more importantly, you can really often buy all the ingredients in Sainsburys Local/Tesco Metro without having to trek to a "proper" supermarket. I am really excited about the idea of having a simple recipe book for everyday eating that actually tastes delicious. Well worth the money.

Does what it says on the cover, 19 Nov 2008
I like this book, far more than my wife, as its good wholesome food generally with a slight twist.
None of the recipes particularly blow your mind, but they are all quite easy to make and taste good.

Simple, but not lacking in flavour, 02 Jul 2008
I believe in simplicity.In my business, at the gym and in the food I eat.This is a godsend. Simple doesn't always mean easy, but in this case it's easy to use and produce delicious food, with a minimum of fuss.Any chef worth their salt will tell you food is at it's best when it's kept simple.Using this as your guide, you can create fantastic meals without slavishly following recipies, as Gary gives you lots of tips and ideas to vary the dishes to suit you.

Typically Gary Rhodes - 'keeping it simple', 04 May 2007
A cookery book where `the basics' such as simply roasting pork, or lamb or beef and making their natural partners such as Yorkshire Pudding or Horseradish Sauce or `Simply the Best' Potatoes meet the more ambitious sounding:-
'Halloumi with Cucumber Pappardelle and Avocado' and 'Leek, Ham and Brie Slice'!

`This is the book I've wanted to write for so many years, one that isn't dictated or overly influenced by my 30 years in professional kitchens.
Yes, there are bits and pieces of that here, but generally, I'm just sharing with you the foods and dishes I like to cook at home....
Good cooking doesn't have to consist of lots of expensive ingredients, 'the simpler the better' couldn't be more accurate.
It's important to remember, however, that `quality' ingredients are the essence of good food. These hold so much flavour which means they don't have to rely on overcomplicated cooking.
Quite a variety of ingredients feature in these pages; most are cheap and easy to find, but none of the recipes are set in stone. Follow your own instincts and use this book as a guide from which to discover and create your own favourites, treating the recipes as a sort of 'pick 'n' mix', swapping and changing ingredients where it suits....
I want you to enjoy cooking and eating from this collection as much as I do...'

415 high quality shiny pages split over 10 main chapters:-

keeping fish simple
keeping seafood simple
keeping poultry simple
keeping pork simple
keeping lamb simple
keeping beef simple
keeping vegetables simple
keeping pasta & rice simple
keeping eggs & cheese simple
keeping desserts simple

sandwiched between an introduction, `my kitchen' and a concise index.

Each chapter opens with relevant narrative and notes e.g. selection and cooking of the specific ingredients.
Simple or basic recipes precede the main ones.
Each recipe is clearly laid out with number of servings, ingredients and method. Most have opening notes and all finish with `and more' hints, which is additional information - to `enhance' or `tweak`.

A majority of the main dishes are accompanied by mouth-watering, full page photographs.

A taste of the recipes within (and there are so many, it really is hard to choose a small selection!):-

Dover sole with hot lemon butter
Turbot t-bone with a béarnaise sauce
Prawn bisque
Chicken with wholegrain mustard asparagus
Roasted duck with red wine blackberries
Pork chops with an apple tart topping
White pork and wild mushroom stew
West Country squab pie
Café de Paris butter
Steak au poivre burger
Asparagus vichyssoise
Ragù
Ratatouille omelette
Clapshot
Pasta tartare
Sloe gin and stilton bites
Chocolate brownie mousse
Steamed Simnel pudding
Cracked raspberry meringue

Another Gary Rhodes book I couldn't live without, 05 Mar 2007
When I moved to the Middle East several years ago I enjoyed great new tastes but after a while I hankered for good old home cooking like Mum used to do but which I never quite mastered. My sister-in-law suggested Gary Rhodes New British Classics and it's a book that is dog-eared from use. I'm the first one to admit that my culinary skills are limited to say the least but Gary's New British Classics recipes are easier than you would expect from a man who does complicated for a living.

When I saw Gary Rhodes bring out a book called `Keeping it Simple'....well it just looked made for those of us who like tasty recipes but who are challenged in the kitchen arena. Keeping it Simple didn't disappoint. The dishes are arranged by section with all the fish recipes together, poultry together and so on. At the beginning of every section Gary details how you identify a good piece of chicken/fish/beef and lists some simple methods of cooking them and some easy complimentary sauces. And all that is before you even see the recipes! The recipes are easy, no-fuss recipes with few ingredients but which are big on taste. The accompanying pictures make your mouth water and although my finished results don't look quite as impressive as Gary's pictures each recipe has been a great success. A definite book for those who want to be able to cook nice food without pulling their hair out!


One of My Top Five, 22 Feb 2007
I have been cooking for 20 years and to be honest not a fan of watching gary rhodes but this book is fantastic. All recipes have a handful of ingredients and he proves this is all you need to make a fantastic meal. I have a craving for thick end of pork belly since this book you have to try the recipe, what an underated meat. Every recipe has been fantastic.

Review, 30 Jan 2008
A true Master Chef - I own practically all Gary Rhodes cookery books and use them quite regularly. As with all his books, the recipes are accurate,and, as far as I am concerned, all translate from book to plate perfectly. Here is a true and committed cook, unafraid to pass on not only his wonderful recipes but many techniques that the reader is lucky enough to learn without putting in the years that this Michelin star hero has invested. The book makes wonderful food reading if the purchase is for that reason only.

You'll love it, 15 Nov 2005
I love this book and you will too. Gary Rhodes is the king of classic food and if there's one cookery book that will give you all those british classics together then this is it. His instructions are easy to follow and the ingredients are all available in your local supermarket so that's two excuses you can't use for avoiding cooking some of these brilliant dishes. The illustrations are wonderful and the desciption of the recipes origin is a lovely touch.

true british classics, 23 Aug 2005
very easy to cook, very, very delicious and as i said true british classic. the ingredients are mostly available in any supermarket so no excuse not to cook from this book.

Gary Rhodes - New British Classics, 25 Feb 2004
Fantastic Book full of wonderful recipes (have been trying them out on the unsuspecting family with very favourable results). Nice touch with the addtional information on each recipe, its origin and alternatives that will work just as well. Better buy two copies as one is certain to get well used and like mine covered in flour etc.

Ten out of ten for Gary Rhodes, 23 Jul 2003
I have been collecting cookery books, of all types of food, for over twenty years. This ranks as one of the best. I bought it about 2 weeks ago and already have had friends fighting over who gets the last piece of baked egg custard !!! The book is well presented; beautiful photos, but not too many; hepful instructions and tips. A "must have" for any cook.

Great book, but don't buy if you have "Keep it Simple", 05 Jan 2009
This is a great book with great recipies but don't buy if you already have his "Keep it Simple" book as many of the recipies are repeated. I was pleased to receive this as a gift on christmas day but looking through it, was able to see my favourite recipies from keep it simple, like pork boulangerie, tuna with horseradish, burnt lamb, chicken livers with mincemeat were repeated. I feel a bit cheated rather than delighted now!

great!, 26 Dec 2008
I've always been a fan of Gary's but never to the extent that I've bought his books. This I got and it is great and there are so many recipes that I wish to try. Plus the bargain is quite a few have turned out to be lower fat ones or ones I can easily adjust to make lower in fat, etc. So, to me this is a great book which will be used to death.

top class flavour in a quarter of the time, 16 Oct 2008
Gary Rhodes's recipes are always absolutely amazing, but usually they are fiddly and take loads of ingredients and effort to do. This book is more along the lines of "Keep It Simple", but is even more aimed at the home chef than that book was. I respect Gary as a top class restaurant chef, but with this book you can make his versions of normal home cooking. I tried out the Macaroni Cheese recipe this evening. Instead of requiring a fiddly roux-based cheese sauce, his version has a much lighter, quicker whipped together sauce of creme fraiche and strong-flavoured cheese. It was ready almost instantly, and tasted much healthier and generally just better than other Macaroni cheese recipes. I will definitely make Macaroni Cheese like that from now on.

It isn't just nursery cooking, though; he has quick midweek suppers for one like stir fries and quick fish dishes - slighter posher menus for two; and then lengthier recipes again like roast lamb for weekends. There's also loads of breakfast ideas (even gammon and pineapple!) healthy lunches like grilled tuna with nicoise salsa; and afternoon tea. Everything sounds really tempting, but more importantly, you can really often buy all the ingredients in Sainsburys Local/Tesco Metro without having to trek to a "proper" supermarket. I am really excited about the idea of having a simple recipe book for everyday eating that actually tastes delicious. Well worth the money.

Does what it says on the cover, 19 Nov 2008
I like this book, far more than my wife, as its good wholesome food generally with a slight twist.
None of the recipes particularly blow your mind, but they are all quite easy to make and taste good.

Simple, but not lacking in flavour, 02 Jul 2008
I believe in simplicity.In my business, at the gym and in the food I eat.This is a godsend. Simple doesn't always mean easy, but in this case it's easy to use and produce delicious food, with a minimum of fuss.Any chef worth their salt will tell you food is at it's best when it's kept simple.Using this as your guide, you can create fantastic meals without slavishly following recipies, as Gary gives you lots of tips and ideas to vary the dishes to suit you.

Typically Gary Rhodes - 'keeping it simple', 04 May 2007
A cookery book where `the basics' such as simply roasting pork, or lamb or beef and making their natural partners such as Yorkshire Pudding or Horseradish Sauce or `Simply the Best' Potatoes meet the more ambitious sounding:-
'Halloumi with Cucumber Pappardelle and Avocado' and 'Leek, Ham and Brie Slice'!

`This is the book I've wanted to write for so many years, one that isn't dictated or overly influenced by my 30 years in professional kitchens.
Yes, there are bits and pieces of that here, but generally, I'm just sharing with you the foods and dishes I like to cook at home....
Good cooking doesn't have to consist of lots of expensive ingredients, 'the simpler the better' couldn't be more accurate.
It's important to remember, however, that `quality' ingredients are the essence of good food. These hold so much flavour which means they don't have to rely on overcomplicated cooking.
Quite a variety of ingredients feature in these pages; most are cheap and easy to find, but none of the recipes are set in stone. Follow your own instincts and use this book as a guide from which to discover and create your own favourites, treating the recipes as a sort of 'pick 'n' mix', swapping and changing ingredients where it suits....
I want you to enjoy cooking and eating from this collection as much as I do...'

415 high quality shiny pages split over 10 main chapters:-

keeping fish simple
keeping seafood simple
keeping poultry simple
keeping pork simple
keeping lamb simple
keeping beef simple
keeping vegetables simple
keeping pasta & rice simple
keeping eggs & cheese simple
keeping desserts simple

sandwiched between an introduction, `my kitchen' and a concise index.

Each chapter opens with relevant narrative and notes e.g. selection and cooking of the specific ingredients.
Simple or basic recipes precede the main ones.
Each recipe is clearly laid out with number of servings, ingredients and method. Most have opening notes and all finish with `and more' hints, which is additional information - to `enhance' or `tweak`.

A majority of the main dishes are accompanied by mouth-watering, full page photographs.

A taste of the recipes within (and there are so many, it really is hard to choose a small selection!):-

Dover sole with hot lemon butter
Turbot t-bone with a béarnaise sauce
Prawn bisque
Chicken with wholegrain mustard asparagus
Roasted duck with red wine blackberries
Pork chops with an apple tart topping
White pork and wild mushroom stew
West Country squab pie
Café de Paris butter
Steak au poivre burger
Asparagus vichyssoise
Ragù
Ratatouille omelette
Clapshot
Pasta tartare
Sloe gin and stilton bites
Chocolate brownie mousse
Steamed Simnel pudding
Cracked raspberry meringue

Another Gary Rhodes book I couldn't live without, 05 Mar 2007
When I moved to the Middle East several years ago I enjoyed great new tastes but after a while I hankered for good old home cooking like Mum used to do but which I never quite mastered. My sister-in-law suggested Gary Rhodes New British Classics and it's a book that is dog-eared from use. I'm the first one to admit that my culinary skills are limited to say the least but Gary's New British Classics recipes are easier than you would expect from a man who does complicated for a living.

When I saw Gary Rhodes bring out a book called `Keeping it Simple'....well it just looked made for those of us who like tasty recipes but who are challenged in the kitchen arena. Keeping it Simple didn't disappoint. The dishes are arranged by section with all the fish recipes together, poultry together and so on. At the beginning of every section Gary details how you identify a good piece of chicken/fish/beef and lists some simple methods of cooking them and some easy complimentary sauces. And all that is before you even see the recipes! The recipes are easy, no-fuss recipes with few ingredients but which are big on taste. The accompanying pictures make your mouth water and although my finished results don't look quite as impressive as Gary's pictures each recipe has been a great success. A definite book for those who want to be able to cook nice food without pulling their hair out!


One of My Top Five, 22 Feb 2007
I have been cooking for 20 years and to be honest not a fan of watching gary rhodes but this book is fantastic. All recipes have a handful of ingredients and he proves this is all you need to make a fantastic meal. I have a craving for thick end of pork belly since this book you have to try the recipe, what an underated meat. Every recipe has been fantastic.

Review, 30 Jan 2008
A true Master Chef - I own practically all Gary Rhodes cookery books and use them quite regularly. As with all his books, the recipes are accurate,and, as far as I am concerned, all translate from book to plate perfectly. Here is a true and committed cook, unafraid to pass on not only his wonderful recipes but many techniques that the reader is lucky enough to learn without putting in the years that this Michelin star hero has invested. The book makes wonderful food reading if the purchase is for that reason only.

You'll love it, 15 Nov 2005
I love this book and you will too. Gary Rhodes is the king of classic food and if there's one cookery book that will give you all those british classics together then this is it. His instructions are easy to follow and the ingredients are all available in your local supermarket so that's two excuses you can't use for avoiding cooking some of these brilliant dishes. The illustrations are wonderful and the desciption of the recipes origin is a lovely touch.

true british classics, 23 Aug 2005
very easy to cook, very, very delicious and as i said true british classic. the ingredients are mostly available in any supermarket so no excuse not to cook from this book.

Gary Rhodes - New British Classics, 25 Feb 2004
Fantastic Book full of wonderful recipes (have been trying them out on the unsuspecting family with very favourable results). Nice touch with the addtional information on each recipe, its origin and alternatives that will work just as well. Better buy two copies as one is certain to get well used and like mine covered in flour etc.

Ten out of ten for Gary Rhodes, 23 Jul 2003
I have been collecting cookery books, of all types of food, for over twenty years. This ranks as one of the best. I bought it about 2 weeks ago and already have had friends fighting over who gets the last piece of baked egg custard !!! The book is well presented; beautiful photos, but not too many; hepful instructions and tips. A "must have" for any cook.

Needs more notice than it has, 10 Jul 2007
I was given this book many years ago and gradually I have used its recipes more and more. The presentation is a breakdown into twelve months with recipes using what is in season during that month - or should be in season if so much produce was not flown in from Africa and further afield. Given the move toward eating produce that does not have "air miles", this book deserves more attention than it received - maybe it was a little ahead of its time. The one drawback is that most of the recipes require some preplanning and effort and are more suited to a weekend than during the week when you may have rushed home from work. That's the reason why I gave 4 stars rather than 5, but its a useful prompt to more seasonally based cooking.

Do you ever find yourself still chopping vegetables when your dinner guests arrive? Do you sometimes get home hungry for something delicious and home-made but without the time or inclination to slave away at the cooker for an hour? Do you occasionally wan

Great book, but don't buy if you have "Keep it Simple", 05 Jan 2009
This is a great book with great recipies but don't buy if you already have his "Keep it Simple" book as many of the recipies are repeated. I was pleased to receive this as a gift on christmas day but looking through it, was able to see my favourite recipies from keep it simple, like pork boulangerie, tuna with horseradish, burnt lamb, chicken livers with mincemeat were repeated. I feel a bit cheated rather than delighted now!

great!, 26 Dec 2008
I've always been a fan of Gary's but never to the extent that I've bought his books. This I got and it is great and there are so many recipes that I wish to try. Plus the bargain is quite a few have turned out to be lower fat ones or ones I can easily adjust to make lower in fat, etc. So, to me this is a great book which will be used to death.

top class flavour in a quarter of the time, 16 Oct 2008
Gary Rhodes's recipes are always absolutely amazing, but usually they are fiddly and take loads of ingredients and effort to do. This book is more along the lines of "Keep It Simple", but is even more aimed at the home chef than that book was. I respect Gary as a top class restaurant chef, but with this book you can make his versions of normal home cooking. I tried out the Macaroni Cheese recipe this evening. Instead of requiring a fiddly roux-based cheese sauce, his version has a much lighter, quicker whipped together sauce of creme fraiche and strong-flavoured cheese. It was ready almost instantly, and tasted much healthier and generally just better than other Macaroni cheese recipes. I will definitely make Macaroni Cheese like that from now on.

It isn't just nursery cooking, though; he has quick midweek suppers for one like stir fries and quick fish dishes - slighter posher menus for two; and then lengthier recipes again like roast lamb for weekends. There's also loads of breakfast ideas (even gammon and pineapple!) healthy lunches like grilled tuna with nicoise salsa; and afternoon tea. Everything sounds really tempting, but more importantly, you can really often buy all the ingredients in Sainsburys Local/Tesco Metro without having to trek to a "proper" supermarket. I am really excited about the idea of having a simple recipe book for everyday eating that actually tastes delicious. Well worth the money.

Does what it says on the cover, 19 Nov 2008
I like this book, far more than my wife, as its good wholesome food generally with a slight twist.
None of the recipes particularly blow your mind, but they are all quite easy to make and taste good.

Simple, but not lacking in flavour, 02 Jul 2008
I believe in simplicity.In my business, at the gym and in the food I eat.This is a godsend. Simple doesn't always mean easy, but in this case it's easy to use and produce delicious food, with a minimum of fuss.Any chef worth their salt will tell you food is at it's best when it's kept simple.Using this as your guide, you can create fantastic meals without slavishly following recipies, as Gary gives you lots of tips and ideas to vary the dishes to suit you.

Typically Gary Rhodes - 'keeping it simple', 04 May 2007
A cookery book where `the basics' such as simply roasting pork, or lamb or beef and making their natural partners such as Yorkshire Pudding or Horseradish Sauce or `Simply the Best' Potatoes meet the more ambitious sounding:-
'Halloumi with Cucumber Pappardelle and Avocado' and 'Leek, Ham and Brie Slice'!

`This is the book I've wanted to write for so many years, one that isn't dictated or overly influenced by my 30 years in professional kitchens.
Yes, there are bits and pieces of that here, but generally, I'm just sharing with you the foods and dishes I like to cook at home....
Good cooking doesn't have to consist of lots of expensive ingredients, 'the simpler the better' couldn't be more accurate.
It's important to remember, however, that `quality' ingredients are the essence of good food. These hold so much flavour which means they don't have to rely on overcomplicated cooking.
Quite a variety of ingredients feature in these pages; most are cheap and easy to find, but none of the recipes are set in stone. Follow your own instincts and use this book as a guide from which to discover and create your own favourites, treating the recipes as a sort of 'pick 'n' mix', swapping and changing ingredients where it suits....
I want you to enjoy cooking and eating from this collection as much as I do...'

415 high quality shiny pages split over 10 main chapters:-

keeping fish simple
keeping seafood simple
keeping poultry simple
keeping pork simple
keeping lamb simple
keeping beef simple
keeping vegetables simple
keeping pasta & rice simple
keeping eggs & cheese simple
keeping desserts simple

sandwiched between an introduction, `my kitchen' and a concise index.

Each chapter opens with relevant narrative and notes e.g. selection and cooking of the specific ingredients.
Simple or basic recipes precede the main ones.
Each recipe is clearly laid out with number of servings, ingredients and method. Most have opening notes and all finish with `and more' hints, which is additional information - to `enhance' or `tweak`.

A majority of the main dishes are accompanied by mouth-watering, full page photographs.

A taste of the recipes within (and there are so many, it really is hard to choose a small selection!):-

Dover sole with hot lemon butter
Turbot t-bone with a béarnaise sauce
Prawn bisque
Chicken with wholegrain mustard asparagus
Roasted duck with red wine blackberries
Pork chops with an apple tart topping
White pork and wild mushroom stew
West Country squab pie
Café de Paris butter
Steak au poivre burger
Asparagus vichyssoise
Ragù
Ratatouille omelette
Clapshot
Pasta tartare
Sloe gin and stilton bites
Chocolate brownie mousse
Steamed Simnel pudding
Cracked raspberry meringue

Another Gary Rhodes book I couldn't live without, 05 Mar 2007
When I moved to the Middle East several years ago I enjoyed great new tastes but after a while I hankered for good old home cooking like Mum used to do but which I never quite mastered. My sister-in-law suggested Gary Rhodes New British Classics and it's a book that is dog-eared from use. I'm the first one to admit that my culinary skills are limited to say the least but Gary's New British Classics recipes are easier than you would expect from a man who does complicated for a living.

When I saw Gary Rhodes bring out a book called `Keeping it Simple'....well it just looked made for those of us who like tasty recipes but who are challenged in the kitchen arena. Keeping it Simple didn't disappoint. The dishes are arranged by section with all the fish recipes together, poultry together and so on. At the beginning of every section Gary details how you identify a good piece of chicken/fish/beef and lists some simple methods of cooking them and some easy complimentary sauces. And all that is before you even see the recipes! The recipes are easy, no-fuss recipes with few ingredients but which are big on taste. The accompanying pictures make your mouth water and although my finished results don't look quite as impressive as Gary's pictures each recipe has been a great success. A definite book for those who want to be able to cook nice food without pulling their hair out!


One of My Top Five, 22 Feb 2007
I have been cooking for 20 years and to be honest not a fan of watching gary rhodes but this book is fantastic. All recipes have a handful of ingredients and he proves this is all you need to make a fantastic meal. I have a craving for thick end of pork belly since this book you have to try the recipe, what an underated meat. Every recipe has been fantastic.

Review, 30 Jan 2008
A true Master Chef - I own practically all Gary Rhodes cookery books and use them quite regularly. As with all his books, the recipes are accurate,and, as far as I am concerned, all translate from book to plate perfectly. Here is a true and committed cook, unafraid to pass on not only his wonderful recipes but many techniques that the reader is lucky enough to learn without putting in the years that this Michelin star hero has invested. The book makes wonderful food reading if the purchase is for that reason only.

You'll love it, 15 Nov 2005
I love this book and you will too. Gary Rhodes is the king of classic food and if there's one cookery book that will give you all those british classics together then this is it. His instructions are easy to follow and the ingredients are all available in your local supermarket so that's two excuses you can't use for avoiding cooking some of these brilliant dishes. The illustrations are wonderful and the desciption of the recipes origin is a lovely touch.

true british classics, 23 Aug 2005
very easy to cook, very, very delicious and as i said true british classic. the ingredients are mostly available in any supermarket so no excuse not to cook from this book.

Gary Rhodes - New British Classics, 25 Feb 2004
Fantastic Book full of wonderful recipes (have been trying them out on the unsuspecting family with very favourable results). Nice touch with the addtional information on each recipe, its origin and alternatives that will work just as well. Better buy two copies as one is certain to get well used and like mine covered in flour etc.

Ten out of ten for Gary Rhodes, 23 Jul 2003
I have been collecting cookery books, of all types of food, for over twenty years. This ranks as one of the best. I bought it about 2 weeks ago and already have had friends fighting over who gets the last piece of baked egg custard !!! The book is well presented; beautiful photos, but not too many; hepful instructions and tips. A "must have" for any cook.

Needs more notice than it has, 10 Jul 2007
I was given this book many years ago and gradually I have used its recipes more and more. The presentation is a breakdown into twelve months with recipes using what is in season during that month - or should be in season if so much produce was not flown in from Africa and further afield. Given the move toward eating produce that does not have "air miles", this book deserves more attention than it received - maybe it was a little ahead of its time. The one drawback is that most of the recipes require some preplanning and effort and are more suited to a weekend than during the week when you may have rushed home from work. That's the reason why I gave 4 stars rather than 5, but its a useful prompt to more seasonally based cooking.

'120 simple recipes that take from 10 mins. to over 1 hr', 31 Jan 2008
from Gary Rhodes.

255 shiny high quality pages, split over chapters:-

No time to shop
No time to cook
Quick fixes - fast food in 15 minutes
Ready in 20-30 minutes
Ready in 30-60 minutes
Slow cooking - one pot recipes to leave for hours
Cooking for pleasure - when time doesn't matter
Quick puddings - ready in 20 minutes
Proper puddings - worth every minute

With a short introduction, including `Cook's Notes' and a concise index.

From the jacket flap:-
`The recipes in this book follow `Keeping it Simple' in their ease and simplicity but are all devised to suit our time-poor life styles.
With clear instructions, easy to source ingredients and Gary'; inimitable take on taste and flavours, `Time to Eat' will become the only cookbook to make time for.'

Each chapter opens with a page of relevant text including helpful advice.

Recipes are well laid out with a bold title, sometimes an opening note, the list of ingredients and number of servings, a clearly laid out method and a `more' box with advice and/or enhancements.

Includes full colour photography of a large percentage of the finished dishes along with on location shots, in Gary's kitchen, which open the chapters.
There are a good few fish recipes included, which is nice, along with a number for cheese.

A taste of the recipes within:-

Honey-mustard Sausage Bruschettas
Open Chip Butty
Crispy Quarter Pounders
Simple Salad
Chilled Melon and Basil Soup
Fiery Mushrooms on Toast
Smoked Salmon and Fennel Salad
Lemon and Parmesan Pasta
Pan-fried White Fish with Buttery Grapes and Chervil
T-Bone Steak with Melting Roquefort Cherry Tomatoes
Quick Curried Prawns
Grilled Mackerel with Apples and Onions
Stir-fried Chicken with Tomatoes, Basil and Crispy Parmesan
Roast Chateaubriand with Macaroni Cheese
Beef Tomato and Aubergine Cottage Pie
Red Mullet with Avocado Niçoise Salad
Burnt Lamb Chops with Sweet Peppers and Onions
Chunky One-Pot Pork Broth with Pasta
Braised Rabbit with Apples and Almonds
Potato, Leek and Gouda Gratin
Red Wine Beef with Bacon Crunch
Chard and Mushroom Pies
Lamb `Osso Buco'
Mango Cheesecake Fool
Strawberry Eton Mess with Raspberry Sauce
Toasted Ginger Figs
Prune and Armagnac Bread and Butter Pudding
Blackberry Clafoutis
Passion Fruit Mousse
Chocolate and Cherry Pie

Author: Gary Rhodes

Great book, but don't buy if you have "Keep it Simple", 05 Jan 2009
This is a great book with great recipies but don't buy if you already have his "Keep it Simple" book as many of the recipies are repeated. I was pleased to receive this as a gift on christmas day but looking through it, was able to see my favourite recipies from keep it simple, like pork boulangerie, tuna with horseradish, burnt lamb, chicken livers with mincemeat were repeated. I feel a bit cheated rather than delighted now!

great!, 26 Dec 2008
I've always been a fan of Gary's but never to the extent that I've bought his books. This I got and it is great and there are so many recipes that I wish to try. Plus the bargain is quite a few have turned out to be lower fat ones or ones I can easily adjust to make lower in fat, etc. So, to me this is a great book which will be used to death.

top class flavour in a quarter of the time, 16 Oct 2008
Gary Rhodes's recipes are always absolutely amazing, but usually they are fiddly and take loads of ingredients and effort to do. This book is more along the lines of "Keep It Simple", but is even more aimed at the home chef than that book was. I respect Gary as a top class restaurant chef, but with this book you can make his versions of normal home cooking. I tried out the Macaroni Cheese recipe this evening. Instead of requiring a fiddly roux-based cheese sauce, his version has a much lighter, quicker whipped together sauce of creme fraiche and strong-flavoured cheese. It was ready almost instantly, and tasted much healthier and generally just better than other Macaroni cheese recipes. I will definitely make Macaroni Cheese like that from now on.

It isn't just nursery cooking, though; he has quick midweek suppers for one like stir fries and quick fish dishes - slighter posher menus for two; and then lengthier recipes again like roast lamb for weekends. There's also loads of breakfast ideas (even gammon and pineapple!) healthy lunches like grilled tuna with nicoise salsa; and afternoon tea. Everything sounds really tempting, but more importantly, you can really often buy all the ingredients in Sainsburys Local/Tesco Metro without having to trek to a "proper" supermarket. I am really excited about the idea of having a simple recipe book for everyday eating that actually tastes delicious. Well worth the money.

Does what it says on the cover, 19 Nov 2008
I like this book, far more than my wife, as its good wholesome food generally with a slight twist.
None of the recipes particularly blow your mind, but they are all quite easy to make and taste good.

Simple, but not lacking in flavour, 02 Jul 2008
I believe in simplicity.In my business, at the gym and in the food I eat.This is a godsend. Simple doesn't always mean easy, but in this case it's easy to use and produce delicious food, with a minimum of fuss.Any chef worth their salt will tell you food is at it's best when it's kept simple.Using this as your guide, you can create fantastic meals without slavishly following recipies, as Gary gives you lots of tips and ideas to vary the dishes to suit you.

Typically Gary Rhodes - 'keeping it simple', 04 May 2007
A cookery book where `the basics' such as simply roasting pork, or lamb or beef and making their natural partners such as Yorkshire Pudding or Horseradish Sauce or `Simply the Best' Potatoes meet the more ambitious sounding:-
'Halloumi with Cucumber Pappardelle and Avocado' and 'Leek, Ham and Brie Slice'!

`This is the book I've wanted to write for so many years, one that isn't dictated or overly influenced by my 30 years in professional kitchens.
Yes, there are bits and pieces of that here, but generally, I'm just sharing with you the foods and dishes I like to cook at home....
Good cooking doesn't have to consist of lots of expensive ingredients, 'the simpler the better' couldn't be more accurate.
It's important to remember, however, that `quality' ingredients are the essence of good food. These hold so much flavour which means they don't have to rely on overcomplicated cooking.
Quite a variety of ingredients feature in these pages; most are cheap and easy to find, but none of the recipes are set in stone. Follow your own instincts and use this book as a guide from which to discover and create your own favourites, treating the recipes as a sort of 'pick 'n' mix', swapping and changing ingredients where it suits....
I want you to enjoy cooking and eating from this collection as much as I do...'

415 high quality shiny pages split over 10 main chapters:-

keeping fish simple
keeping seafood simple
keeping poultry simple
keeping pork simple
keeping lamb simple
keeping beef simple
keeping vegetables simple
keeping pasta & rice simple
keeping eggs & cheese simple
keeping desserts simple

sandwiched between an introduction, `my kitchen' and a concise index.

Each chapter opens with relevant narrative and notes e.g. selection and cooking of the specific ingredients.
Simple or basic recipes precede the main ones.
Each recipe is clearly laid out with number of servings, ingredients and method. Most have opening notes and all finish with `and more' hints, which is additional information - to `enhance' or `tweak`.

A majority of the main dishes are accompanied by mouth-watering, full page photographs.

A taste of the recipes within (and there are so many, it really is hard to choose a small selection!):-

Dover sole with hot lemon butter
Turbot t-bone with a béarnaise sauce
Prawn bisque
Chicken with wholegrain mustard asparagus
Roasted duck with red wine blackberries
Pork chops with an apple tart topping
White pork and wild mushroom stew
West Country squab pie
Café de Paris butter
Steak au poivre burger
Asparagus vichyssoise
Ragù
Ratatouille omelette
Clapshot
Pasta tartare
Sloe gin and stilton bites
Chocolate brownie mousse
Steamed Simnel pudding
Cracked raspberry meringue

Another Gary Rhodes book I couldn't live without, 05 Mar 2007
When I moved to the Middle East several years ago I enjoyed great new tastes but after a while I hankered for good old home cooking like Mum used to do but which I never quite mastered. My sister-in-law suggested Gary Rhodes New British Classics and it's a book that is dog-eared from use. I'm the first one to admit that my culinary skills are limited to say the least but Gary's New British Classics recipes are easier than you would expect from a man who does complicated for a living.

When I saw Gary Rhodes bring out a book called `Keeping it Simple'....well it just looked made for those of us who like tasty recipes but who are challenged in the kitchen arena. Keeping it Simple didn't disappoint. The dishes are arranged by section with all the fish recipes together, poultry together and so on. At the beginning of every section Gary details how you identify a good piece of chicken/fish/beef and lists some simple methods of cooking them and some easy complimentary sauces. And all that is before you even see the recipes! The recipes are easy, no-fuss recipes with few ingredients but which are big on taste. The accompanying pictures make your mouth water and although my finished results don't look quite as impressive as Gary's pictures each recipe has been a great success. A definite book for those who want to be able to cook nice food without pulling their hair out!


One of My Top Five, 22 Feb 2007
I have been cooking for 20 years and to be honest not a fan of watching gary rhodes but this book is fantastic. All recipes have a handful of ingredients and he proves this is all you need to make a fantastic meal. I have a craving for thick end of pork belly since this book you have to try the recipe, what an underated meat. Every recipe has been fantastic.

Review, 30 Jan 2008
A true Master Chef - I own practically all Gary Rhodes cookery books and use them quite regularly. As with all his books, the recipes are accurate,and, as far as I am concerned, all translate from book to plate perfectly. Here is a true and committed cook, unafraid to pass on not only his wonderful recipes but many techniques that the reader is lucky enough to learn without putting in the years that this Michelin star hero has invested. The book makes wonderful food reading if the purchase is for that reason only.

You'll love it, 15 Nov 2005
I love this book and you will too. Gary Rhodes is the king of classic food and if there's one cookery book that will give you all those british classics together then this is it. His instructions are easy to follow and the ingredients are all available in your local supermarket so that's two excuses you can't use for avoiding cooking some of these brilliant dishes. The illustrations are wonderful and the desciption of the recipes origin is a lovely touch.

true british classics, 23 Aug 2005
very easy to cook, very, very delicious and as i said true british classic. the ingredients are mostly available in any supermarket so no excuse not to cook from this book.

Gary Rhodes - New British Classics, 25 Feb 2004
Fantastic Book full of wonderful recipes (have been trying them out on the unsuspecting family with very favourable results). Nice touch with the addtional information on each recipe, its origin and alternatives that will work just as well. Better buy two copies as one is certain to get well used and like mine covered in flour etc.

Ten out of ten for Gary Rhodes, 23 Jul 2003
I have been collecting cookery books, of all types of food, for over twenty years. This ranks as one of the best. I bought it about 2 weeks ago and already have had friends fighting over who gets the last piece of baked egg custard !!! The book is well presented; beautiful photos, but not too many; hepful instructions and tips. A "must have" for any cook.

Needs more notice than it has, 10 Jul 2007
I was given this book many years ago and gradually I have used its recipes more and more. The presentation is a breakdown into twelve months with recipes using what is in season during that month - or should be in season if so much produce was not flown in from Africa and further afield. Given the move toward eating produce that does not have "air miles", this book deserves more attention than it received - maybe it was a little ahead of its time. The one drawback is that most of the recipes require some preplanning and effort and are more suited to a weekend than during the week when you may have rushed home from work. That's the reason why I gave 4 stars rather than 5, but its a useful prompt to more seasonally based cooking.

'120 simple recipes that take from 10 mins. to over 1 hr', 31 Jan 2008
from Gary Rhodes.

255 shiny high quality pages, split over chapters:-

No time to shop
No time to cook
Quick fixes - fast food in 15 minutes
Ready in 20-30 minutes
Ready in 30-60 minutes
Slow cooking - one pot recipes to leave for hours
Cooking for pleasure - when time doesn't matter
Quick puddings - ready in 20 minutes
Proper puddings - worth every minute

With a short introduction, including `Cook's Notes' and a concise index.

From the jacket flap:-
`The recipes in this book follow `Keeping it Simple' in their ease and simplicity but are all devised to suit our time-poor life styles.
With clear instructions, easy to source ingredients and Gary'; inimitable take on taste and flavours, `Time to Eat' will become the only cookbook to make time for.'

Each chapter opens with a page of relevant text including helpful advice.

Recipes are well laid out with a bold title, sometimes an opening note, the list of ingredients and number of servings, a clearly laid out method and a `more' box with advice and/or enhancements.

Includes full colour photography of a large percentage of the finished dishes along with on location shots, in Gary's kitchen, which open the chapters.
There are a good few fish recipes included, which is nice, along with a number for cheese.

A taste of the recipes within:-

Honey-mustard Sausage Bruschettas
Open Chip Butty
Crispy Quarter Pounders
Simple Salad
Chilled Melon and Basil Soup
Fiery Mushrooms on Toast
Smoked Salmon and Fennel Salad
Lemon and Parmesan Pasta
Pan-fried White Fish with Buttery Grapes and Chervil
T-Bone Steak with Melting Roquefort Cherry Tomatoes
Quick Curried Prawns
Grilled Mackerel with Apples and Onions
Stir-fried Chicken with Tomatoes, Basil and Crispy Parmesan
Roast Chateaubriand with Macaroni Cheese
Beef Tomato and Aubergine Cottage Pie
Red Mullet with Avocado Niçoise Salad
Burnt Lamb Chops with Sweet Peppers and Onions
Chunky One-Pot Pork Broth with Pasta
Braised Rabbit with Apples and Almonds
Potato, Leek and Gouda Gratin
Red Wine Beef with Bacon Crunch
Chard and Mushroom Pies
Lamb `Osso Buco'
Mango Cheesecake Fool
Strawberry Eton Mess with Raspberry Sauce
Toasted Ginger Figs
Prune and Armagnac Bread and Butter Pudding
Blackberry Clafoutis
Passion Fruit Mousse
Chocolate and Cherry Pie

Brilliant !!, 21 Oct 2007
Easy to follow recipes, some sumptuous dishes, what more could you want ?
The recipes are indeed very quick & are easy to follow but for me the most impressive aspect of this cookbook, is the range of recipes, there's a very good cross section of food & you really don't feel as if the book has been either "padded out" or "stripped down", it's absolutley spot on.
One of those books that makes you thinks "ooh, I never thought of doing that" & because it is so well done, "doing that" doesn't seem to be a challenge.
A really useful & enjoyable book with some really delicious reipes.

Not a typical Gary Book...but absolutely superb recipes, 01 Feb 2007
I have to agree with a previous comment about this having the feel of not being penned by Gary himself, it certainly does have a womans own/asda magazine style of recipe in it. I feel Gary has just put his name to this rather than actually writing or even knowing what is in this book.

However, i have so far tried about a quarter of the recipes and i have to say they really are superb. They are fast, contain simple ingredients, can be made easily during weeknights (all under 30 mins) and taste absolutely fantastic. Favourites include Creamy pea soup with crispy bacon, chicken sald with strawbs, smoked cod chowder and mexican bean soup. The only one and i mean only one which has just been ok is the cauliflower & sweet pepper soup, everything else ab fab and will defo be made again. There are 220 pages and they are fantastically laid out, a recipe per page with a great colour photo.

I am the owner of around 40 cook books (mostly celeb chefs) and this i have to say is one of my favourites, i prefer it to his new british classics i'm sad to say as he obviously put a lot more effort into that one! I love cook books and just keep buying them cos i like to see them on the bookshelf, i havn't used half of them yet, but this one will be used til i've done all of the recipes and then i'll come back to them. If you love cook books then i'm sure you won't be disappointed with this, the only reason i gave 4 is that i don't think it has been penned by Gary.

Cannot recommend highly enough, 02 May 2006
I originally borrowed this book from the library and it was so good I just had to get my own copy. All the recipes are made in 30 minutes, many are less and most are around the 20 minute mark so this is a perfect book for midweek cookery and informal entertaining. Lots of simple and easy ideas with fairly standard storecupbard ingredients that don't break the bank. The recipes are laid out in simple steps and we're talking 3-6 steps to get your meal on the table!

The recipes are organised in an easy fashion so it's quick to find ideas and every recipe has a large full colour photo so you can see what you're aiming for. This is the first recipe book I have ever bought where I want to make virtually every dish. By the way the book does not include any recipes for desserts but in no way do I feel this detracts from its value.

Named and Shamed, 09 Dec 2004
First let me say that I am a fan of Gary Rhodes. I treasure New British Classics and frequently cook from Short-Cut Rhodes, which I thought this book was extending. I heartily recommend those 2 books. I excitedly brought this one home today and opened it up, only to discover that it didn't sound like Gary Rhodes' superb writing voice at all. Upon investigation of the photo credits page, the reason became clear. Almost all of the recipes have been borrowed from (and duly credited to) cookbooks by Reader's Digest, Family Circle, Homes & Gardens, Ideal Home, Woman's Journal and 30 Minute cookbooks by other authors. I would be very surprised if Gary Rhodes came anywhere near this book. It is the worst kind of example of celebrity chef sell-out. And I am a huge fan of Gary Rhodes. Imagine what his enemies will think. Please go back to your wonderful strengths, Gary, and take your name off of this book and others like them. As for me, I just hope I can find the receipt for this book...

Recipies that actually work!, 26 Nov 2003
I'm not a skillful cook, but I've always enjoyed the challenge (and occasional reward) of cooking recipies from books. Sadly, too often I seem to find that after a lengthy struggle with a glossy cookbook what emerges from the pan doesn't look anything like the photo promised it would. Often the instructions suggest that the food will start to turn certain colours at certain stages, or reach a certain consistency, and irritatingly things don't seem to go quite the way they should!

Not so with Great Fast Food. The instructions are clear, easy to follow, and accurate. I have had this book for over a year, and have had a close to 100% success rate - more often than not so successful that it has been possible to more or less recreate the photos in the book on my own plates at home.

Each recipie comes with an indication of how long it is likely to take to prepare (usually not more than about half an hour - as the name suggests), and even these timings seem to be spot on.

Thoroughly recommended for anyone who enjoys a little cooking, but doesn't want to spend too much time on it.

Great book, but don't buy if you have "Keep it Simple", 05 Jan 2009
This is a great book with great recipies but don't buy if you already have his "Keep it Simple" book as many of the recipies are repeated. I was pleased to receive this as a gift on christmas day but looking through it, was able to see my favourite recipies from keep it simple, like pork boulangerie, tuna with horseradish, burnt lamb, chicken livers with mincemeat were repeated. I feel a bit cheated rather than delighted now!

great!, 26 Dec 2008
I've always been a fan of Gary's but never to the extent that I've bought his books. This I got and it is great and there are so many recipes that I wish to try. Plus the bargain is quite a few have turned out to be lower fat ones or ones I can easily adjust to make lower in fat, etc. So, to me this is a great book which will be used to death.

top class flavour in a quarter of the time, 16 Oct 2008
Gary Rhodes's recipes are always absolutely amazing, but usually they are fiddly and take loads of ingredients and effort to do. This book is more along the lines of "Keep It Simple", but is even more aimed at the home chef than that book was. I respect Gary as a top class restaurant chef, but with this book you can make his versions of normal home cooking. I tried out the Macaroni Cheese recipe this evening. Instead of requiring a fiddly roux-based cheese sauce, his version has a much lighter, quicker whipped together sauce of creme fraiche and strong-flavoured cheese. It was ready almost instantly, and tasted much healthier and generally just better than other Macaroni cheese recipes. I will definitely make Macaroni Cheese like that from now on.

It isn't just nursery cooking, though; he has quick midweek suppers for one like stir fries and quick fish dishes - slighter posher menus for two; and then lengthier recipes again like roast lamb for weekends. There's also loads of breakfast ideas (even gammon and pineapple!) healthy lunches like grilled tuna with nicoise salsa; and afternoon tea. Everything sounds really tempting, but more importantly, you can really often buy all the ingredients in Sainsburys Local/Tesco Metro without having to trek to a "proper" supermarket. I am really excited about the idea of having a simple recipe book for everyday eating that actually tastes delicious. Well worth the money.

Does what it says on the cover, 19 Nov 2008
I like this book, far more than my wife, as its good wholesome food generally with a slight twist.
None of the recipes particularly blow your mind, but they are all quite easy to make and taste good.

Simple, but not lacking in flavour, 02 Jul 2008
I believe in simplicity.In my business, at the gym and in the food I eat.This is a godsend. Simple doesn't always mean easy, but in this case it's easy to use and produce delicious food, with a minimum of fuss.Any chef worth their salt will tell you food is at it's best when it's kept simple.Using this as your guide, you can create fantastic meals without slavishly following recipies, as Gary gives you lots of tips and ideas to vary the dishes to suit you.

Typically Gary Rhodes - 'keeping it simple', 04 May 2007
A cookery book where `the basics' such as simply roasting pork, or lamb or beef and making their natural partners such as Yorkshire Pudding or Horseradish Sauce or `Simply the Best' Potatoes meet the more ambitious sounding:-
'Halloumi with Cucumber Pappardelle and Avocado' and 'Leek, Ham and Brie Slice'!

`This is the book I've wanted to write for so many years, one that isn't dictated or overly influenced by my 30 years in professional kitchens.
Yes, there are bits and pieces of that here, but generally, I'm just sharing with you the foods and dishes I like to cook at home....
Good cooking doesn't have to consist of lots of expensive ingredients, 'the simpler the better' couldn't be more accurate.
It's important to remember, however, that `quality' ingredients are the essence of good food. These hold so much flavour which means they don't have to rely on overcomplicated cooking.
Quite a variety of ingredients feature in these pages; most are cheap and easy to find, but none of the recipes are set in stone. Follow your own instincts and use this book as a guide from which to discover and create your own favourites, treating the recipes as a sort of 'pick 'n' mix', swapping and changing ingredients where it suits....
I want you to enjoy cooking and eating from this collection as much as I do...'

415 high quality shiny pages split over 10 main chapters:-

keeping fish simple
keeping seafood simple
keeping poultry simple
keeping pork simple
keeping lamb simple
keeping beef simple
keeping vegetables simple
keeping pasta & rice simple
keeping eggs & cheese simple
keeping desserts simple

sandwiched between an introduction, `my kitchen' and a concise index.

Each chapter opens with relevant narrative and notes e.g. selection and cooking of the specific ingredients.
Simple or basic recipes precede the main ones.
Each recipe is clearly laid out with number of servings, ingredients and method. Most have opening notes and all finish with `and more' hints, which is additional information - to `enhance' or `tweak`.

A majority of the main dishes are accompanied by mouth-watering, full page photographs.

A taste of the recipes within (and there are so many, it really is hard to choose a small selection!):-

Dover sole with hot lemon butter
Turbot t-bone with a béarnaise sauce
Prawn bisque
Chicken with wholegrain mustard asparagus
Roasted duck with red wine blackberries
Pork chops with an apple tart topping
White pork and wild mushroom stew
West Country squab pie
Café de Paris butter
Steak au poivre burger
Asparagus vichyssoise
Ragù
Ratatouille omelette
Clapshot
Pasta tartare
Sloe gin and stilton bites
Chocolate brownie mousse
Steamed Simnel pudding
Cracked raspberry meringue

Another Gary Rhodes book I couldn't live without, 05 Mar 2007
When I moved to the Middle East several years ago I enjoyed great new tastes but after a while I hankered for good old home cooking like Mum used to do but which I never quite mastered. My sister-in-law suggested Gary Rhodes New British Classics and it's a book that is dog-eared from use. I'm the first one to admit that my culinary skills are limited to say the least but Gary's New British Classics recipes are easier than you would expect from a man who does complicated for a living.

When I saw Gary Rhodes bring out a book called `Keeping it Simple'....well it just looked made for those of us who like tasty recipes but who are challenged in the kitchen arena. Keeping it Simple didn't disappoint. The dishes are arranged by section with all the fish recipes together, poultry together and so on. At the beginning of every section Gary details how you identify a good piece of chicken/fish/beef and lists some simple methods of cooking them and some easy complimentary sauces. And all that is before you even see the recipes! The recipes are easy, no-fuss recipes with few ingredients but which are big on taste. The accompanying pictures make your mouth water and although my finished results don't look quite as impressive as Gary's pictures each recipe has been a great success. A definite book for those who want to be able to cook nice food without pulling their hair out!


One of My Top Five, 22 Feb 2007
I have been cooking for 20 years and to be honest not a fan of watching gary rhodes but this book is fantastic. All recipes have a handful of ingredients and he proves this is all you need to make a fantastic meal. I have a craving for thick end of pork belly since this book you have to try the recipe, what an underated meat. Every recipe has been fantastic.

Review, 30 Jan 2008
A true Master Chef - I own practically all Gary Rhodes cookery books and use them quite regularly. As with all his books, the recipes are accurate,and, as far as I am concerned, all translate from book to plate perfectly. Here is a true and committed cook, unafraid to pass on not only his wonderful recipes but many techniques that the reader is lucky enough to learn without putting in the years that this Michelin star hero has invested. The book makes wonderful food reading if the purchase is for that reason only.

You'll love it, 15 Nov 2005
I love this book and you will too. Gary Rhodes is the king of classic food and if there's one cookery book that will give you all those british classics together then this is it. His instructions are easy to follow and the ingredients are all available in your local supermarket so that's two excuses you can't use for avoiding cooking some of these brilliant dishes. The illustrations are wonderful and the desciption of the recipes origin is a lovely touch.

true british classics, 23 Aug 2005
very easy to cook, very, very delicious and as i said true british classic. the ingredients are mostly available in any supermarket so no excuse not to cook from this book.

Gary Rhodes - New British Classics, 25 Feb 2004
Fantastic Book full of wonderful recipes (have been trying them out on the unsuspecting family with very favourable results). Nice touch with the addtional information on each recipe, its origin and alternatives that will work just as well. Better buy two copies as one is certain to get well used and like mine covered in flour etc.

Ten out of ten for Gary Rhodes, 23 Jul 2003
I have been collecting cookery books, of all types of food, for over twenty years. This ranks as one of the best. I bought it about 2 weeks ago and already have had friends fighting over who gets the last piece of baked egg custard !!! The book is well presented; beautiful photos, but not too many; hepful instructions and tips. A "must have" for any cook.

Needs more notice than it has, 10 Jul 2007
I was given this book many years ago and gradually I have used its recipes more and more. The presentation is a breakdown into twelve months with recipes using what is in season during that month - or should be in season if so much produce was not flown in from Africa and further afield. Given the move toward eating produce that does not have "air miles", this book deserves more attention than it received - maybe it was a little ahead of its time. The one drawback is that most of the recipes require some preplanning and effort and are more suited to a weekend than during the week when you may have rushed home from work. That's the reason why I gave 4 stars rather than 5, but its a useful prompt to more seasonally based cooking.

'120 simple recipes that take from 10 mins. to over 1 hr', 31 Jan 2008
from Gary Rhodes.

255 shiny high quality pages, split over chapters:-

No time to shop
No time to cook
Quick fixes - fast food in 15 minutes
Ready in 20-30 minutes
Ready in 30-60 minutes
Slow cooking - one pot recipes to leave for hours
Cooking for pleasure - when time doesn't matter
Quick puddings - ready in 20 minutes
Proper puddings - worth every minute

With a short introduction, including `Cook's Notes' and a concise index.

From the jacket flap:-
`The recipes in this book follow `Keeping it Simple' in their ease and simplicity but are all devised to suit our time-poor life styles.
With clear instructions, easy to source ingredients and Gary'; inimitable take on taste and flavours, `Time to Eat' will become the only cookbook to make time for.'

Each chapter opens with a page of relevant text including helpful advice.

Recipes are well laid out with a bold title, sometimes an opening note, the list of ingredients and number of servings, a clearly laid out method and a `more' box with advice and/or enhancements.

Includes full colour photography of a large percentage of the finished dishes along with on location shots, in Gary's kitchen, which open the chapters.
There are a good few fish recipes included, which is nice, along with a number for cheese.

A taste of the recipes within:-

Honey-mustard Sausage Bruschettas
Open Chip Butty
Crispy Quarter Pounders
Simple Salad
Chilled Melon and Basil Soup
Fiery Mushrooms on Toast
Smoked Salmon and Fennel Salad
Lemon and Parmesan Pasta
Pan-fried White Fish with Buttery Grapes and Chervil
T-Bone Steak with Melting Roquefort Cherry Tomatoes
Quick Curried Prawns
Grilled Mackerel with Apples and Onions
Stir-fried Chicken with Tomatoes, Basil and Crispy Parmesan
Roast Chateaubriand with Macaroni Cheese
Beef Tomato and Aubergine Cottage Pie
Red Mullet with Avocado Niçoise Salad
Burnt Lamb Chops with Sweet Peppers and Onions
Chunky One-Pot Pork Broth with Pasta
Braised Rabbit with Apples and Almonds
Potato, Leek and Gouda Gratin
Red Wine Beef with Bacon Crunch
Chard and Mushroom Pies
Lamb `Osso Buco'
Mango Cheesecake Fool
Strawberry Eton Mess with Raspberry Sauce
Toasted Ginger Figs
Prune and Armagnac Bread and Butter Pudding
Blackberry Clafoutis
Passion Fruit Mousse
Chocolate and Cherry Pie

Brilliant !!, 21 Oct 2007
Easy to follow recipes, some sumptuous dishes, what more could you want ?
The recipes are indeed very quick & are easy to follow but for me the most impressive aspect of this cookbook, is the range of recipes, there's a very good cross section of food & you really don't feel as if the book has been either "padded out" or "stripped down", it's absolutley spot on.
One of those books that makes you thinks "ooh, I never thought of doing that" & because it is so well done, "doing that" doesn't seem to be a challenge.
A really useful & enjoyable book with some really delicious reipes.

Not a typical Gary Book...but absolutely superb recipes, 01 Feb 2007
I have to agree with a previous comment about this having the feel of not being penned by Gary himself, it certainly does have a womans own/asda magazine style of recipe in it. I feel Gary has just put his name to this rather than actually writing or even knowing what is in this book.

However, i have so far tried about a quarter of the recipes and i have to say they really are superb. They are fast, contain simple ingredients, can be made easily during weeknights (all under 30 mins) and taste absolutely fantastic. Favourites include Creamy pea soup with crispy bacon, chicken sald with strawbs, smoked cod chowder and mexican bean soup. The only one and i mean only one which has just been ok is the cauliflower & sweet pepper soup, everything else ab fab and will defo be made again. There are 220 pages and they are fantastically laid out, a recipe per page with a great colour photo.

I am the owner of around 40 cook books (mostly celeb chefs) and this i have to say is one of my favourites, i prefer it to his new british classics i'm sad to say as he obviously put a lot more effort into that one! I love cook books and just keep buying them cos i like to see them on the bookshelf, i havn't used half of them yet, but this one will be used til i've done all of the recipes and then i'll come back to them. If you love cook books then i'm sure you won't be disappointed with this, the only reason i gave 4 is that i don't think it has been penned by Gary.

Cannot recommend highly enough, 02 May 2006
I originally borrowed this book from the library and it was so good I just had to get my own copy. All the recipes are made in 30 minutes, many are less and most are around the 20 minute mark so this is a perfect book for midweek cookery and informal entertaining. Lots of simple and easy ideas with fairly standard storecupbard ingredients that don't break the bank. The recipes are laid out in simple steps and we're talking 3-6 steps to get your meal on the table!

The recipes are organised in an easy fashion so it's quick to find ideas and every recipe has a large full colour photo so you can see what you're aiming for. This is the first recipe book I have ever bought where I want to make virtually every dish. By the way the book does not include any recipes for desserts but in no way do I feel this detracts from its value.

Named and Shamed, 09 Dec 2004
First let me say that I am a fan of Gary Rhodes. I treasure New British Classics and frequently cook from Short-Cut Rhodes, which I thought this book was extending. I heartily recommend those 2 books. I excitedly brought this one home today and opened it up, only to discover that it didn't sound like Gary Rhodes' superb writing voice at all. Upon investigation of the photo credits page, the reason became clear. Almost all of the recipes have been borrowed from (and duly credited to) cookbooks by Reader's Digest, Family Circle, Homes & Gardens, Ideal Home, Woman's Journal and 30 Minute cookbooks by other authors. I would be very surprised if Gary Rhodes came anywhere near this book. It is the worst kind of example of celebrity chef sell-out. And I am a huge fan of Gary Rhodes. Imagine what his enemies will think. Please go back to your wonderful strengths, Gary, and take your name off of this book and others like them. As for me, I just hope I can find the receipt for this book...

Recipies that actually work!, 26 Nov 2003
I'm not a skillful cook, but I've always enjoyed the challenge (and occasional reward) of cooking recipies from books. Sadly, too often I seem to find that after a lengthy struggle with a glossy cookbook what emerges from the pan doesn't look anything like the photo promised it would. Often the instructions suggest that the food will start to turn certain colours at certain stages, or reach a certain consistency, and irritatingly things don't seem to go quite the way they should!

Not so with Great Fast Food. The instructions are clear, easy to follow, and accurate. I have had this book for over a year, and have had a close to 100% success rate - more often than not so successful that it has been possible to more or less recreate the photos in the book on my own plates at home.

Each recipie comes with an indication of how long it is likely to take to prepare (usually not more than about half an hour - as the name suggests), and even these timings seem to be spot on.

Thoroughly recommended for anyone who enjoys a little cooking, but doesn't want to spend too much time on it.

Great for not-so-good chefs!, 03 Jan 2003
Being someone who hasn't got time for all the usual palarva that tends to go hand in hand with cookbooks, I found this one a treat.

The recipes come in themes, each with a starter, main, and dessert that complement each other perfectly - eg BBQ, Spanish, winter warmers.

They are also set up according to how many people you are having over, and each recipe is accompanied with a colourful photo of what (hopefully) your finished meal will look like.

With everything from paella to beef and ale stew, sweet pizza to sticky toffee pudding, this is one cookbook I'm sure people will turn to again and again.

Cookery Year Spring Into Summer (the first of two volumes) is built upon the notion, which may be new to some readers, that foods tend to be seasonal and, by and large, are at their best in that season. Rhubarb, flounder, lamb and asparagus in spring; beetroot, broad beans and soft fruit in summer. Rhodes is first and foremost a restaurant chef, which, as he says, means that he is accustomed to an unlimited supply of fresh food from around the world all through the year: returning to the real world seems to have been a bit of a revelation.

It must also be his professional background that inclines him to present his recipes as complete servings--main dish and accompaniments. Grilled beef comes with baby turnips, marinated mushrooms and a beetroot dressing. Soaked lemon semolina wedge (a cake) with warm blueberries. Baked cheese puffs with fresh beetroot sauce. This is generous, but at the same time oddly limiting: it's hard to imagine many cooks taking these recipes into their repertoires and playing freely with them.

One hesitantly comes to the conclusion that Gary Rhodes inhabits a dimension not altogether congruent with the one occupied by the rest of us. There is, on the one hand, the fluent strangeness of his prose, in which verbs slip effortlessly from transitive to intransitive (main dish A "eats well" with garnish B, we keep being told). And the recipes themselves, on the other, invariably well-constructed and thought-provoking as they are, seem often to have arrived fully-formed from some mysterious other universe free of gastronomic tradition and history. What general principles can a cook extract from Roast Gurnard with Beetroot, White Bean and Orange Salad or Braised Beef Brisket with Tarragon Carrots and Cauliflower Champ?

Readers will be able to judge for themselves how liberating these combinations are. At any rate, it's a relief to find Rhodes largely eschewing his baffling enthusiasm for school dinners (no Gypsy Tart recipes here). --Robin Davidson

Great book, but don't buy if you have "Keep it Simple", 05 Jan 2009
This is a great book with great recipies but don't buy if you already have his "Keep it Simple" book as many of the recipies are repeated. I was pleased to receive this as a gift on christmas day but looking through it, was able to see my favourite recipies from keep it simple, like pork boulangerie, tuna with horseradish, burnt lamb, chicken livers with mincemeat were repeated. I feel a bit cheated rather than delighted now!

great!, 26 Dec 2008
I've always been a fan of Gary's but never to the extent that I've bought his books. This I got and it is great and there are so many recipes that I wish to try. Plus the bargain is quite a few have turned out to be lower fat ones or ones I can easily adjust to make lower in fat, etc. So, to me this is a great book which will be used to death.

top class flavour in a quarter of the time, 16 Oct 2008
Gary Rhodes's recipes are always absolutely amazing, but usually they are fiddly and take loads of ingredients and effort to do. This book is more along the lines of "Keep It Simple", but is even more aimed at the home chef than that book was. I respect Gary as a top class restaurant chef, but with this book you can make his versions of normal home cooking. I tried out the Macaroni Cheese recipe this evening. Instead of requiring a fiddly roux-based cheese sauce, his version has a much lighter, quicker whipped together sauce of creme fraiche and strong-flavoured cheese. It was ready almost instantly, and tasted much healthier and generally just better than other Macaroni cheese recipes. I will definitely make Macaroni Cheese like that from now on.

It isn't just nursery cooking, though; he has quick midweek suppers for one like stir fries and quick fish dishes - slighter posher menus for two; and then lengthier recipes again like roast lamb for weekends. There's also loads of breakfast ideas (even gammon and pineapple!) healthy lunches like grilled tuna with nicoise salsa; and afternoon tea. Everything sounds really tempting, but more importantly, you can really often buy all the ingredients in Sainsburys Local/Tesco Metro without having to trek to a "proper" supermarket. I am really excited about the idea of having a simple recipe book for everyday eating that actually tastes delicious. Well worth the money.

Does what it says on the cover, 19 Nov 2008
I like this book, far more than my wife, as its good wholesome food generally with a slight twist.
None of the recipes particularly blow your mind, but they are all quite easy to make and taste good.

Simple, but not lacking in flavour, 02 Jul 2008
I believe in simplicity.In my business, at the gym and in the food I eat.This is a godsend. Simple doesn't always mean easy, but in this case it's easy to use and produce delicious food, with a minimum of fuss.Any chef worth their salt will tell you food is at it's best when it's kept simple.Using this as your guide, you can create fantastic meals without slavishly following recipies, as Gary gives you lots of tips and ideas to vary the dishes to suit you.

Typically Gary Rhodes - 'keeping it simple', 04 May 2007
A cookery book where `the basics' such as simply roasting pork, or lamb or beef and making their natural partners such as Yorkshire Pudding or Horseradish Sauce or `Simply the Best' Potatoes meet the more ambitious sounding:-
'Halloumi with Cucumber Pappardelle and Avocado' and 'Leek, Ham and Brie Slice'!

`This is the book I've wanted to write for so many years, one that isn't dictated or overly influenced by my 30 years in professional kitchens.
Yes, there are bits and pieces of that here, but generally, I'm just sharing with you the foods and dishes I like to cook at home....
Good cooking doesn't have to consist of lots of expensive ingredients, 'the simpler the better' couldn't be more accurate.
It's important to remember, however, that `quality' ingredients are the essence of good food. These hold so much flavour which means they don't have to rely on overcomplicated cooking.
Quite a variety of ingredients feature in these pages; most are cheap and easy to find, but none of the recipes are set in stone. Follow your own instincts and use this book as a guide from which to discover and create your own favourites, treating the recipes as a sort of 'pick 'n' mix', swapping and changing ingredients where it suits....
I want you to enjoy cooking and eating from this collection as much as I do...'

415 high quality shiny pages split over 10 main chapters:-

keeping fish simple
keeping seafood simple
keeping poultry simple
keeping pork simple
keeping lamb simple
keeping beef simple
keeping vegetables simple
keeping pasta & rice simple
keeping eggs & cheese simple
keeping desserts simple

sandwiched between an introduction, `my kitchen' and a concise index.

Each chapter opens with relevant narrative and notes e.g. selection and cooking of the specific ingredients.
Simple or basic recipes precede the main ones.
Each recipe is clearly laid out with number of serving