As you would expect from the quirky and strong-minded Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, The River Cottage Meat Book is a quirky and strong-minded book. This arm-straining volume (weighing in at an impressive and well illustrated 543 pages) is quite the most ambitious volume yet by an author who absolutely refuses to be categorised. Is he a cookery writer? An expert on the sociology and history of food? An eccentric TV personality? Actually, of course, he's all three (and more); and all of his various skills find expression in this, his magnum opus.

The first intriguing question that The River Cottage Meat Book inspires is: what is the author's agenda? The book has so many aims it's difficult to know where to begin. First of all, this is a definitive guide to the preparation and cooking of meat, in all its various forms. Fearnley-Whittingstall deals (in assiduous detail) with such topics as roasting, grilling and preserving everything from turkey to trotters, in a variety of recipes that he obviously knows and loves. But there is far more to the book than this--fascinating sections on the many different types of meat (lamb, pork and so on) are crammed with information on the different cuts of meat and what they should be used for.

But as someone who raises and utilises his own livestock at the River Cottage, Fearnley-Whittingstall is clearly passionate about the welfare of animals bred for food, and provides some unpalatable information on widespread misdemeanours in these areas. If nothing else, this book will persuade you that it's a good idea to buy your meat from butchers who are equally passionate about these issues, or even direct from reputable farms. The concept makes sound ideological sense, but also ensures that your meat dishes will have an unrivalled depth of flavour. --Barry Forshaw

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

As you would expect from the quirky and strong-minded Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, The River Cottage Meat Book is a quirky and strong-minded book. This arm-straining volume (weighing in at an impressive and well illustrated 543 pages) is quite the most ambitious volume yet by an author who absolutely refuses to be categorised. Is he a cookery writer? An expert on the sociology and history of food? An eccentric TV personality? Actually, of course, he's all three (and more); and all of his various skills find expression in this, his magnum opus.

The first intriguing question that The River Cottage Meat Book inspires is: what is the author's agenda? The book has so many aims it's difficult to know where to begin. First of all, this is a definitive guide to the preparation and cooking of meat, in all its various forms. Fearnley-Whittingstall deals (in assiduous detail) with such topics as roasting, grilling and preserving everything from turkey to trotters, in a variety of recipes that he obviously knows and loves. But there is far more to the book than this--fascinating sections on the many different types of meat (lamb, pork and so on) are crammed with information on the different cuts of meat and what they should be used for.

But as someone who raises and utilises his own livestock at the River Cottage, Fearnley-Whittingstall is clearly passionate about the welfare of animals bred for food, and provides some unpalatable information on widespread misdemeanours in these areas. If nothing else, this book will persuade you that it's a good idea to buy your meat from butchers who are equally passionate about these issues, or even direct from reputable farms. The concept makes sound ideological sense, but also ensures that your meat dishes will have an unrivalled depth of flavour. --Barry Forshaw

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

Fantastic recipes, and they work!, 06 Jan 2009
Friends of mine who are converted veggies bought me this book for my birthday as they know I love cooking. My first meal for them went brilliantly well. I fried steak for the first time (superb, and the instructions were spot on), made onion gravy which was gorgeous and really made the meal, and baked apples for pud (which went down well with those who didn't think they'd be that keen).

We love the way the book is written (it's very John!), and the wealth of info in it. I've already made a list of over 20 other meals that I am keen to make as soon as possible. I have loads of recipe books but this one really stands out from the rest.


Fantastic Carnivore Christmas Present!, 21 Nov 2008
A brilliant book - combining a wealth of practical beef knowledge and delicious recipes with stunning photography to boot.
A pleasure to read and use - it will be going to the majority of my family for Christmas this year.
Can't wait for Fowl to come out next year!


Masterchef - Master Book!, 29 Oct 2008
This books is amazing! I have been a massive fan of John's and Masterchef forever and now he has made this book all about Beef. I do not even cook that much Beef and bought it more for him than anything, but I am now a convert! Who knew it would be so easy to make all these things!

This books goes through everything to make with beef, and even astonishingly puddings. Which are made from suet, apparently. Plus the jacket folds out to a poster, which is really fun. It shows a cow with all the different types of bits on it, so to speak.

This is a really special book and if anyone wants a really good book for their fathers for Christmas, I would say this is perfect and a little bit different.

Each chapter gives history and lore, advice on hanging, dressing and carving, and of course, tasty, imaginative recipes that have a refreshing and international feel. The variety of over 130 easy-to-follow recipes from Partridge with Lentils and Pickled L

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

Fantastic recipes, and they work!, 06 Jan 2009
Friends of mine who are converted veggies bought me this book for my birthday as they know I love cooking. My first meal for them went brilliantly well. I fried steak for the first time (superb, and the instructions were spot on), made onion gravy which was gorgeous and really made the meal, and baked apples for pud (which went down well with those who didn't think they'd be that keen).

We love the way the book is written (it's very John!), and the wealth of info in it. I've already made a list of over 20 other meals that I am keen to make as soon as possible. I have loads of recipe books but this one really stands out from the rest.


Fantastic Carnivore Christmas Present!, 21 Nov 2008
A brilliant book - combining a wealth of practical beef knowledge and delicious recipes with stunning photography to boot.
A pleasure to read and use - it will be going to the majority of my family for Christmas this year.
Can't wait for Fowl to come out next year!


Masterchef - Master Book!, 29 Oct 2008
This books is amazing! I have been a massive fan of John's and Masterchef forever and now he has made this book all about Beef. I do not even cook that much Beef and bought it more for him than anything, but I am now a convert! Who knew it would be so easy to make all these things!

This books goes through everything to make with beef, and even astonishingly puddings. Which are made from suet, apparently. Plus the jacket folds out to a poster, which is really fun. It shows a cow with all the different types of bits on it, so to speak.

This is a really special book and if anyone wants a really good book for their fathers for Christmas, I would say this is perfect and a little bit different.



Great recipes - puerile politics., 29 Sep 2008
Some great hints for choosing and preparing game. Recipes easy to follow and the results well photographed. Offputting though is the childish ultra right-wing ranting from Ms Dickson Wright which prevents me from scoring higher.

Review of The Game Cookbook, 19 Aug 2004
The Game Cookbook is a rare example of a book which can be judged by its cover. The beautifully illustrated pages are matched by the superb recipes and personal narrative written by Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott. Often I have thought that modern recipe books, peppered with escapist photographs that bear no relation to what's normally found in a kitchen, belong more on a coffee table than they do stacked haphazardly next to the wooden spoons. The Game Cookbook however achieves both aesthetic success and irreplacable practical guidance as to how to cook game. Yes, I did feel mild pangs of guilt as I besmirched the pages of the recipe for salmon with chicory and Roquefort with a cheese-laden fork, but as soon the pastry rose in the oven and the aroma filled my house I forgot all about defacing my new book. It is a pleasure to cook such unfashionable fare (no Thai fusion here) from such a great chef as Clarissa Dickson Wright surely is. Pairing her wtih the professionally formidable publishing house Kyle Cathie was a stroke of brilliance. This book is well worth having in your kitchen.

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

Fantastic recipes, and they work!, 06 Jan 2009
Friends of mine who are converted veggies bought me this book for my birthday as they know I love cooking. My first meal for them went brilliantly well. I fried steak for the first time (superb, and the instructions were spot on), made onion gravy which was gorgeous and really made the meal, and baked apples for pud (which went down well with those who didn't think they'd be that keen).

We love the way the book is written (it's very John!), and the wealth of info in it. I've already made a list of over 20 other meals that I am keen to make as soon as possible. I have loads of recipe books but this one really stands out from the rest.


Fantastic Carnivore Christmas Present!, 21 Nov 2008
A brilliant book - combining a wealth of practical beef knowledge and delicious recipes with stunning photography to boot.
A pleasure to read and use - it will be going to the majority of my family for Christmas this year.
Can't wait for Fowl to come out next year!


Masterchef - Master Book!, 29 Oct 2008
This books is amazing! I have been a massive fan of John's and Masterchef forever and now he has made this book all about Beef. I do not even cook that much Beef and bought it more for him than anything, but I am now a convert! Who knew it would be so easy to make all these things!

This books goes through everything to make with beef, and even astonishingly puddings. Which are made from suet, apparently. Plus the jacket folds out to a poster, which is really fun. It shows a cow with all the different types of bits on it, so to speak.

This is a really special book and if anyone wants a really good book for their fathers for Christmas, I would say this is perfect and a little bit different.



Great recipes - puerile politics., 29 Sep 2008
Some great hints for choosing and preparing game. Recipes easy to follow and the results well photographed. Offputting though is the childish ultra right-wing ranting from Ms Dickson Wright which prevents me from scoring higher.

Review of The Game Cookbook, 19 Aug 2004
The Game Cookbook is a rare example of a book which can be judged by its cover. The beautifully illustrated pages are matched by the superb recipes and personal narrative written by Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott. Often I have thought that modern recipe books, peppered with escapist photographs that bear no relation to what's normally found in a kitchen, belong more on a coffee table than they do stacked haphazardly next to the wooden spoons. The Game Cookbook however achieves both aesthetic success and irreplacable practical guidance as to how to cook game. Yes, I did feel mild pangs of guilt as I besmirched the pages of the recipe for salmon with chicory and Roquefort with a cheese-laden fork, but as soon the pastry rose in the oven and the aroma filled my house I forgot all about defacing my new book. It is a pleasure to cook such unfashionable fare (no Thai fusion here) from such a great chef as Clarissa Dickson Wright surely is. Pairing her wtih the professionally formidable publishing house Kyle Cathie was a stroke of brilliance. This book is well worth having in your kitchen.

My review, 07 Oct 2003
Great book but be prepared to buy a shed for all the kit you need!

Good book but..., 30 Sep 2003
Generally I think the book is good, but I was a bit disappointed to find some many of the hot smoking recipes included a requirement to cold smoke as well. If you don’t have the equipment to cold smoke (I don’t) you have to modify the recipes some what.

If you only ever buy one book on this subject, buy this one., 14 Jun 2002
I have to admit that I have read this book in an earlier edition, many years ago, and it was this book that gave me a lifelong interest in the subject. The new edition is greatly updated and very modern in style and prose, and has to be one of the easiest to read technical books ever written. The knowledge and enthusiasm of Mr. Erlandson are clear for all on every page and I would suggest that there is not one amongst us who could not successfully Smoke at home if we followed his advice! You will learn about the origins of the process, it's evolution through the centuries, pre-salting, brining, humidity, fuel, timing, storage and even how to cook cold Smoked foods in an excellent recipe section.

One step beyond barbecuing - and it works, 22 Nov 2001
When Jane Grigson (Sophie's Mum) mentions and recommends someone else's food preparation book as 'excellent', it is as well to check it out. If you appreciate a level of advice such as 'Do not let your ducks catch fire', when discussing how to smoke fowl, and if you are fed up with 'over the top' recipes for smoking pork which include 'Wild Willie's Number One-derful rub', then you should read this book.

Keith Erlandson is a retired gamekeeper, perhaps best known for his well respected books on training gun dogs. In his leaner years, he supplemented his income by curing and smoking fish and game. He therefore has the benefit of first hand practical experience when constructing smokers - which is sometimes lacking in other guides to smoking food. One such recommends using an old 'fridge for smoking, "but be careful not to get it too hot or the food will taint from the burning plastic!"

Recipes cover hot and cold smoking, curing as preparation for smoking, and what to expect! If you have never tasted hot smoked chicken or turkey, or hot smoked fish, such as cod, haddock or sea bream, then this will be an eye opener. The directions work and the results are superb, even pork sausages taste special when hot smoked, and smoked eggs..... The more difficult cold smoking process is also explained in the sort of detail which allows you to start with confidence. Part travelogue, where he returns to his Scandinavian roots, one gets the comforting feeling that he is demystifying what is a very old fashioned and simple skill. If the price of the book bothers you, check out the price of even chemical smoked chicken.

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

Fantastic recipes, and they work!, 06 Jan 2009
Friends of mine who are converted veggies bought me this book for my birthday as they know I love cooking. My first meal for them went brilliantly well. I fried steak for the first time (superb, and the instructions were spot on), made onion gravy which was gorgeous and really made the meal, and baked apples for pud (which went down well with those who didn't think they'd be that keen).

We love the way the book is written (it's very John!), and the wealth of info in it. I've already made a list of over 20 other meals that I am keen to make as soon as possible. I have loads of recipe books but this one really stands out from the rest.


Fantastic Carnivore Christmas Present!, 21 Nov 2008
A brilliant book - combining a wealth of practical beef knowledge and delicious recipes with stunning photography to boot.
A pleasure to read and use - it will be going to the majority of my family for Christmas this year.
Can't wait for Fowl to come out next year!


Masterchef - Master Book!, 29 Oct 2008
This books is amazing! I have been a massive fan of John's and Masterchef forever and now he has made this book all about Beef. I do not even cook that much Beef and bought it more for him than anything, but I am now a convert! Who knew it would be so easy to make all these things!

This books goes through everything to make with beef, and even astonishingly puddings. Which are made from suet, apparently. Plus the jacket folds out to a poster, which is really fun. It shows a cow with all the different types of bits on it, so to speak.

This is a really special book and if anyone wants a really good book for their fathers for Christmas, I would say this is perfect and a little bit different.



Great recipes - puerile politics., 29 Sep 2008
Some great hints for choosing and preparing game. Recipes easy to follow and the results well photographed. Offputting though is the childish ultra right-wing ranting from Ms Dickson Wright which prevents me from scoring higher.

Review of The Game Cookbook, 19 Aug 2004
The Game Cookbook is a rare example of a book which can be judged by its cover. The beautifully illustrated pages are matched by the superb recipes and personal narrative written by Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott. Often I have thought that modern recipe books, peppered with escapist photographs that bear no relation to what's normally found in a kitchen, belong more on a coffee table than they do stacked haphazardly next to the wooden spoons. The Game Cookbook however achieves both aesthetic success and irreplacable practical guidance as to how to cook game. Yes, I did feel mild pangs of guilt as I besmirched the pages of the recipe for salmon with chicory and Roquefort with a cheese-laden fork, but as soon the pastry rose in the oven and the aroma filled my house I forgot all about defacing my new book. It is a pleasure to cook such unfashionable fare (no Thai fusion here) from such a great chef as Clarissa Dickson Wright surely is. Pairing her wtih the professionally formidable publishing house Kyle Cathie was a stroke of brilliance. This book is well worth having in your kitchen.

My review, 07 Oct 2003
Great book but be prepared to buy a shed for all the kit you need!

Good book but..., 30 Sep 2003
Generally I think the book is good, but I was a bit disappointed to find some many of the hot smoking recipes included a requirement to cold smoke as well. If you don’t have the equipment to cold smoke (I don’t) you have to modify the recipes some what.

If you only ever buy one book on this subject, buy this one., 14 Jun 2002
I have to admit that I have read this book in an earlier edition, many years ago, and it was this book that gave me a lifelong interest in the subject. The new edition is greatly updated and very modern in style and prose, and has to be one of the easiest to read technical books ever written. The knowledge and enthusiasm of Mr. Erlandson are clear for all on every page and I would suggest that there is not one amongst us who could not successfully Smoke at home if we followed his advice! You will learn about the origins of the process, it's evolution through the centuries, pre-salting, brining, humidity, fuel, timing, storage and even how to cook cold Smoked foods in an excellent recipe section.

One step beyond barbecuing - and it works, 22 Nov 2001
When Jane Grigson (Sophie's Mum) mentions and recommends someone else's food preparation book as 'excellent', it is as well to check it out. If you appreciate a level of advice such as 'Do not let your ducks catch fire', when discussing how to smoke fowl, and if you are fed up with 'over the top' recipes for smoking pork which include 'Wild Willie's Number One-derful rub', then you should read this book.

Keith Erlandson is a retired gamekeeper, perhaps best known for his well respected books on training gun dogs. In his leaner years, he supplemented his income by curing and smoking fish and game. He therefore has the benefit of first hand practical experience when constructing smokers - which is sometimes lacking in other guides to smoking food. One such recommends using an old 'fridge for smoking, "but be careful not to get it too hot or the food will taint from the burning plastic!"

Recipes cover hot and cold smoking, curing as preparation for smoking, and what to expect! If you have never tasted hot smoked chicken or turkey, or hot smoked fish, such as cod, haddock or sea bream, then this will be an eye opener. The directions work and the results are superb, even pork sausages taste special when hot smoked, and smoked eggs..... The more difficult cold smoking process is also explained in the sort of detail which allows you to start with confidence. Part travelogue, where he returns to his Scandinavian roots, one gets the comforting feeling that he is demystifying what is a very old fashioned and simple skill. If the price of the book bothers you, check out the price of even chemical smoked chicken.

The Average Vegetarian, 31 Dec 2008
I am a vegetarian in an omnivore family and bought this as a gift this Christmas. There's a fair range of meals here - soups, salads, breads and mains - but it's definitely aimed at those who already eat meat. Many of the recipes, especially the desserts, are only incidentally vegetarian and there is little that will surprise those who are accustomed to cooking without meat or fish. The author can be a little condescending about vegetarian cuisine on the whole which makes me wonder why he bothered to buy a vegetarian restaurant. However, if you're trying to entice someone away from meat, or trying to cut back for health reasons, you could do worse than 'The Accidental Vegetarian'. Just don't expect innovation or a fulfilling, thought-provoking read.

Tangtastic, 06 Dec 2008
Having eaten at Greens in Manchester (though sadly only once) and seen the cooking slots on 'Something for the Weekend', I was keen to track down a wider range of this chef's veggie recipes. I nearly talked myself out of it, mind, since I'm hardly short of vegetarian cookbooks as it is. Only a couple of the veggie cookbooks I have get used regularly and after a while, there's not much that's new on the block. Now I have a copy of `The Accidental Vegetarian', I'm so glad that I went ahead and ordered it. What this bloke is really good at is combining interesting flavours with substantial ingredients. Expect plenty of spicy, aromatic and above all tangy-tasting dishes. The recipe for `Lemongrass risotto with lime leaf olive tapenade' is the best thing to happen to my kitchen since it was fitted. There's also a good selection of filling dishes that can be rustled up pretty quickly (such as the sweet and very satisfying 'Plantain and mango curry'). I also tried out the citrusy `Polenta cake', which although prone to be very dense in the middle, looked and tasted absolutely delicious. The other thing I like is that he includes short blurbs at the start of each recipe but they're just cheerful and to the point (no waxing lyrical and overshadowing the recipes here, as in some cookbooks). Admittedly, the book could do with a few more photographs but, that aside, it's a collection that I now wouldn't be without.


Unimaginative food and too many cheesecakes, 16 Oct 2008
This book has wonderful photos and high production values, which is a good disguise for the heavy and unimaginative recipes. I bought this book on a whim over a year ago and have only ever cooked a couple of recipes from it. They were nice, but nothing amazing and they have not become staples in my repertoire. Many of the recipes rely too heavily on cheese or other dairy products, which make them quite fatty (though I'm sure with all that fat they'd taste good). The worst section by far is the desserts - they are almost all cheesecakes. Seriously, there are five cheesecake recipes. If I live to 100 I don't think I will ever have cause to bake a cheesecake on more than half a dozen occassions, probably less.

Save your money and buy either a vege cookbook with more variety or a good quality all round cookbook with lots of vegetable dishes.

Desserts, 15 Jan 2008
It's worth buying for the desserts alone which I guess technically are vegetarian but you could get the same stuff out of another book.

However, I'm a carnivore and was looking for a book to buy that has stuff in I would actually eat as I'm trying to get more fruit and veg down my neck. And this book fulfils that need. It has stuff in there that a fussy veg eater (like myself) would actually want to eat and not just stuff like nut roasts, veg casseroles etc.

Recommended.

Excellent recipes, 22 Jul 2007
I am always a little skeptical, when I pick up a Vegetarian Cookbook, that has been written by a self-avowed meat-eater, but this book is a pleasant surprise, as the recipes are not only fresh and sometimes original, but also easy to prepare.

My only gripe with it, and the reason why I have given it 4 stars instead of 5, is because I feel most of the recipes rely far too heavily on dairy and eggs. In fact, I counted quite a lot of eggs for just one recipe. I don't believe that overconsumption of dairy produce and eggs is acceptible from a health point of view. But I hope that people would relaise that a lot of these recipes can be cooked for special treats and dinner parties.

My main reason for buying this book, is because I have eaten at the author's restaurant and I was very impressed with it and I wanted to see what other delicacies I have been missing out on.

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

Informative and inspiring, 29 Oct 2008
This massive tome has a wealth of information about everything to do with the meat we buy and eat. The pictures of what happens in abatoirs are salutary and remind one that to eat meat is a privilege. It's much more than a recipe book: more an instruction manual about which cuts to choose and how to cook them.

The author is convincing in his discussion of the ethical issues connected with different types of farming and the necessity to use every part of a carcass if an animal has been reared in a humane way. But it's far from being a polemical book: one can almost smell the aroma as he describes meat sizzling and browning and there are loads of inviting recipes that inspire one to get in the kitchen.

There's also a long list of suppliers of good meat.

Outstanding book, more of a meat encyclopedia than recipe book, 08 Jul 2008
As many others have mentioned this is a truly outstanding book. Aside from the chapters on the ethics of meat, which many others have covered, this really is an encyclopedia of meat. The various chapters explain all the different cuts of meat, what good cuts look and feel like and the appropriate way of cooking. It does have many recipes but its much more than that it gives a great overall idea of all the different cooking processes. These sections are particularly useful and give great background info on each method the likes of which i have found in no other cookbook. It has increased my confidence in choosing, buying and cooking meat no end. Since buying this I have had the skills to cook much more varied species and cuts of meat, cooking them using many different methods. Whilst i have made many of the tasty recipes, I use the book almost daily as a reference title. If your a meat eater and can only buy one cookbook this is the one.

I really need this book., 22 Jan 2008
Fantastic book. I have learned so much from this book and I have developed a whole new respect for the meat I eat.
This book is an eye opener educating about...
animal farming/welfare
what cuts of meat work for what purpose
how to recognise good quality
pricipals of different styles of cooking and why they work.

I also highly value the chapter on meat thrift. Using leftovers to their best advantage. There is no doubt that this book deserves all the praise it gets..well done hugh!

A Wonderful Book!, 11 Jan 2008
Please please please - everyone buy this book. Infact, everyone buy every book Hugh has published about food! This man is a hero. Yes, it is a cookbook but it is also soooooooo much more. A real education about meat - the whole process and not just skirting around the issues. Hugh states that he is a meat eater but that he is not a meat eater at ANY cost. He cares passionately about the conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated/live their lives whilst they are among us. Added to this - the recipes are absolutely fantastic. This book is a must for anyone who loves to cook, wants varied, interesting and easy to follow recipes and also cares about what they put on their plates. Fantastic book - I shall be adding ALL of his other books to my shelves.

Beware - this book could change you for life, 13 Dec 2007
I've had this book for a year and it's changed my meat shopping and cooking patterns for good. Out of over 150 cookbooks currently on my shelves, it comes out time and time again (and it's beginning to look like its been marinated). A combination of lifestyle philosophy, meaty reference book, polemic and evangelical call to ethical shopping and cooking, it is so much more than a cookbook. Hugh has a great easy and lucid writing style and the recipes really work (his tortilla mix has become my standard). Hugh's persuasive arguments for thinking about what we eat, how meat is produced and on animal welfare issues provide a powerful force for pricking the conscience. A major weapon in pushing back the fast food and processed food culture and the inhumane and poor production values that currently dominate. Read this together with Joanna Blytheman's Bad Food Britain and you may just start to seriously re-evaluate how you shop and eat. It may have increased the amount I spend on good quality ethically produced meat but its also made me respect good produce and eat better. Oh and its handsomely illustrated and well laid out as well - just a little difficult to read in bed and carry because of its size.

Fantastic recipes, and they work!, 06 Jan 2009
Friends of mine who are converted veggies bought me this book for my birthday as they know I love cooking. My first meal for them went brilliantly well. I fried steak for the first time (superb, and the instructions were spot on), made onion gravy which was gorgeous and really made the meal, and baked apples for pud (which went down well with those who didn't think they'd be that keen).

We love the way the book is written (it's very John!), and the wealth of info in it. I've already made a list of over 20 other meals that I am keen to make as soon as possible. I have loads of recipe books but this one really stands out from the rest.


Fantastic Carnivore Christmas Present!, 21 Nov 2008
A brilliant book - combining a wealth of practical beef knowledge and delicious recipes with stunning photography to boot.
A pleasure to read and use - it will be going to the majority of my family for Christmas this year.
Can't wait for Fowl to come out next year!


Masterchef - Master Book!, 29 Oct 2008
This books is amazing! I have been a massive fan of John's and Masterchef forever and now he has made this book all about Beef. I do not even cook that much Beef and bought it more for him than anything, but I am now a convert! Who knew it would be so easy to make all these things!

This books goes through everything to make with beef, and even astonishingly puddings. Which are made from suet, apparently. Plus the jacket folds out to a poster, which is really fun. It shows a cow with all the different types of bits on it, so to speak.

This is a really special book and if anyone wants a really good book for their fathers for Christmas, I would say this is perfect and a little bit different.



Great recipes - puerile politics., 29 Sep 2008
Some great hints for choosing and preparing game. Recipes easy to follow and the results well photographed. Offputting though is the childish ultra right-wing ranting from Ms Dickson Wright which prevents me from scoring higher.

Review of The Game Cookbook, 19 Aug 2004
The Game Cookbook is a rare example of a book which can be judged by its cover. The beautifully illustrated pages are matched by the superb recipes and personal narrative written by Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott. Often I have thought that modern recipe books, peppered with escapist photographs that bear no relation to what's normally found in a kitchen, belong more on a coffee table than they do stacked haphazardly next to the wooden spoons. The Game Cookbook however achieves both aesthetic success and irreplacable practical guidance as to how to cook game. Yes, I did feel mild pangs of guilt as I besmirched the pages of the recipe for salmon with chicory and Roquefort with a cheese-laden fork, but as soon the pastry rose in the oven and the aroma filled my house I forgot all about defacing my new book. It is a pleasure to cook such unfashionable fare (no Thai fusion here) from such a great chef as Clarissa Dickson Wright surely is. Pairing her wtih the professionally formidable publishing house Kyle Cathie was a stroke of brilliance. This book is well worth having in your kitchen.

My review, 07 Oct 2003
Great book but be prepared to buy a shed for all the kit you need!

Good book but..., 30 Sep 2003
Generally I think the book is good, but I was a bit disappointed to find some many of the hot smoking recipes included a requirement to cold smoke as well. If you don’t have the equipment to cold smoke (I don’t) you have to modify the recipes some what.

If you only ever buy one book on this subject, buy this one., 14 Jun 2002
I have to admit that I have read this book in an earlier edition, many years ago, and it was this book that gave me a lifelong interest in the subject. The new edition is greatly updated and very modern in style and prose, and has to be one of the easiest to read technical books ever written. The knowledge and enthusiasm of Mr. Erlandson are clear for all on every page and I would suggest that there is not one amongst us who could not successfully Smoke at home if we followed his advice! You will learn about the origins of the process, it's evolution through the centuries, pre-salting, brining, humidity, fuel, timing, storage and even how to cook cold Smoked foods in an excellent recipe section.

One step beyond barbecuing - and it works, 22 Nov 2001
When Jane Grigson (Sophie's Mum) mentions and recommends someone else's food preparation book as 'excellent', it is as well to check it out. If you appreciate a level of advice such as 'Do not let your ducks catch fire', when discussing how to smoke fowl, and if you are fed up with 'over the top' recipes for smoking pork which include 'Wild Willie's Number One-derful rub', then you should read this book.

Keith Erlandson is a retired gamekeeper, perhaps best known for his well respected books on training gun dogs. In his leaner years, he supplemented his income by curing and smoking fish and game. He therefore has the benefit of first hand practical experience when constructing smokers - which is sometimes lacking in other guides to smoking food. One such recommends using an old 'fridge for smoking, "but be careful not to get it too hot or the food will taint from the burning plastic!"

Recipes cover hot and cold smoking, curing as preparation for smoking, and what to expect! If you have never tasted hot smoked chicken or turkey, or hot smoked fish, such as cod, haddock or sea bream, then this will be an eye opener. The directions work and the results are superb, even pork sausages taste special when hot smoked, and smoked eggs..... The more difficult cold smoking process is also explained in the sort of detail which allows you to start with confidence. Part travelogue, where he returns to his Scandinavian roots, one gets the comforting feeling that he is demystifying what is a very old fashioned and simple skill. If the price of the book bothers you, check out the price of even chemical smoked chicken.

The Average Vegetarian, 31 Dec 2008
I am a vegetarian in an omnivore family and bought this as a gift this Christmas. There's a fair range of meals here - soups, salads, breads and mains - but it's definitely aimed at those who already eat meat. Many of the recipes, especially the desserts, are only incidentally vegetarian and there is little that will surprise those who are accustomed to cooking without meat or fish. The author can be a little condescending about vegetarian cuisine on the whole which makes me wonder why he bothered to buy a vegetarian restaurant. However, if you're trying to entice someone away from meat, or trying to cut back for health reasons, you could do worse than 'The Accidental Vegetarian'. Just don't expect innovation or a fulfilling, thought-provoking read.

Tangtastic, 06 Dec 2008
Having eaten at Greens in Manchester (though sadly only once) and seen the cooking slots on 'Something for the Weekend', I was keen to track down a wider range of this chef's veggie recipes. I nearly talked myself out of it, mind, since I'm hardly short of vegetarian cookbooks as it is. Only a couple of the veggie cookbooks I have get used regularly and after a while, there's not much that's new on the block. Now I have a copy of `The Accidental Vegetarian', I'm so glad that I went ahead and ordered it. What this bloke is really good at is combining interesting flavours with substantial ingredients. Expect plenty of spicy, aromatic and above all tangy-tasting dishes. The recipe for `Lemongrass risotto with lime leaf olive tapenade' is the best thing to happen to my kitchen since it was fitted. There's also a good selection of filling dishes that can be rustled up pretty quickly (such as the sweet and very satisfying 'Plantain and mango curry'). I also tried out the citrusy `Polenta cake', which although prone to be very dense in the middle, looked and tasted absolutely delicious. The other thing I like is that he includes short blurbs at the start of each recipe but they're just cheerful and to the point (no waxing lyrical and overshadowing the recipes here, as in some cookbooks). Admittedly, the book could do with a few more photographs but, that aside, it's a collection that I now wouldn't be without.


Unimaginative food and too many cheesecakes, 16 Oct 2008
This book has wonderful photos and high production values, which is a good disguise for the heavy and unimaginative recipes. I bought this book on a whim over a year ago and have only ever cooked a couple of recipes from it. They were nice, but nothing amazing and they have not become staples in my repertoire. Many of the recipes rely too heavily on cheese or other dairy products, which make them quite fatty (though I'm sure with all that fat they'd taste good). The worst section by far is the desserts - they are almost all cheesecakes. Seriously, there are five cheesecake recipes. If I live to 100 I don't think I will ever have cause to bake a cheesecake on more than half a dozen occassions, probably less.

Save your money and buy either a vege cookbook with more variety or a good quality all round