Superb & Quick Recipes!, 03 Jan 2009
Recommended this by a friend and, just as reading alone, it is fantastic. It is difficult to ignore his passion for the subject, and he is a man who clearly knows his ingredients.

AND the food it makes is fantastic - have only tried 3 so far, but they were amazing considering the cooking time.

As my friend recommended, so I pass on - this book is superb!

excellent for fish & chicken, 04 Jun 2008
I recived this book as a present and have enjoyed using this for quick and easy fish dishes.
Also, unlike Real Fast Food there are good chicken dishes here particularyl of the curry and Moroccan variety.

The most used cookbook I own, 25 Apr 2008
I absolutely love this book and recommend it all my friends. The recipes are simpled and uncomplicated. The ingredients are easily sourced and the results are fantastic. I own a number of cook books - this is the one I enjoy cooking from the most. Its perfect for everyday cooking, nothing takes too long and the instructions are easy to follow.

Never Mind Delia's How to cheat, this is THE book for quick nutritious meals, 21 Feb 2008
This is the book for anyone who needs/wants a meal in a hurry.The idea is not to follow the recipies slavishly, but cook to your taste.Most dishes can be made @ 30 -35 minutes, which can be cut down if you follow the suggestions for storecupboard items.Also, note that there are no suggestions for frozen mashed potato, or any other supermarket brand ready "food",all are made using fresh ingredients.

Quick and Easy, 02 Oct 2007
Unlike one of the previous reviewers I haven't found any recipe in this book that takes more than 30 minutes, and I wouldn't say I was an especially acomplished cook.

This is a great book for working people. Most of the stuff you'll have in your cupboard and all most of the recipes need are the addition of a handful of fresh ingredients. Nigel Slater has an easy no-nonsense style and, apart from a few typos, the recipes are all easier to follow and give better results than Nigella or Delia.

Following the success of 'Real Food' and 'Appetite', this is the tenth book from Nigel Slater, the award-winning food writer and author of the bestselling autobiography, 'Toast'. 'The food in 'The Kitchen Diaries' is simply what I eat at home. The stuff I

Superb & Quick Recipes!, 03 Jan 2009
Recommended this by a friend and, just as reading alone, it is fantastic. It is difficult to ignore his passion for the subject, and he is a man who clearly knows his ingredients.

AND the food it makes is fantastic - have only tried 3 so far, but they were amazing considering the cooking time.

As my friend recommended, so I pass on - this book is superb!

excellent for fish & chicken, 04 Jun 2008
I recived this book as a present and have enjoyed using this for quick and easy fish dishes.
Also, unlike Real Fast Food there are good chicken dishes here particularyl of the curry and Moroccan variety.

The most used cookbook I own, 25 Apr 2008
I absolutely love this book and recommend it all my friends. The recipes are simpled and uncomplicated. The ingredients are easily sourced and the results are fantastic. I own a number of cook books - this is the one I enjoy cooking from the most. Its perfect for everyday cooking, nothing takes too long and the instructions are easy to follow.

Never Mind Delia's How to cheat, this is THE book for quick nutritious meals, 21 Feb 2008
This is the book for anyone who needs/wants a meal in a hurry.The idea is not to follow the recipies slavishly, but cook to your taste.Most dishes can be made @ 30 -35 minutes, which can be cut down if you follow the suggestions for storecupboard items.Also, note that there are no suggestions for frozen mashed potato, or any other supermarket brand ready "food",all are made using fresh ingredients.

Quick and Easy, 02 Oct 2007
Unlike one of the previous reviewers I haven't found any recipe in this book that takes more than 30 minutes, and I wouldn't say I was an especially acomplished cook.

This is a great book for working people. Most of the stuff you'll have in your cupboard and all most of the recipes need are the addition of a handful of fresh ingredients. Nigel Slater has an easy no-nonsense style and, apart from a few typos, the recipes are all easier to follow and give better results than Nigella or Delia.

Seasons seen through cookery, 12 Dec 2008
Yes,this a great book. Whether you pick it up on a hot summer day and find a light zingy recipe (July 19: "A refreshing salad for a hot day") or consult it in December on the look-out for a satisfyingly wintry idea (on the day of my writing this, there is for example a delicious sounding recipe for "Roast duck with pancetta and potatoes", you are bound to find something amazing, sesaonal,and fresh. A slight proviso is that the writing - as has been noted here before - really sometimes has a touch too much self-indulgence: "I have been known to offer a watercress and lemon salad with this", the phoptographs tend towards the mawkish (there is one of roses and underlit aubergines in a white cloth which looks positively funereal!), but otherwise I guarantee you will have hours of fun - reading, cooking and marvelling.

Delia - eat your heart out!, 02 Nov 2008
Some years ago, I gave up buying cookbooks. I had shelves of them, and as friend said to me recently, '"People only ever get round to making five recipes from every new cookbook they buy.'"
But a few months ago, feeling the urge for something new, I treated myself to Kitchen Diaries. Now, even if you didn't make a single dish from it, Nigel Slater is a great writer and this is going to be one of the great foodie classics. You can settle down on the sofa with Nigel like you settle down with Elizabeth David.
But I'm finding that I'm using this book to cook with three or four times a week. These are great, practical, seasonal, cheap, easy delicious things to cook every day. Tonight, it was sausages and squash (must have taken all of five minutes to prepare). Chicken wings the other night cost about 80p a head with a beansprout salad. I am a very ordinary cook and every single thing has turned out not only well, but looking like it does in the picture!
I used to be a fan of the ever-reliable Delia but she seems a bit old-fashioned now - and I went right off her with her last deeply-cynical cheat's book, which has ******-all to do with cooking, it's just reassembled processed food to profit the food industry (and, of course Delia! I mean, do you really think she eats all that packet stuff herself!)
Most of all, what I like about Nigel is that it really comes across that he likes eating (something old prissy-knickers Delia never conveyed!)
My only quibble from a practical point of view is that the paperback edition of Kitchen Diaries (don't know about the hardback) is almost impossible to keep open when you're working from it.

Great cookbook, 28 Apr 2008
Don't be put off by the sheer size of this cookbook--almost 400 pages. And if you're looking for the "quick-and-easy" method, this might not be for you. If you want quick, try "Delia's How to Cheat" book which I use quite often. However, when I want to make something for friends or really have a good meal, I turn to THE KITCHEN DIARIES. You won't find a better compilation of recipes and they're not all with ingredients that you can't find either.

But the most amazing thing about this book is the "seasonal" aspect it has--the fact that certain foods should be enjoyed at certain times. The weather and holidays play an intricate part in THE KITCHEN DIARIES and what you should be eating. Highly structured and with some real punch, this is THE cookbook you should have on your shelf. As with all cookbooks, there's a litle more than just the recipe--you know, the "where it came from" type of information or some biographical info. I was reminded of a book I recently came across that poked fun at all cookbooks and at the same time was a great novel wrapped around the actual cookbook---Barring Some Unforeseen Accident---a very funny book, especially if you collect cookbooks. Other than that, I'd recommend "Eating For England."

delicious, 19 Dec 2007
This book is as enjoyable to read as the recipes are to cook and eat.
Delicious, easy-to-cook food.
Written in such an earthy tone. I love it!

The Most Beautiful Cookery Book in the World, 19 Nov 2007
This is not the cookery book I go to for every day use. It is however, my most treasured culinary possession. It is as thing of beauty and a joy forever. Make sure you buy the hardback edition, which has marbled end pages and a cloth spine, just to add that extra touch of decadence to what is already an extravagant luxury.
This is more than a cookery book, it is about a way of life. We are privileged to journey through a year in the company of Nigel Slater. His diary extracts are wonderful, and his recipes perfectly complement both the writing and the superb photography in the book.
For me this book has to be read in one sitting, and then dipped into over and over again. I also like to read it alongside Slater's memoirs, Toast, which talk of his childhood and his important emotional relationship with food. Together they add a whole new dimension to the works and thoughts of this man.
Food wise the recipes are fantastic. I was having a problem with Nigella's Brownies because I couldn't get mine to cook through properly. I tried Slater's recipe and haven't looked back. They are fabulous and I always get a standing ovation. Other highlights are the pumpkin and tomato Lakhsa and the duck and star anise stew.

Observer columnist Nigel Slater has chosen his eight favourite foods and sculpted a sensational cookbook around them. And what are they? Potatoes, chicken, sausages, garlic, bread, cheese, ice-cream and chocolate.

For each of the eight he offers a selection of recipes, some from friends and colleagues, including Alastair Little, Rowley Leigh, Peter Gordon and Nigella Lawson. As he explains in the introduction, "By Real Food I mean big-flavoured, unpretentious cooking. Good ingredients made into something worth eating. Nothing fancy. Nothing extravagant. Nothing careless or slapdash. Just nice, uncomplicated food--be it chicken roasted with olive oil, lemon and basil or simply a big, fat mushroom baked in garlic butter and stuffed inside a soft bap." And that's pretty much what he's achieved, though he does let himself go on occasion with recipes like Deep-fried Ice Cream and Mincemeat Parcels.

The book is peppered with short essays on ingredients that bear Slater's trademark dry wit. He is definitely one of Britain's best food writers and his collaboration with photographer Jonathan Lovekin marks this book out from the crowd.

Superb & Quick Recipes!, 03 Jan 2009
Recommended this by a friend and, just as reading alone, it is fantastic. It is difficult to ignore his passion for the subject, and he is a man who clearly knows his ingredients.

AND the food it makes is fantastic - have only tried 3 so far, but they were amazing considering the cooking time.

As my friend recommended, so I pass on - this book is superb!

excellent for fish & chicken, 04 Jun 2008
I recived this book as a present and have enjoyed using this for quick and easy fish dishes.
Also, unlike Real Fast Food there are good chicken dishes here particularyl of the curry and Moroccan variety.

The most used cookbook I own, 25 Apr 2008
I absolutely love this book and recommend it all my friends. The recipes are simpled and uncomplicated. The ingredients are easily sourced and the results are fantastic. I own a number of cook books - this is the one I enjoy cooking from the most. Its perfect for everyday cooking, nothing takes too long and the instructions are easy to follow.

Never Mind Delia's How to cheat, this is THE book for quick nutritious meals, 21 Feb 2008
This is the book for anyone who needs/wants a meal in a hurry.The idea is not to follow the recipies slavishly, but cook to your taste.Most dishes can be made @ 30 -35 minutes, which can be cut down if you follow the suggestions for storecupboard items.Also, note that there are no suggestions for frozen mashed potato, or any other supermarket brand ready "food",all are made using fresh ingredients.

Quick and Easy, 02 Oct 2007
Unlike one of the previous reviewers I haven't found any recipe in this book that takes more than 30 minutes, and I wouldn't say I was an especially acomplished cook.

This is a great book for working people. Most of the stuff you'll have in your cupboard and all most of the recipes need are the addition of a handful of fresh ingredients. Nigel Slater has an easy no-nonsense style and, apart from a few typos, the recipes are all easier to follow and give better results than Nigella or Delia.

Seasons seen through cookery, 12 Dec 2008
Yes,this a great book. Whether you pick it up on a hot summer day and find a light zingy recipe (July 19: "A refreshing salad for a hot day") or consult it in December on the look-out for a satisfyingly wintry idea (on the day of my writing this, there is for example a delicious sounding recipe for "Roast duck with pancetta and potatoes", you are bound to find something amazing, sesaonal,and fresh. A slight proviso is that the writing - as has been noted here before - really sometimes has a touch too much self-indulgence: "I have been known to offer a watercress and lemon salad with this", the phoptographs tend towards the mawkish (there is one of roses and underlit aubergines in a white cloth which looks positively funereal!), but otherwise I guarantee you will have hours of fun - reading, cooking and marvelling.

Delia - eat your heart out!, 02 Nov 2008
Some years ago, I gave up buying cookbooks. I had shelves of them, and as friend said to me recently, '"People only ever get round to making five recipes from every new cookbook they buy.'"
But a few months ago, feeling the urge for something new, I treated myself to Kitchen Diaries. Now, even if you didn't make a single dish from it, Nigel Slater is a great writer and this is going to be one of the great foodie classics. You can settle down on the sofa with Nigel like you settle down with Elizabeth David.
But I'm finding that I'm using this book to cook with three or four times a week. These are great, practical, seasonal, cheap, easy delicious things to cook every day. Tonight, it was sausages and squash (must have taken all of five minutes to prepare). Chicken wings the other night cost about 80p a head with a beansprout salad. I am a very ordinary cook and every single thing has turned out not only well, but looking like it does in the picture!
I used to be a fan of the ever-reliable Delia but she seems a bit old-fashioned now - and I went right off her with her last deeply-cynical cheat's book, which has ******-all to do with cooking, it's just reassembled processed food to profit the food industry (and, of course Delia! I mean, do you really think she eats all that packet stuff herself!)
Most of all, what I like about Nigel is that it really comes across that he likes eating (something old prissy-knickers Delia never conveyed!)
My only quibble from a practical point of view is that the paperback edition of Kitchen Diaries (don't know about the hardback) is almost impossible to keep open when you're working from it.

Great cookbook, 28 Apr 2008
Don't be put off by the sheer size of this cookbook--almost 400 pages. And if you're looking for the "quick-and-easy" method, this might not be for you. If you want quick, try "Delia's How to Cheat" book which I use quite often. However, when I want to make something for friends or really have a good meal, I turn to THE KITCHEN DIARIES. You won't find a better compilation of recipes and they're not all with ingredients that you can't find either.

But the most amazing thing about this book is the "seasonal" aspect it has--the fact that certain foods should be enjoyed at certain times. The weather and holidays play an intricate part in THE KITCHEN DIARIES and what you should be eating. Highly structured and with some real punch, this is THE cookbook you should have on your shelf. As with all cookbooks, there's a litle more than just the recipe--you know, the "where it came from" type of information or some biographical info. I was reminded of a book I recently came across that poked fun at all cookbooks and at the same time was a great novel wrapped around the actual cookbook---Barring Some Unforeseen Accident---a very funny book, especially if you collect cookbooks. Other than that, I'd recommend "Eating For England."

delicious, 19 Dec 2007
This book is as enjoyable to read as the recipes are to cook and eat.
Delicious, easy-to-cook food.
Written in such an earthy tone. I love it!

The Most Beautiful Cookery Book in the World, 19 Nov 2007
This is not the cookery book I go to for every day use. It is however, my most treasured culinary possession. It is as thing of beauty and a joy forever. Make sure you buy the hardback edition, which has marbled end pages and a cloth spine, just to add that extra touch of decadence to what is already an extravagant luxury.
This is more than a cookery book, it is about a way of life. We are privileged to journey through a year in the company of Nigel Slater. His diary extracts are wonderful, and his recipes perfectly complement both the writing and the superb photography in the book.
For me this book has to be read in one sitting, and then dipped into over and over again. I also like to read it alongside Slater's memoirs, Toast, which talk of his childhood and his important emotional relationship with food. Together they add a whole new dimension to the works and thoughts of this man.
Food wise the recipes are fantastic. I was having a problem with Nigella's Brownies because I couldn't get mine to cook through properly. I tried Slater's recipe and haven't looked back. They are fabulous and I always get a standing ovation. Other highlights are the pumpkin and tomato Lakhsa and the duck and star anise stew.

Slater Shmater, 28 Jun 2008
I used to really like Nigel Slater's food page in the Observer when I was a student in the 90's, so I decided to pick up a book of his. I must say I was pretty disappointed - Nigel still writes with an undiminished passion about ingredients and flavours, but the recipies in here are frankly lame. If you cook everything in butter and double cream of course it's going to taste good! And thanks for the recipe for a baked potato. What really turned me off was the recipe for a rump steak sandwich in which Mr Slater admits that he "loathes brown beef". What cook in their right mind "loathes" brown beef for god's sake? Doesn't that discount half of the classic French and Italian dishes amongst others? You're a fake Nigel, go back to journalism.

I Love It, 11 Jan 2008
I love the fact that once again Nigel Slater has delivered a book easy to read, entertaining and useful! (I already own his "30 minute Cook" book - though I prefer "Real Food" layout and content!)
My boyfriend bought me this book this week and I have already been into it twice! I love the way Nigel Slater divides up his book...not the usual Starters, Fish, Meat, etc courses, but into subject headings such as Bread, Garlic, Cheese, etc! Wonderful! Buy this book if you want to create good dishes that will wow your guests without breaking the bank or turning yourself into sweating maniac! :-)

Great book let down by poor quality manufacture, 16 Dec 2007
The book contents is excellent. I can cook a bit but decided to start cooking more and bought a load of new books, this is my favorite. It is nicely laid out into sections on chicken, potatoes, sausage, garlic, bread etc and some good pictures in places to let you see what it should come out like. There is a clear nicely written intro to each section to get you enthused and very easy to follow recipes. I jumped straight in with the Thai green curry that turned out really nice.
The only down side of this book for me was that after cooking with it once the cover started coming away from the spine. Maybe I got a duff one? Either way it is going back and I will order the hardback version or another copy of this one as I do want a copy!

An inspirational cookbook, 07 Oct 2007
Nigel Slater was writing about how to make basic family food taste wonderful long before it was fashionable. Luckily, good food cooked well does not go out of style. This book is as useful to me now as when I bought it nine years ago.

One thing I love about this book is that the ingredients are completely normal things I can buy reliably at the supermarket. The directions are very simple and generally very short. For instance, the "Parsley and Mustard Mash" has five ingredients, of which three are implied by the title (the other two being butter and creme fraiche). There is a paragraph about his views on the dish, and another one describing how to make the dish - that's it. Oh - and a sort of arty photo.

The photos are good - arty of course, but in a way made to entice you to try the recipe. Just having a look at the photo of roast potatoes makes you want to cook a proper sunday dinner.

The recipes are organised by ingredient. Once you get used to this, it becomes a useful way to browse and consider different ways of dealing with those ingredients. However, it does mean that if you're looking for a standard cookbook approach where starters, mains and puds are all in separate chapters (useful for menu planning), this book won't be so helpful.

There are a few strange recipes - for instance "Peter Gordon's Muffaletta", a sort of squashed sandwich which is surprisingly good. However the vast majority will be his take on a familiar british dish.

The recipes clearly reflect his taste - there's lots of garlic (I always leave it out), cream, dark chocolate, and other rich ingredients. Nevertheless, most of the recipes work with substitutions that fit your diet and taste. They are simple enough to stand up without going to the extremes that he sometimes does.

For people who cook for pleasure, and who enjoy good basic food made to taste utterly indulgent, I would definitely recommend this book.

The Con Mans Cook Book, 10 Jul 2007
There is a lot to be said for any cook whose idea of creating the perfect dish revolves around phrases like "just throw in a bit of that" and "chuck in a bit of this". It all sounds so easy. It isn't. This type of imprecise language might sound a bit cool, but the fact is, given the "who cares how much approach" of Slater's ingredients the inexperienced cook is guaranteed to fail. His "traditional" fish cakes turn to mush - primarily because he fails to see the need for a binding agent like egg or milk. His baked fish is rubbish - tasting of little more than melted butter and his salads, well, actually they're great. But, hey, only a complete idiot could mess up a salad, right?

Don't buy this nonesense, buy a proper cook book by a proper chef. Slater is nothing more than an imposter in the world of real cooking.

Superb & Quick Recipes!, 03 Jan 2009
Recommended this by a friend and, just as reading alone, it is fantastic. It is difficult to ignore his passion for the subject, and he is a man who clearly knows his ingredients.

AND the food it makes is fantastic - have only tried 3 so far, but they were amazing considering the cooking time.

As my friend recommended, so I pass on - this book is superb!

excellent for fish & chicken, 04 Jun 2008
I recived this book as a present and have enjoyed using this for quick and easy fish dishes.
Also, unlike Real Fast Food there are good chicken dishes here particularyl of the curry and Moroccan variety.

The most used cookbook I own, 25 Apr 2008
I absolutely love this book and recommend it all my friends. The recipes are simpled and uncomplicated. The ingredients are easily sourced and the results are fantastic. I own a number of cook books - this is the one I enjoy cooking from the most. Its perfect for everyday cooking, nothing takes too long and the instructions are easy to follow.

Never Mind Delia's How to cheat, this is THE book for quick nutritious meals, 21 Feb 2008
This is the book for anyone who needs/wants a meal in a hurry.The idea is not to follow the recipies slavishly, but cook to your taste.Most dishes can be made @ 30 -35 minutes, which can be cut down if you follow the suggestions for storecupboard items.Also, note that there are no suggestions for frozen mashed potato, or any other supermarket brand ready "food",all are made using fresh ingredients.

Quick and Easy, 02 Oct 2007
Unlike one of the previous reviewers I haven't found any recipe in this book that takes more than 30 minutes, and I wouldn't say I was an especially acomplished cook.

This is a great book for working people. Most of the stuff you'll have in your cupboard and all most of the recipes need are the addition of a handful of fresh ingredients. Nigel Slater has an easy no-nonsense style and, apart from a few typos, the recipes are all easier to follow and give better results than Nigella or Delia.

Seasons seen through cookery, 12 Dec 2008
Yes,this a great book. Whether you pick it up on a hot summer day and find a light zingy recipe (July 19: "A refreshing salad for a hot day") or consult it in December on the look-out for a satisfyingly wintry idea (on the day of my writing this, there is for example a delicious sounding recipe for "Roast duck with pancetta and potatoes", you are bound to find something amazing, sesaonal,and fresh. A slight proviso is that the writing - as has been noted here before - really sometimes has a touch too much self-indulgence: "I have been known to offer a watercress and lemon salad with this", the phoptographs tend towards the mawkish (there is one of roses and underlit aubergines in a white cloth which looks positively funereal!), but otherwise I guarantee you will have hours of fun - reading, cooking and marvelling.

Delia - eat your heart out!, 02 Nov 2008
Some years ago, I gave up buying cookbooks. I had shelves of them, and as friend said to me recently, '"People only ever get round to making five recipes from every new cookbook they buy.'"
But a few months ago, feeling the urge for something new, I treated myself to Kitchen Diaries. Now, even if you didn't make a single dish from it, Nigel Slater is a great writer and this is going to be one of the great foodie classics. You can settle down on the sofa with Nigel like you settle down with Elizabeth David.
But I'm finding that I'm using this book to cook with three or four times a week. These are great, practical, seasonal, cheap, easy delicious things to cook every day. Tonight, it was sausages and squash (must have taken all of five minutes to prepare). Chicken wings the other night cost about 80p a head with a beansprout salad. I am a very ordinary cook and every single thing has turned out not only well, but looking like it does in the picture!
I used to be a fan of the ever-reliable Delia but she seems a bit old-fashioned now - and I went right off her with her last deeply-cynical cheat's book, which has ******-all to do with cooking, it's just reassembled processed food to profit the food industry (and, of course Delia! I mean, do you really think she eats all that packet stuff herself!)
Most of all, what I like about Nigel is that it really comes across that he likes eating (something old prissy-knickers Delia never conveyed!)
My only quibble from a practical point of view is that the paperback edition of Kitchen Diaries (don't know about the hardback) is almost impossible to keep open when you're working from it.

Great cookbook, 28 Apr 2008
Don't be put off by the sheer size of this cookbook--almost 400 pages. And if you're looking for the "quick-and-easy" method, this might not be for you. If you want quick, try "Delia's How to Cheat" book which I use quite often. However, when I want to make something for friends or really have a good meal, I turn to THE KITCHEN DIARIES. You won't find a better compilation of recipes and they're not all with ingredients that you can't find either.

But the most amazing thing about this book is the "seasonal" aspect it has--the fact that certain foods should be enjoyed at certain times. The weather and holidays play an intricate part in THE KITCHEN DIARIES and what you should be eating. Highly structured and with some real punch, this is THE cookbook you should have on your shelf. As with all cookbooks, there's a litle more than just the recipe--you know, the "where it came from" type of information or some biographical info. I was reminded of a book I recently came across that poked fun at all cookbooks and at the same time was a great novel wrapped around the actual cookbook---Barring Some Unforeseen Accident---a very funny book, especially if you collect cookbooks. Other than that, I'd recommend "Eating For England."

delicious, 19 Dec 2007
This book is as enjoyable to read as the recipes are to cook and eat.
Delicious, easy-to-cook food.
Written in such an earthy tone. I love it!

The Most Beautiful Cookery Book in the World, 19 Nov 2007
This is not the cookery book I go to for every day use. It is however, my most treasured culinary possession. It is as thing of beauty and a joy forever. Make sure you buy the hardback edition, which has marbled end pages and a cloth spine, just to add that extra touch of decadence to what is already an extravagant luxury.
This is more than a cookery book, it is about a way of life. We are privileged to journey through a year in the company of Nigel Slater. His diary extracts are wonderful, and his recipes perfectly complement both the writing and the superb photography in the book.
For me this book has to be read in one sitting, and then dipped into over and over again. I also like to read it alongside Slater's memoirs, Toast, which talk of his childhood and his important emotional relationship with food. Together they add a whole new dimension to the works and thoughts of this man.
Food wise the recipes are fantastic. I was having a problem with Nigella's Brownies because I couldn't get mine to cook through properly. I tried Slater's recipe and haven't looked back. They are fabulous and I always get a standing ovation. Other highlights are the pumpkin and tomato Lakhsa and the duck and star anise stew.

Slater Shmater, 28 Jun 2008
I used to really like Nigel Slater's food page in the Observer when I was a student in the 90's, so I decided to pick up a book of his. I must say I was pretty disappointed - Nigel still writes with an undiminished passion about ingredients and flavours, but the recipies in here are frankly lame. If you cook everything in butter and double cream of course it's going to taste good! And thanks for the recipe for a baked potato. What really turned me off was the recipe for a rump steak sandwich in which Mr Slater admits that he "loathes brown beef". What cook in their right mind "loathes" brown beef for god's sake? Doesn't that discount half of the classic French and Italian dishes amongst others? You're a fake Nigel, go back to journalism.

I Love It, 11 Jan 2008
I love the fact that once again Nigel Slater has delivered a book easy to read, entertaining and useful! (I already own his "30 minute Cook" book - though I prefer "Real Food" layout and content!)
My boyfriend bought me this book this week and I have already been into it twice! I love the way Nigel Slater divides up his book...not the usual Starters, Fish, Meat, etc courses, but into subject headings such as Bread, Garlic, Cheese, etc! Wonderful! Buy this book if you want to create good dishes that will wow your guests without breaking the bank or turning yourself into sweating maniac! :-)

Great book let down by poor quality manufacture, 16 Dec 2007
The book contents is excellent. I can cook a bit but decided to start cooking more and bought a load of new books, this is my favorite. It is nicely laid out into sections on chicken, potatoes, sausage, garlic, bread etc and some good pictures in places to let you see what it should come out like. There is a clear nicely written intro to each section to get you enthused and very easy to follow recipes. I jumped straight in with the Thai green curry that turned out really nice.
The only down side of this book for me was that after cooking with it once the cover started coming away from the spine. Maybe I got a duff one? Either way it is going back and I will order the hardback version or another copy of this one as I do want a copy!

An inspirational cookbook, 07 Oct 2007
Nigel Slater was writing about how to make basic family food taste wonderful long before it was fashionable. Luckily, good food cooked well does not go out of style. This book is as useful to me now as when I bought it nine years ago.

One thing I love about this book is that the ingredients are completely normal things I can buy reliably at the supermarket. The directions are very simple and generally very short. For instance, the "Parsley and Mustard Mash" has five ingredients, of which three are implied by the title (the other two being butter and creme fraiche). There is a paragraph about his views on the dish, and another one describing how to make the dish - that's it. Oh - and a sort of arty photo.

The photos are good - arty of course, but in a way made to entice you to try the recipe. Just having a look at the photo of roast potatoes makes you want to cook a proper sunday dinner.

The recipes are organised by ingredient. Once you get used to this, it becomes a useful way to browse and consider different ways of dealing with those ingredients. However, it does mean that if you're looking for a standard cookbook approach where starters, mains and puds are all in separate chapters (useful for menu planning), this book won't be so helpful.

There are a few strange recipes - for instance "Peter Gordon's Muffaletta", a sort of squashed sandwich which is surprisingly good. However the vast majority will be his take on a familiar british dish.

The recipes clearly reflect his taste - there's lots of garlic (I always leave it out), cream, dark chocolate, and other rich ingredients. Nevertheless, most of the recipes work with substitutions that fit your diet and taste. They are simple enough to stand up without going to the extremes that he sometimes does.

For people who cook for pleasure, and who enjoy good basic food made to taste utterly indulgent, I would definitely recommend this book.

The Con Mans Cook Book, 10 Jul 2007
There is a lot to be said for any cook whose idea of creating the perfect dish revolves around phrases like "just throw in a bit of that" and "chuck in a bit of this". It all sounds so easy. It isn't. This type of imprecise language might sound a bit cool, but the fact is, given the "who cares how much approach" of Slater's ingredients the inexperienced cook is guaranteed to fail. His "traditional" fish cakes turn to mush - primarily because he fails to see the need for a binding agent like egg or milk. His baked fish is rubbish - tasting of little more than melted butter and his salads, well, actually they're great. But, hey, only a complete idiot could mess up a salad, right?

Don't buy this nonesense, buy a proper cook book by a proper chef. Slater is nothing more than an imposter in the world of real cooking.

The Cookbook Every Home Should Have, 09 Jul 2008

Nigel Slater is an absolute genius with the ability to describe the joy of preparing good food and convey the passion he feels for food. He teaches us to think about getting something enjoyable to eat, rather than merely following a recipe. This passion and philosophy is evident in all of his books but it is this one, in particular, that everyone should own: no-one can claim to be too short of time to use the ideas in this book or claim to be too inexperienced to try. And for those that are a little inexperienced, there is plenty of informaiotn about recommended equipment, storecupboard ingredients and ways of approaching cooking that take the worry out of preparing food ("oh no! I don't have a grapefruit knife! How will I cope?)

Some of the "recipes" in this book would hardly count as that in most people's minds, since he gives suggestions for sandwich fillings and arrangements of fresh fruit and the like. But that is the point: at the right time, very simply assembled food is perfect for the occasion. And he does have many, many "proper" recipes, all of which can, more or less, go from ingredients to table within half an hour.

Like all of Nigel's books (and it has to be "Nigel", not "Mr Slater": his style of writing is so friendly, so warm, so enthusiastic and so personal that you feel you have known him for years), this is not about slavishly following recipes, weighing ingredients to the nearest microgram but about getting a feel for food and using recipes as guides to making the food you want to eat; food that nourishes body and soul.

So many cookbooks come out as television tie-ins and are packed with glossy photos but, after one or two recipes are tried for novelty, are consigned to the kitchen bookshelf, never to be opened again. This book, on the other hand can bee used every day to produce quick but satisfying and delicious food. For that alone, in a world where to many people "home cooking" is putting a readymeal in the microwave, Nigel deserves a Knighthood.

Excellent for fish recipes, 19 Apr 2008
My husband & I got this book as a gift. Most of the recipes we've tried are hit & miss but thumbs up for the Beef Stroganoff.

In addition, this little tome is excellent for fish dishes especially salmon and cod as well as smoked & tinned fish.

Good recipes but no pictures, 04 Mar 2008
I bought this book as a gift for my brother and family to hopefully encourage them to cook more (they always complain that they have no time). However, since there were no pictures at all I decided against it.

I kept it for myself instead and agree with the good comments of the other reviewers.

A real gem, 02 Feb 2008
For the past few years I've found myself cooking the same sorts of dishes, spending a couple of hours in the kitchen, making something that would last a few nights. But they weren't particularly exciting; not the 10th time around, at least. The odd take-away or pre-packed meal got me through the end of the week when I was too tired to cook.

A friend bought me Real Fast Food a month ago. What can I say? This is transforming my cooking. Truly inspirational. Without a doubt the best and most practical cook book I own. I can't recommend it enough.

The book has a great "store cupboard list" of ingredients that will help ensure you are always able to make something that hits the spot - tasty, varied and and quick dishes that never fail to delight. People have called Nigel Slater a genius, and the more I use this book, the more I think they are right. I can understand why other reviewers say that their copies are dog-eared and greasy - it doesn't leave my kitchen bench, either. Add to basket.

Fabulous!, 28 Oct 2007
I am ordering my second copy of this book. The first has simply fallen to bits from years of use. It is quite simply the very best cookery book around. For me it is a constant source of inspiration, as well as a great read. Enjoy it!

How long does it take before somebody becomes a national treasure? It's certainly happened to Nigel Slater, and Eating for England is a highly enjoyable reminder of just why we esteem the estimable Mr Slater. Subtitled The Delights & Eccentricities of the British at Table, this is wonderfully entertaining stuff, explaining such matters as how some of our most cherished foods are the result of frugality (bread and butter pudding, for instance, is the direct result of utilising a few slices of leftover bread and a pat of butter, rather than culinary aspiration). As Slater points out, the British have a relationship with food which is quite unlike that of any other nation -- for many years, we were reluctant to discuss food matters (leaving culinary discussion to, for instance, the French), but we now appear to be in the grip of a national food obsession, with program after program on television and -- inevitably -- a host of books on the subject. But few are written as entertainingly as Nigel Slater's. It isn't just the discussion of food itself (from haute cuisine to the humblest of comfort foods) that's so diverting here, but other sociological (and tongue-in-cheek) related matters, such as `A Teenager at the Table' (`The shoulders droop, the head hangs sulkily down, eyes glaring intently at an invisible spot on their lap. Their whole body seems to say `I'm not eating this'). And Nigel Slater is perfectly happy to address subjects not found in any other food books (such as the modest chocolate bar -- different varieties are entertainingly compared and contrasted).

This is a personal portrait of the British and their food, filled with love of the eccentricities and peculiarities that encapsulate the national character. And it's great fun. --Barry Forshaw

Superb & Quick Recipes!, 03 Jan 2009
Recommended this by a friend and, just as reading alone, it is fantastic. It is difficult to ignore his passion for the subject, and he is a man who clearly knows his ingredients.

AND the food it makes is fantastic - have only tried 3 so far, but they were amazing considering the cooking time.

As my friend recommended, so I pass on - this book is superb!

excellent for fish & chicken, 04 Jun 2008
I recived this book as a present and have enjoyed using this for quick and easy fish dishes.
Also, unlike Real Fast Food there are good chicken dishes here particularyl of the curry and Moroccan variety.

The most used cookbook I own, 25 Apr 2008
I absolutely love this book and recommend it all my friends. The recipes are simpled and uncomplicated. The ingredients are easily sourced and the results are fantastic. I own a number of cook books - this is the one I enjoy cooking from the most. Its perfect for everyday cooking, nothing takes too long and the instructions are easy to follow.

Never Mind Delia's How to cheat, this is THE book for quick nutritious meals, 21 Feb 2008
This is the book for anyone who needs/wants a meal in a hurry.The idea is not to follow the recipies slavishly, but cook to your taste.Most dishes can be made @ 30 -35 minutes, which can be cut down if you follow the suggestions for storecupboard items.Also, note that there are no suggestions for frozen mashed potato, or any other supermarket brand ready "food",all are made using fresh ingredients.

Quick and Easy, 02 Oct 2007
Unlike one of the previous reviewers I haven't found any recipe in this book that takes more than 30 minutes, and I wouldn't say I was an especially acomplished cook.

This is a great book for working people. Most of the stuff you'll have in your cupboard and all most of the recipes need are the addition of a handful of fresh ingredients. Nigel Slater has an easy no-nonsense style and, apart from a few typos, the recipes are all easier to follow and give better results than Nigella or Delia.

Seasons seen through cookery, 12 Dec 2008
Yes,this a great book. Whether you pick it up on a hot summer day and find a light zingy recipe (July 19: "A refreshing salad for a hot day") or consult it in December on the look-out for a satisfyingly wintry idea (on the day of my writing this, there is for example a delicious sounding recipe for "Roast duck with pancetta and potatoes", you are bound to find something amazing, sesaonal,and fresh. A slight proviso is that the writing - as has been noted here before - really sometimes has a touch too much self-indulgence: "I have been known to offer a watercress and lemon salad with this", the phoptographs tend towards the mawkish (there is one of roses and underlit aubergines in a white cloth which looks positively funereal!), but otherwise I guarantee you will have hours of fun - reading, cooking and marvelling.

Delia - eat your heart out!, 02 Nov 2008
Some years ago, I gave up buying cookbooks. I had shelves of them, and as friend said to me recently, '"People only ever get round to making five recipes from every new cookbook they buy.'"
But a few months ago, feeling the urge for something new, I treated myself to Kitchen Diaries. Now, even if you didn't make a single dish from it, Nigel Slater is a great writer and this is going to be one of the great foodie classics. You can settle down on the sofa with Nigel like you settle down with Elizabeth David.
But I'm finding that I'm using this book to cook with three or four times a week. These are great, practical, seasonal, cheap, easy delicious things to cook every day. Tonight, it was sausages and squash (must have taken all of five minutes to prepare). Chicken wings the other night cost about 80p a head with a beansprout salad. I am a very ordinary cook and every single thing has turned out not only well, but looking like it does in the picture!
I used to be a fan of the ever-reliable Delia but she seems a bit old-fashioned now - and I went right off her with her last deeply-cynical cheat's book, which has ******-all to do with cooking, it's just reassembled processed food to profit the food industry (and, of course Delia! I mean, do you really think she eats all that packet stuff herself!)
Most of all, what I like about Nigel is that it really comes across that he likes eating (something old prissy-knickers Delia never conveyed!)
My only quibble from a practical point of view is that the paperback edition of Kitchen Diaries (don't know about the hardback) is almost impossible to keep open when you're working from it.

Great cookbook, 28 Apr 2008
Don't be put off by the sheer size of this cookbook--almost 400 pages. And if you're looking for the "quick-and-easy" method, this might not be for you. If you want quick, try "Delia's How to Cheat" book which I use quite often. However, when I want to make something for friends or really have a good meal, I turn to THE KITCHEN DIARIES. You won't find a better compilation of recipes and they're not all with ingredients that you can't find either.

But the most amazing thing about this book is the "seasonal" aspect it has--the fact that certain foods should be enjoyed at certain times. The weather and holidays play an intricate part in THE KITCHEN DIARIES and what you should be eating. Highly structured and with some real punch, this is THE cookbook you should have on your shelf. As with all cookbooks, there's a litle more than just the recipe--you know, the "where it came from" type of information or some biographical info. I was reminded of a book I recently came across that poked fun at all cookbooks and at the same time was a great novel wrapped around the actual cookbook---Barring Some Unforeseen Accident---a very funny book, especially if you collect cookbooks. Other than that, I'd recommend "Eating For England."

delicious, 19 Dec 2007
This book is as enjoyable to read as the recipes are to cook and eat.
Delicious, easy-to-cook food.
Written in such an earthy tone. I love it!

The Most Beautiful Cookery Book in the World, 19 Nov 2007
This is not the cookery book I go to for every day use. It is however, my most treasured culinary possession. It is as thing of beauty and a joy forever. Make sure you buy the hardback edition, which has marbled end pages and a cloth spine, just to add that extra touch of decadence to what is already an extravagant luxury.
This is more than a cookery book, it is about a way of life. We are privileged to journey through a year in the company of Nigel Slater. His diary extracts are wonderful, and his recipes perfectly complement both the writing and the superb photography in the book.
For me this book has to be read in one sitting, and then dipped into over and over again. I also like to read it alongside Slater's memoirs, Toast, which talk of his childhood and his important emotional relationship with food. Together they add a whole new dimension to the works and thoughts of this man.
Food wise the recipes are fantastic. I was having a problem with Nigella's Brownies because I couldn't get mine to cook through properly. I tried Slater's recipe and haven't looked back. They are fabulous and I always get a standing ovation. Other highlights are the pumpkin and tomato Lakhsa and the duck and star anise stew.

Slater Shmater, 28 Jun 2008
I used to really like Nigel Slater's food page in the Observer when I was a student in the 90's, so I decided to pick up a book of his. I must say I was pretty disappointed - Nigel still writes with an undiminished passion about ingredients and flavours, but the recipies in here are frankly lame. If you cook everything in butter and double cream of course it's going to taste good! And thanks for the recipe for a baked potato. What really turned me off was the recipe for a rump steak sandwich in which Mr Slater admits that he "loathes brown beef". What cook in their right mind "loathes" brown beef for god's sake? Doesn't that discount half of the classic French and Italian dishes amongst others? You're a fake Nigel, go back to journalism.

I Love It, 11 Jan 2008
I love the fact that once again Nigel Slater has delivered a book easy to read, entertaining and useful! (I already own his "30 minute Cook" book - though I prefer "Real Food" layout and content!)
My boyfriend bought me this book this week and I have already been into it twice! I love the way Nigel Slater divides up his book...not the usual Starters, Fish, Meat, etc courses, but into subject headings such as Bread, Garlic, Cheese, etc! Wonderful! Buy this book if you want to create good dishes that will wow your guests without breaking the bank or turning yourself into sweating maniac! :-)

Great book let down by poor quality manufacture, 16 Dec 2007
The book contents is excellent. I can cook a bit but decided to start cooking more and bought a load of new books, this is my favorite. It is nicely laid out into sections on chicken, potatoes, sausage, garlic, bread etc and some good pictures in places to let you see what it should come out like. There is a clear nicely written intro to each section to get you enthused and very easy to follow recipes. I jumped straight in with the Thai green curry that turned out really nice.
The only down side of this book for me was that after cooking with it once the cover started coming away from the spine. Maybe I got a duff one? Either way it is going back and I will order the hardback version or another copy of this one as I do want a copy!

An inspirational cookbook, 07 Oct 2007
Nigel Slater was writing about how to make basic family food taste wonderful long before it was fashionable. Luckily, good food cooked well does not go out of style. This book is as useful to me now as when I bought it nine years ago.

One thing I love about this book is that the ingredients are completely normal things I can buy reliably at the supermarket. The directions are very simple and generally very short. For instance, the "Parsley and Mustard Mash" has five ingredients, of which three are implied by the title (the other two being butter and creme fraiche). There is a paragraph about his views on the dish, and another one describing how to make the dish - that's it. Oh - and a sort of arty photo.

The photos are good - arty of course, but in a way made to entice you to try the recipe. Just having a look at the photo of roast potatoes makes you want to cook a proper sunday dinner.

The recipes are organised by ingredient. Once you get used to this, it becomes a useful way to browse and consider different ways of dealing with those ingredients. However, it does mean that if you're looking for a standard cookbook approach where starters, mains and puds are all in separate chapters (useful for menu planning), this book won't be so helpful.

There are a few strange recipes - for instance "Peter Gordon's Muffaletta", a sort of squashed sandwich which is surprisingly good. However the vast majority will be his take on a familiar british dish.

The recipes clearly reflect his taste - there's lots of garlic (I always leave it out), cream, dark chocolate, and other rich ingredients. Nevertheless, most of the recipes work with substitutions that fit your diet and taste. They are simple enough to stand up without going to the extremes that he sometimes does.

For people who cook for pleasure, and who enjoy good basic food made to taste utterly indulgent, I would definitely recommend this book.

The Con Mans Cook Book, 10 Jul 2007
There is a lot to be said for any cook whose idea of creating the perfect dish revolves around phrases like "just throw in a bit of that" and "chuck in a bit of this". It all sounds so easy. It isn't. This type of imprecise language might sound a bit cool, but the fact is, given the "who cares how much approach" of Slater's ingredients the inexperienced cook is guaranteed to fail. His "traditional" fish cakes turn to mush - primarily because he fails to see the need for a binding agent like egg or milk. His baked fish is rubbish - tasting of little more than melted butter and his salads, well, actually they're great. But, hey, only a complete idiot could mess up a salad, right?

Don't buy this nonesense, buy a proper cook book by a proper chef. Slater is nothing more than an imposter in the world of real cooking.

The Cookbook Every Home Should Have, 09 Jul 2008

Nigel Slater is an absolute genius with the ability to describe the joy of preparing good food and convey the passion he feels for food. He teaches us to think about getting something enjoyable to eat, rather than merely following a recipe. This passion and philosophy is evident in all of his books but it is this one, in particular, that everyone should own: no-one can claim to be too short of time to use the ideas in this book or claim to be too inexperienced to try. And for those that are a little inexperienced, there is plenty of informaiotn about recommended equipment, storecupboard ingredients and ways of approaching cooking that take the worry out of preparing food ("oh no! I don't have a grapefruit knife! How will I cope?)

Some of the "recipes" in this book would hardly count as that in most people's minds, since he gives suggestions for sandwich fillings and arrangements of fresh fruit and the like. But that is the point: at the right time, very simply assembled food is perfect for the occasion. And he does have many, many "proper" recipes, all of which can, more or less, go from ingredients to table within half an hour.

Like all of Nigel's books (and it has to be "Nigel", not "Mr Slater": his style of writing is so friendly, so warm, so enthusiastic and so personal that you feel you have known him for years), this is not about slavishly following recipes, weighing ingredients to the nearest microgram but about getting a feel for food and using recipes as guides to making the food you want to eat; food that nourishes body and soul.

So many cookbooks come out as television tie-ins and are packed with glossy photos but, after one or two recipes are tried for novelty, are consigned to the kitchen bookshelf, never to be opened again. This book, on the other hand can bee used every day to produce quick but satisfying and delicious food. For that alone, in a world where to many people "home cooking" is putting a readymeal in the microwave, Nigel deserves a Knighthood.

Excellent for fish recipes, 19 Apr 2008
My husband & I got this book as a gift. Most of the recipes we've tried are hit & miss but thumbs up for the Beef Stroganoff.

In addition, this little tome is excellent for fish dishes especially salmon and cod as well as smoked & tinned fish.

Good recipes but no pictures, 04 Mar 2008
I bought this book as a gift for my brother and family to hopefully encourage them to cook more (they always complain that they have no time). However, since there were no pictures at all I decided against it.

I kept it for myself instead and agree with the good comments of the other reviewers.

A real gem, 02 Feb 2008
For the past few years I've found myself cooking the same sorts of dishes, spending a couple of hours in the kitchen, making something that would last a few nights. But they weren't particularly exciting; not the 10th time around, at least. The odd take-away or pre-packed meal got me through the end of the week when I was too tired to cook.

A friend bought me Real Fast Food a month ago. What can I say? This is transforming my cooking. Truly inspirational. Without a doubt the best and most practical cook book I own. I can't recommend it enough.

The book has a great "store cupboard list" of ingredients that will help ensure you are always able to make something that hits the spot - tasty, varied and and quick dishes that never fail to delight. People have called Nigel Slater a genius, and the more I use this book, the more I think they are right. I can understand why other reviewers say that their copies are dog-eared and greasy - it doesn't leave my kitchen bench, either. Add to basket.

Fabulous!, 28 Oct 2007
I am ordering my second copy of this book. The first has simply fallen to bits from years of use. It is quite simply the very best cookery book around. For me it is a constant source of inspiration, as well as a great read. Enjoy it!

Pick n' Mix, 01 Dec 2008
"Eating for England" is a Pick n' Mix of a book. Read it all in one go and it gets repetitive and downright indigestible. But there are a few sweet and well-written little pieces within that make the book worthwhile. I would not really recommend this to anyone under 30 or over 65: and if you are the sort of person who is quickly bored by 40-somethings reminiscing about BBC children's programs of the 1960s or long-vanished crisp flavours, then you should give it a miss, too.

Where Nigel Slater's book rises above the standard nostalgia-trip, it does so because he can write well on occasions and his genuine love of food comes through. But there were far too many instances when a well-written piece was followed by yet another push for Farmers' Markets or another dive into the 1960s biscuit tin which all got a bit too much even for this nostalgia fan.

You'd have to be a Nigel ..., 27 Nov 2008
... to write this. Or a Jeremy. Or possibly a Terence. But maybe we all have anorak-y tendencies when it comes to name-checking the fondly remembered foods of our 1950s and 60s childhoods.
But sorry, Nigel - you've done this too many times before - and so have too many other people. Spangles, Dairylea triangles, Jammie Dodgers, Tunnock's teacakes have had the Proustian treatment before. And let's face it though Spangles now RIP, nearly all of these along with Sarson's vinegar and Bisto can be bought in any Tesco today. Though I agree that floral gums (and cherry lips, the best for eating surreptitiously through double Latin) have had the chemistry formula changed and don't taste the same.
When Nigel gets stuck, or his Proustian madeleine/Rich Tea disintegrates soggily into his mug of PG, he throws in a page or two about farmers' markets - and then he simply gets BORING.
Eating for England is simply Toast reheated. And Nigel is getting to be an old aunt who retells the same stories too many times. (He's getting careless, too; the delectable lime barrel was never in Dairy Box, p166, it was everybody's favourite centre in Milk Tray. And Dairy Box wasn't made by Cadbury's, either. )

A disappointing mess of a book, 03 Nov 2008
"Eating For England" is re-heated "Toast". Disappointingly, Slater has produced a clunker here, and where Toast worked because he linked food memories to his own childhood, this latest volume lacks any structure on which to hang various short observations and sketches about food. What's more, it's quite repetitive in places, and simpy doesn't work in others.

Slater at his best pinpoints a long forgotten food memory that several of us of a certain age will have had. There are a few gems like that here (the whole chocolate Club biscuit experience for example) - but these are too few and far between for my liking.

Nigel Slater writes best about himself and his relationship with food. When he tries something different - observational stuff about different types of cook, or diner, it simply doesn't work because he's not part of that set up. You can't remain aloof from such things and pretend otherwise. These pieces of the book come over as phoney - and in places bitchy and unamusing.

"The Kitchen Diaries" was neither a practical cook book or a particularly entertaining diary; "Eating For England" maintains this loss of focus from an excellent food writer who needs to re-connect with a loyal audience next time around. Nige - let's just cut to the recipes for the next one, eh?

All puddings are English. Nigel is a pudding. Therefore Nigel, regrettably, is English., 23 Oct 2008
Eating for England - The Delights and Eccentricities of the BRITISH at Table? I skimmed this book before delivering it to one of my numbskull relatives as a birthday present. After seeing the response here to this curious choice of words I'm reminded that no-one ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the public.

It's an easy enough volume to follow. The layout is good, the writing merry and informal (if slightly knowing in the unappealing sense of the word 'clever'). There is even an interesting culinary suggestion or two.

Unfortunately nothing is value-free, and with Jamie Mockney under contract to sell us the fake barrow-boy-next-door line I'm afraid Nigel (change of name Nige?) Slater has still to win me over. Cookery's cultural implications, the idea of its saying something about the nation at large, is obviously dear to people's hearts.

But Britain is not a nation. It is a bureaucratic manoeuvre. In any event things like puddings are an ENGLISH speciality. So too Syllabub (very popular with the Elizabethans, who if nothing else knew who they were) and much else besides (try Florence White's 'Good Things in England' to learn more about native cooking and put to rest the usual slurs).

The title of this book is a masterpiece of ignorance and effrontery. Fortunately the modern English are the most passive, stupid and easily exploited people in Europe. They will buy it in droves. I just wonder how much faith we should place in the judgement of someone who doesn't know the difference between an administrative convenience and a nation in the truest sense of the word.


farmer's market propaganda, 09 Oct 2008
I must say there were many times where I laughed out loud or smiled in relation to many things I do or eat and how they are quintessentially British. I also learned that I AM the 'oh-i-never-measure-anything cook.' The experience of reading this lovely book, however has been marred by every other page judging people for not going to local greengrocers and not supporting farmer's markets.

I may be lucky enough to afford (or just a good budgeter!) to eat organic/local/fairtrade and have time to shop 3 times a week instead of one big one (I'm a student) but I know of too many people who simply don't have the time, energy OR money to buy ethically all the time and they shouldn't be made to feel bad for this. I want Nigel, Hugh AND Jamie (3 men I love very much) to spend a week in a council estate with a family of 5 and see how much money they have to spend on their groceries!

What is there to say about a new Nigel Slater book? Especially one called Appetite. It is exactly what it should be. This is the book he has been heading for all along. It is about food, to be sure, but it is also a statement of his personal philosophy, which seems to amount to this: that our appetites are founded in pleasure; and that we must interrogate those pleasures, and take them very seriously indeed, if we are to eat as well as we can. To eat well means to eat, and cook, pleasurably. So in Appetite Slater takes food, and cooking, back to where he believes it belongs, back to the realm of sensuous pleasure and comfort. Back to the sheer bliss, as he might say, of putting something warm, soft and sticky in your mouth.

Very cleverly, he has built his book not around detailed recipes as such--that would be too specific for his purposes--but around the sort of thing that might pop into your head as something you would really like to eat. No one says "I fancy Shallow Fried Herring Milt with Sherry Vinegar, Parsley and Butter Sauce tonight"; but they might well think of a Creamy, Calming Pasta Dish, or a Big Fish Pie, or Bangers and Mash. They might like to know, too, some of the endless variations they can play on these platonic essences. These are the kinds of food this generous and handsome book celebrates; foods that have a genuine part to play in people's lives. This is quintessential Nigel Slater, laid-back, not claiming any special privilege as a chef ("If I can do it, so can you" he remarks); and all wrapped up in that wonderful, lived-in, squashy prose that hits the spot every time. A feast of a book, from a man with no tricks or gimmicks, who is happily in touch with his own appetites and wants to put us in touch with ours.--Robin Davidson

Superb & Quick Recipes!, 03 Jan 2009
Recommended this by a friend and, just as reading alone, it is fantastic. It is difficult to ignore his passion for the subject, and he is a man who clearly knows his ingredients.

AND the food it makes is fantastic - have only tried 3 so far, but they were amazing considering the cooking time.

As my friend recommended, so I pass on - this book is superb!

excellent for fish & chicken, 04 Jun 2008
I recived this book as a present and have enjoyed using this for quick and easy fish dishes.
Also, unlike Real Fast Food there are good chicken dishes here particularyl of the curry and Moroccan variety.

The most used cookbook I own, 25 Apr 2008
I absolutely love this book and recommend it all my friends. The recipes are simpled and uncomplicated. The ingredients are easily sourced and the results are fantastic. I own a number of cook books - this is the one I enjoy cooking from the most. Its perfect for everyday cooking, nothing takes too long and the instructions are easy to follow.

Never Mind Delia's How to cheat, this is THE book for quick nutritious meals, 21 Feb 2008
This is the book for anyone who needs/wants a meal in a hurry.The idea is not to follow the recipies slavishly, but cook to your taste.Most dishes can be made @ 30 -35 minutes, which can be cut down if you follow the suggestions for storecupboard items.Also, note that there are no suggestions for frozen mashed potato, or any other supermarket brand ready "food",all are made using fresh ingredients.

Quick and Easy, 02 Oct 2007
Unlike one of the previous reviewers I haven't found any recipe in this book that takes more than 30 minutes, and I wouldn't say I was an especially acomplished cook.

This is a great book for working people. Most of the stuff you'll have in your cupboard and all most of the recipes need are the addition of a handful of fresh ingredients. Nigel Slater has an easy no-nonsense style and, apart from a few typos, the recipes are all easier to follow and give better results than Nigella or Delia.

Seasons seen through cookery, 12 Dec 2008
Yes,this a great book. Whether you pick it up on a hot summer day and find a light zingy recipe (July 19: "A refreshing salad for a hot day") or consult it in December on the look-out for a satisfyingly wintry idea (on the day of my writing this, there is for example a delicious sounding recipe for "Roast duck with pancetta and potatoes", you are bound to find something amazing, sesaonal,and fresh. A slight proviso is that the writing - as has been noted here before - really sometimes has a touch too much self-indulgence: "I have been known to offer a watercress and lemon salad with this", the phoptographs tend towards the mawkish (there is one of roses and underlit aubergines in a white cloth which looks positively funereal!), but otherwise I guarantee you will have hours of fun - reading, cooking and marvelling.

Delia - eat your heart out!, 02 Nov 2008
Some years ago, I gave up buying cookbooks. I had shelves of them, and as friend said to me recently, '"People only ever get round to making five recipes from every new cookbook they buy.'"
But a few months ago, feeling the urge for something new, I treated myself to Kitchen Diaries. Now, even if you didn't make a single dish from it, Nigel Slater is a great writer and this is going to be one of the great foodie classics. You can settle down on the sofa with Nigel like you settle down with Elizabeth David.
But I'm finding that I'm using this book to cook with three or four times a week. These are great, practical, seasonal, cheap, easy delicious things to cook every day. Tonight, it was sausages and squash (must have taken all of five minutes to prepare). Chicken wings the other night cost about 80p a head with a beansprout salad. I am a very ordinary cook and every single thing has turned out not only well, but looking like it does in the picture!
I used to be a fan of the ever-reliable Delia but she seems a bit old-fashioned now - and I went right off her with her last deeply-cynical cheat's book, which has ******-all to do with cooking, it's just reassembled processed food to profit the food industry (and, of course Delia! I mean, do you really think she eats all that packet stuff herself!)
Most of all, what I like about Nigel is that it really comes across that he likes eating (something old prissy-knickers Delia never conveyed!)
My only quibble from a practical point of view is that the paperback edition of Kitchen Diaries (don't know about the hardback) is almost impossible to keep open when you're working from it.

Great cookbook, 28 Apr 2008
Don't be put off by the sheer size of this cookbook--almost 400 pages. And if you're looking for the "quick-and-easy" method, this might not be for you. If you want quick, try "Delia's How to Cheat" book which I use quite often. However, when I want to make something for friends or really have a good meal, I turn to THE KITCHEN DIARIES. You won't find a better compilation of recipes and they're not all with ingredients that you can't find either.

But the most amazing thing about this book is the "seasonal" aspect it has--the fact that certain foods should be enjoyed at certain times. The weather and holidays play an intricate part in THE KITCHEN DIARIES and what you should be eating. Highly structured and with some real punch, this is THE cookbook you should have on your shelf. As with all cookbooks, there's a litle more than just the recipe--you know, the "where it came from" type of information or some biographical info. I was reminded of a book I recently came across that poked fun at all cookbooks and at the same time was a great novel wrapped around the actual cookbook---Barring Some Unforeseen Accident---a very funny book, especially if you collect cookbooks. Other than that, I'd recommend "Eating For England."

delicious, 19 Dec 2007
This book is as enjoyable to read as the recipes are to cook and eat.
Delicious, easy-to-cook food.
Written in such an earthy tone. I love it!

The Most Beautiful Cookery Book in the World, 19 Nov 2007
This is not the cookery book I go to for every day use. It is however, my most treasured culinary possession. It is as thing of beauty and a joy forever. Make sure you buy the hardback edition, which has marbled end pages and a cloth spine, just to add that extra touch of decadence to what is already an extravagant luxury.
This is more than a cookery book, it is about a way of life. We are privileged to journey through a year in the company of Nigel Slater. His diary extracts are wonderful, and his recipes perfectly complement both the writing and the superb photography in the book.
For me this book has to be read in one sitting, and then dipped into over and over again. I also like to read it alongside Slater's memoirs, Toast, which talk of his childhood and his important emotional relationship with food. Together they add a whole new dimension to the works and thoughts of this man.
Food wise the recipes are fantastic. I was having a problem with Nigella's Brownies because I couldn't get mine to cook through properly. I tried Slater's recipe and haven't looked back. They are fabulous and I always get a standing ovation. Other highlights are the pumpkin and tomato Lakhsa and the duck and star anise stew.

Slater Shmater, 28 Jun 2008
I used to really like Nigel Slater's food page in the Observer when I was a student in the 90's, so I decided to pick up a book of his. I must say I was pretty disappointed - Nigel still writes with an undiminished passion about ingredients and flavours, but the recipies in here are frankly lame. If you cook everything in butter and double cream of course it's going to taste good! And thanks for the recipe for a baked potato. What really turned me off was the recipe for a rump steak sandwich in which Mr Slater admits that he "loathes brown beef". What cook in their right mind "loathes" brown beef for god's sake? Doesn't that discount half of the classic French and Italian dishes amongst others? You're a fake Nigel, go back to journalism.

I Love It, 11 Jan 2008
I love the fact that once again Nigel Slater has delivered a book easy to read, entertaining and useful! (I already own his "30 minute Cook" book - though I prefer "Real Food" layout and content!)
My boyfriend bought me this book this week and I have already been into it twice! I love the way Nigel Slater divides up his book...not the usual Starters, Fish, Meat, etc courses, but into subject headings such as Bread, Garlic, Cheese, etc! Wonderful! Buy this book if you want to create good dishes that will wow your guests without breaking the bank or turning yourself into sweating maniac! :-)

Great book let down by poor quality manufacture, 16 Dec 2007
The book contents is excellent. I can cook a bit but decided to start cooking more and bought a load of new books, this is my favorite. It is nicely laid out into sections on chicken, potatoes, sausage, garlic, bread etc and some good pictures in places to let you see what it should come out like. There is a clear nicely written intro to each section to get you enthused and very easy to follow recipes. I jumped straight in with the Thai green curry that turned out really nice.
The only down side of this book for me was that after cooking with it once the cover started coming away from the spine. Maybe I got a duff one? Either way it is going back and I will order the hardback version or another copy of this one as I do want a copy!

An inspirational cookbook, 07 Oct 2007
Nigel Slater was writing about how to make basic family food taste wonderful long before it was fashionable. Luckily, good food cooked well does not go out of style. This book is as useful to me now as when I bought it nine years ago.

One thing I love about this book is that the ingredients are completely normal things I can buy reliably at the supermarket. The directions are very simple and generally very short. For instance, the "Parsley and Mustard Mash" has five ingredients, of which three are implied by the title (the other two being butter and creme fraiche). There is a paragraph about his views on the dish, and another one describing how to make the dish - that's it. Oh - and a sort of arty photo.

The photos are good - arty of course, but in a way made to entice you to try the recipe. Just having a look at the photo of roast potatoes makes you want to cook a proper sunday dinner.

The recipes are organised by ingredient. Once you get used to this, it becomes a useful way to browse and consider different ways of dealing with those ingredients. However, it does mean that if you're looking for a standard cookbook approach where starters, mains and puds are all in separate chapters (useful for menu planning), this book won't be so helpful.

There are a few strange recipes - for instance "Peter Gordon's Muffaletta", a sort of squashed sandwich which is surprisingly good. However the vast majority will be his take on a familiar british dish.

The recipes clearly reflect his taste - there's lots of garlic (I always leave it out), cream, dark chocolate, and other rich ingredients. Nevertheless, most of the recipes work with substitutions that fit your diet and taste. They are simple enough to stand up without going to the extremes that he sometimes does.

For people who cook for pleasure, and who enjoy good basic food made to taste utterly indulgent, I would definitely recommend this book.

The Con Mans Cook Book, 10 Jul 2007
There is a lot to be said for any cook whose idea of creating the perfect dish revolves around phrases like "just throw in a bit of that" and "chuck in a bit of this". It all sounds so easy. It isn't. This type of imprecise language might sound a bit cool, but the fact is, given the "who cares how much approach" of Slater's ingredients the inexperienced cook is guaranteed to fail. His "traditional" fish cakes turn to mush - primarily because he fails to see the need for a binding agent like egg or milk. His baked fish is rubbish - tasting of little more than melted butter and his salads, well, actually they're great. But, hey, only a complete idiot could mess up a salad, right?

Don't buy this nonesense, buy a proper cook book by a proper chef. Slater is nothing more than an imposter in the world of real cooking.

The Cookbook Every Home Should Have, 09 Jul 2008

Nigel Slater is an absolute genius with the ability to describe the joy of preparing good food and convey the passion he feels for food. He teaches us to think about getting something enjoyable to eat, rather than merely following a recipe. This passion and philosophy is evident in all of his books but it is this one, in particular, that everyone should own: no-one can claim to be too short of time to use the ideas in this book or claim to be too inexperienced to try. And for those that are a little inexperienced, there is plenty of informaiotn about recommended equipment, storecupboard ingredients and ways of approaching cooking that take the worry out of preparing food ("oh no! I don't have a grapefruit knife! How will I cope?)

Some of the "recipes" in this book would hardly count as that in most people's minds, since he gives suggestions for sandwich fillings and arrangements of fresh fruit and the like. But that is the point: at the right time, very simply assembled food is perfect for the occasion. And he does have many, many "proper" recipes, all of which can, more or less, go from ingredients to table within half an hour.

Like all of Nigel's books (and it has to be "Nigel", not "Mr Slater": his style of writing is so friendly, so warm, so enthusiastic and so personal that you feel you have known him for years), this is not about slavishly following recipes, weighing ingredients to the nearest microgram but about getting a feel for food and using recipes as guides to making the food you want to eat; food that nourishes body and soul.

So many cookbooks come out as television tie-ins and are packed with glossy photos but, after one or two recipes are tried for novelty, are consigned to the kitchen bookshelf, never to be opened again. This book, on the other hand can bee used every day to produce quick but satisfying and delicious food. For that alone, in a world where to many people "home cooking" is putting a readymeal in the microwave, Nigel deserves a Knighthood.

Excellent for fish recipes, 19 Apr 2008
My husband & I got this book as a gift. Most of the recipes we've tried are hit & miss but thumbs up for the Beef Stroganoff.

In addition, this little tome is excellent for fish dishes especially salmon and cod as well as smoked & tinned fish.

Good recipes but no pictures, 04 Mar 2008
I bought this book as a gift for my brother and family to hopefully encourage them to cook more (they always complain that they have no time). However, since there were no pictures at all I decided against it.

I kept it for myself instead and agree with the good comments of the other reviewers.

A real gem, 02 Feb 2008
For the past few years I've found myself cooking the same sorts of dishes, spending a couple of hours in the kitchen, making something that would last a few nights. But they weren't particularly exciting; not the 10th time around, at least. The odd take-away or pre-packed meal got me through the end of the week when I was too tired to cook.

A friend bought me Real Fast Food a month ago. What can I say? This is transforming my cooking. Truly inspirational. Without a doubt the best and most practical cook book I own. I can't recommend it enough.

The book has a great "store cupboard list" of ingredients that will help ensure you are always able to make something that hits the spot - tasty, varied and and quick dishes that never fail to delight. People have called Nigel Slater a genius, and the more I use this book, the more I think they are right. I can understand why other reviewers say that their copies are dog-eared and greasy - it doesn't leave my kitchen bench, either. Add to basket.

Fabulous!, 28 Oct 2007
I am ordering my second copy of this book. The first has simply fallen to bits from years of use. It is quite simply the very best cookery book around. For me it is a constant source of inspiration, as well as a great read. Enjoy it!

Pick n' Mix, 01 Dec 2008
"Eating for England" is a Pick n' Mix of a book. Read it all in one go and it gets repetitive and downright indigestible. But there are a few sweet and well-written little pieces within that make the book worthwhile. I would not really recommend this to anyone under 30 or over 65: and if you are the sort of person who is quickly bored by 40-somethings reminiscing about BBC children's programs of the 1960s or long-vanished crisp flavours, then you should give it a miss, too.

Where Nigel Slater's book rises above the standard nostalgia-trip, it does so because he can write well on occasions and his genuine love of food comes through. But there were far too many instances when a well-written piece was followed by yet another push for Farmers' Markets or another dive into the 1960s biscuit tin which all got a bit too much even for this nostalgia fan.

You'd have to be a Nigel ..., 27 Nov 2008
... to write this. Or a Jeremy. Or possibly a Terence. But maybe we all have anorak-y tendencies when it comes to name-checking the fondly remembered foods of our 1950s and 60s childhoods.
But sorry, Nigel - you've done this too many times before - and so have too many other people. Spangles, Dairylea triangles, Jammie Dodgers, Tunnock's teacakes have had the Proustian treatment before. And let's face it though Spangles now RIP, nearly all of these along with Sarson's vinegar and Bisto can be bought in any Tesco today. Though I agree that floral gums (and cherry lips, the best for eating surreptitiously through double Latin) have had the chemistry formula changed and don't taste the same.
When Nigel gets stuck, or his Proustian madeleine/Rich Tea disintegrates soggily into his mug of PG, he throws in a page or two about farmers' markets - and then he simply gets BORING.
Eating for England is simply Toast reheated. And Nigel is getting to be an old aunt who retells the same stories too many times. (He's getting careless, too; the delectable lime barrel was never in Dairy Box, p166, it was everybody's favourite centre in Milk Tray. And Dairy Box wasn't made by Cadbury's, either. )

A disappointing mess of a book, 03 Nov 2008
"Eating For England" is re-heated "Toast". Disappointingly, Slater has produced a clunker here, and where Toast worked because he linked food memories to his own childhood, this latest volume lacks any structure on which to hang various short observations and sketches about food. What's more, it's quite repetitive in places, and simpy doesn't work in others.

Slater at his best pinpoints a long forgotten food memory that several of us of a certain age will have had. There are a few gems like that here (the whole chocolate Club biscuit experience for example) - but these are too few and far between for my liking.

Nigel Slater writes best about himself and his relationship with food. When he tries something different - observational stuff about different types of cook, or diner, it simply doesn't work because he's not part of that set up. You can't remain aloof from such things and pretend otherwise. These pieces of the book come over as phoney - and in places bitchy and unamusing.

"The Kitchen Diaries" was neither a practical cook book or a particularly entertaining diary; "Eating For England" maintains this loss of focus from an excellent food writer who needs to re-connect with a loyal audience next time around. Nige - let's just cut to the recipes for the next one, eh?

All puddings are English. Nigel is a pudding. Therefore Nigel, regrettably, is English., 23 Oct 2008
Eating for England - The Delights and Eccentricities of the BRITISH at Table? I skimmed this book before delivering it to one of my numbskull relatives as a birthday present. After seeing the response here to this curious choice of words I'm reminded that no-one ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the public.

It's an easy enough volume to follow. The layout is good, the writing merry and informal (if slightly knowing in the unappealing sense of the word 'clever'). There is even an interesting culinary suggestion or two.

Unfortunately nothing is value-free, and with Jamie Mockney under contract to sell us the fake barrow-boy-next-door line I'm afraid Nigel (change of name Nige?) Slater has still to win me over. Cookery's cultural implications, the idea of its saying something about the nation at large, is obviously dear to people's hearts.

But Britain is not a nation. It is a bureaucratic manoeuvre. In any event things like puddings are an ENGLISH speciality. So too Syllabub (very popular with the Elizabethans, who if nothing else knew who they were) and much else besides (try Florence White's 'Good Things in England' to learn more about native cooking and put to rest the usual slurs).

The title of this book is a masterpiece of ignorance and effrontery. Fortunately the modern English are the most passive, stupid and easily exploited people in Europe. They will buy it in droves. I just wonder how much faith we should place in the judgement of someone who doesn't know the difference between an administrative convenience and a nation in the truest sense of the word.


farmer's market propaganda, 09 Oct 2008
I must say there were many times where I laughed out loud or smiled in relation to many things I do or eat and how they are quintessentially British. I also learned that I AM the 'oh-i-never-measure-anything cook.' The experience of reading this lovely book, however has been marred by every other page judging people for not going to local greengrocers and not supporting farmer's markets.

I may be lucky enough to afford (or just a good budgeter!) to eat organic/local/fairtrade and have time to shop 3 times a week instead of one big one (I'm a student) but I know of too many people who simply don't have the time, energy OR money to buy ethically all the time and they shouldn't be made to feel bad for this. I want Nigel, Hugh AND Jamie (3 men I love very much) to spend a week in a council estate with a family of 5 and see how much money they have to spend on their groceries!

My cooking bible, 30 Dec 2008
This is the cook book that saved me after my wife left me. It showed me how to cook, and how to believe in myself and my cooking. It's not just a cookbook, it's about how to eat, as well.

Food heaven for fussy eaters, 02 Feb 2008
I have several Nigel Slater books and, crucially, he has alternative ingredients and options for each recipe. That's what makes this book so great for a fussy eater like me. For many of these there are 7 or 8 alternatives, perhaps to make a meat dish vegetarian, or change the spices or key ingredients used.

The most versatile recipe book I own, and really acknowledging that people have different tastes.

The only cook book you will ever need, 03 Jan 2008
This is absolutely superb.Nigel Slater takes you by the hand and shows you how to create meals that everyone wants.He encourages you to follow your appetite, and not to follow recepies slavishly.I have this,and the 30 minute cook, and I am constantly suprised and delighted by the meals that any body can create.

Just Brilliant, 29 Jul 2007
Nigel Slater keeps me fed. He gave me back my enthusiasm for good, tasty food during a time when eating what we liked, when we wanted it almost became thought of as something bad. This book has proved to be inspiration and I have had fantastic success with everything I have thus far made from it.The recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients are all widely available. It is even good to read just as a book on it's own and his prose is so distinctive, you can hear him talking to you as you read.
So, what do you feel like eating today? Don't feel bad about it. Feed your soul and your stomach.

Easy Peasy, 23 Nov 2005
Nigel Slater is by far the best cookery writer, having spent years following the recipes of various chefs, I can honestly say that none compare to this man. Appetite is his best book, it contains all the information you need to become a great cook yourself. He talks in detail about all the different kinds of foods, what's in season, cooking for kids, what to have in your kitchen, and each recipe has several variations incase you don't have the exact ingredients, you can adapt it yourself. Nigels recipes also work, they are well tested and never go wrong, as well as being delicious, this is a man who really enjoys food, and has a large Appetite. Buy it.

Nigel Slater is the god of sticky things. He loves bones you can gnaw, the crispy bits from the bottom of the roasting pan, squishy things to eat on crusty bread with juices dribbling down your chin. Unctuousness. This is the man who made greed sexy. His cooking is determinedly domestic, to be consumed alone, or as an intimate supper with a loved one (in Slater's case, it seems, often the cat), occasionally rising to the heights of an informal dinner party. Within these self-imposed bounds, he's unbeatable. In Real Cooking he continues the campaign he began with Real Food, the essence of which is that a baked potato can, if prepared with love and attention, be as satisfying as any more elaborate confection. Real Cooking represents something of a broadening of scope, though, with the emphasis firmly turned to the cooking process:

Real cooking is about making ourselves something to eat that involves a bit of simple roasting, grilling or frying. Nothing complicated. Nothing that is not within the grasp of a novice cook. But it is cooking, rather than opening a packet or a tin.

So he has put together a wide-ranging collection of straightforward but unfailingly seductive recipes that anyone could manage, set about with the familiar reassuring, no-nonsense Slater commentary. He makes everything sound delicious. Where to start in illustrating this? At random: "Grilled Mackerel with Sherry Vinegar", "Creamed Oyster Toasts", "Herbed Roast Chicken" (with wonderful before and after photographs), "Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Mustard", "Roast Spiced Aubergines", "Lemon Surprise Pudding". The great thing about this book is that it's just the thing to give to someone who lacks confidence in the kitchen; but it's also a terrifically handy compendium for a cook looking for simple but tasty ideas. --Robin Davidson

Superb & Quick Recipes!, 03 Jan 2009
Recommended this by a friend and, just as reading alone, it is fantastic. It is difficult to ignore his passion for the subject, and he is a man who clearly knows his ingredients.

AND the food it makes is fantastic - have only tried 3 so far, but they were amazing considering the cooking time.

As my friend recommended, so I pass on - this book is superb!

excellent for fish & chicken, 04 Jun 2008
I recived this book as a present and have enjoyed using this for quick and easy fish dishes.
Also, unlike Real Fast Food there are good chicken dishes here particularyl of the curry and Moroccan variety.

The most used cookbook I own, 25 Apr 2008
I absolutely love this book and recommend it all my friends. The recipes are simpled and uncomplicated. The ingredients are easily sourced and the results are fantastic. I own a number of cook books - this is the one I enjoy cooking from the most. Its perfect for everyday cooking, nothing takes too long and the instructions are easy to follow.

Never Mind Delia's How to cheat, this is THE book for quick nutritious meals, 21 Feb 2008
This is the book for anyone who needs/wants