beautiful, but impractical, 29 Oct 2008
As with Tessa Kiros' previous books, this one is absolutely gorgeous. Gold-edged pages and many, many shots of Venice and its people, especially around Carnival time make it a delight to leaf through.

So far, so good, and if you know someone who loves Venice or has had a special time there, this would be a good gift. But I doubt how much actual cooking I'll be doing from this book...octopus, anchovies, special Italian sausage and prosecco feature highly on the ingredients list, none of which I find particularly appealing or easy to lay my hands on.

It's certainly not the family-friendly fare of Falling Cloudberries or Apples for Jam. Nice to read but I think I'll stick to her earlier works for cooking.

Yet Another Hit For Tessa Kiros, 28 Oct 2008
Yet another stunning book from Tessa Kiros. I have already loved recipes from Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes and Twelve: A Tuscan Cook Book which occupy the space closest to hand on my cookbook shelf. I pre-ordered this as soon as I saw it and I've not been disappointed.

It arrived on Friday and over the weekend I've already tried the marinated sea bass, carpaccio beef and pumpkin gnocchi, all of which were delicious. None of these are my usual style of cooking, but her recipes are simple and straightforward, and with so few ingredients they just beg you to try them. Every recipe of hers I've ever tried seems to produce the most authentic dishes full of amazingly intense flavours that whisk you off to their country of origin.

Given the region from which these recipes are drawn, fish and seafood are unsurprisingly the stars of the menu and although dedicated carnivores may be left wanting, fish lovers will love the range of simple fish and seafood recipes. Even those like myself for whom fish is not instinctively their first choice, may find themselves unusually tempted by things they have never tried before. I can't remember the last time I had fresh sardines, but roasted as they were here, they were simple and fabulous (and even more simple if you get the fishmonger to fillet them for you). However; this is most definitely not just a fish book. All round there's plenty to try no matter what your tastes, including the carnivores amongst us, and there are some especially delicious antipasti, risottos and vegetable sides.

The book introduces you to eating Venetian style beginning with a section on Cicchetti (small bites), followed by Antipasto and Primo (starters), Secondi (mains), Contorni (sides) and Dolci (sweet things). Each section begins with a short narrative on the experience of eating in Venice so that by the time you have read, prepared and indulged you may well imagine you can hear the waters of the Veneto lapping at the kitchen door.

Although I buy books for their recipe content rather than their looks this one is undeniably beautiful and would double as a coffee table book any day. Edged in gold, with black velvet page markers and full of inspiring photos of Venice it makes you want to dive right in (notwithstanding the pollution). A few of the descriptions and ingredients are written in Italian and not being an Italian speaker I did have to Google some words, however it all just seems to add to the Italian flavour of a truly beautiful and inspiring book, and almost all were straightforward ingredients I was able to source locally once I knew what I was looking for (ruccola/rocket; peperoncino/crushed dried chilli peppers - thank heavens for Google).

I agree with the other reviewer that a few of the fish recipes call for less straightforward ingredients such as eel, squid or octopus but surely that's no great surprise when buying a book on Venetian cooking? That said, I live in a small market town in mid-Wales and our even our landlocked Fishmonger (if not the local Morrisons) can source any of these on request. The vast majority of recipes use everyday ingredients which keen cooks will have in their store cupboard, although I did have to go to Waitrose in the next town for squid ink spaghetti for a pasta dish. For the recipes mentioned I only had to buy the single main ingredient fresh, the rest was already in the cupboard or fridge.

I'm a sucker for cookery books and have over a hundred at home however I'm very lazy at writing reviews even for my favourites and have never yet written one; this book is so good I couldn't deny it a write-up. This is less a family meals book than Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life but rather an experience of eating out in Venice. If you're looking for simple cooking which produces grown-up, great flavours and love her two books mentioned above, or My Favourite Ingredients and A Year in my Kitchen by Skye Gyngell you'll love this; and if Skye's recipes entice you but seem a little complex for a week-night supper after work then you'll love the simplicity of these which can be knocked up in no time at all.

beautiful, but impractical, 29 Oct 2008
As with Tessa Kiros' previous books, this one is absolutely gorgeous. Gold-edged pages and many, many shots of Venice and its people, especially around Carnival time make it a delight to leaf through.

So far, so good, and if you know someone who loves Venice or has had a special time there, this would be a good gift. But I doubt how much actual cooking I'll be doing from this book...octopus, anchovies, special Italian sausage and prosecco feature highly on the ingredients list, none of which I find particularly appealing or easy to lay my hands on.

It's certainly not the family-friendly fare of Falling Cloudberries or Apples for Jam. Nice to read but I think I'll stick to her earlier works for cooking.

Yet Another Hit For Tessa Kiros, 28 Oct 2008
Yet another stunning book from Tessa Kiros. I have already loved recipes from Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes and Twelve: A Tuscan Cook Book which occupy the space closest to hand on my cookbook shelf. I pre-ordered this as soon as I saw it and I've not been disappointed.

It arrived on Friday and over the weekend I've already tried the marinated sea bass, carpaccio beef and pumpkin gnocchi, all of which were delicious. None of these are my usual style of cooking, but her recipes are simple and straightforward, and with so few ingredients they just beg you to try them. Every recipe of hers I've ever tried seems to produce the most authentic dishes full of amazingly intense flavours that whisk you off to their country of origin.

Given the region from which these recipes are drawn, fish and seafood are unsurprisingly the stars of the menu and although dedicated carnivores may be left wanting, fish lovers will love the range of simple fish and seafood recipes. Even those like myself for whom fish is not instinctively their first choice, may find themselves unusually tempted by things they have never tried before. I can't remember the last time I had fresh sardines, but roasted as they were here, they were simple and fabulous (and even more simple if you get the fishmonger to fillet them for you). However; this is most definitely not just a fish book. All round there's plenty to try no matter what your tastes, including the carnivores amongst us, and there are some especially delicious antipasti, risottos and vegetable sides.

The book introduces you to eating Venetian style beginning with a section on Cicchetti (small bites), followed by Antipasto and Primo (starters), Secondi (mains), Contorni (sides) and Dolci (sweet things). Each section begins with a short narrative on the experience of eating in Venice so that by the time you have read, prepared and indulged you may well imagine you can hear the waters of the Veneto lapping at the kitchen door.

Although I buy books for their recipe content rather than their looks this one is undeniably beautiful and would double as a coffee table book any day. Edged in gold, with black velvet page markers and full of inspiring photos of Venice it makes you want to dive right in (notwithstanding the pollution). A few of the descriptions and ingredients are written in Italian and not being an Italian speaker I did have to Google some words, however it all just seems to add to the Italian flavour of a truly beautiful and inspiring book, and almost all were straightforward ingredients I was able to source locally once I knew what I was looking for (ruccola/rocket; peperoncino/crushed dried chilli peppers - thank heavens for Google).

I agree with the other reviewer that a few of the fish recipes call for less straightforward ingredients such as eel, squid or octopus but surely that's no great surprise when buying a book on Venetian cooking? That said, I live in a small market town in mid-Wales and our even our landlocked Fishmonger (if not the local Morrisons) can source any of these on request. The vast majority of recipes use everyday ingredients which keen cooks will have in their store cupboard, although I did have to go to Waitrose in the next town for squid ink spaghetti for a pasta dish. For the recipes mentioned I only had to buy the single main ingredient fresh, the rest was already in the cupboard or fridge.

I'm a sucker for cookery books and have over a hundred at home however I'm very lazy at writing reviews even for my favourites and have never yet written one; this book is so good I couldn't deny it a write-up. This is less a family meals book than Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life but rather an experience of eating out in Venice. If you're looking for simple cooking which produces grown-up, great flavours and love her two books mentioned above, or My Favourite Ingredients and A Year in my Kitchen by Skye Gyngell you'll love this; and if Skye's recipes entice you but seem a little complex for a week-night supper after work then you'll love the simplicity of these which can be knocked up in no time at all.


An Italian Classic, 27 Nov 2008
I think that this is one of my favourite recipe books ever!! I love Italian food and this book has it all. Really simple sauces and marinades to much more complex cookery. If ever we are stuck for an idea for dinner this book is always picked up first, I would highly recommend it!

Wonderful - just beware the quantities, 21 Aug 2008
There are some reviews of this fabulous cook book which complain about the poor translation, the fact that the book isn't in Engish alphabetical order, that the quantities aren't precise enough ... You're safe to ignore all these quibbles provided you accept the basis on which this cookebook was created.

It was designed to guide (young) Italians who were starting to lose their traditional roots in national cuisine and to help them know just how to make high quality food. For this audience it isn't necessary to give exact quantities or lengths of time ... they just know. And after working with this cookery book, you'll get to know these things too.

For me, a precise English/American book telling me just precisely what to do down to the last millilitre, gramme or degree of heat is not letting you be creative, not allowing you to find out what works best for you in your kitchen, and - above all - what great ingredients work with which.

This is a classic book; its English translation works; and I simply couldn't be without it. (And excuse me, if cooking is all about glossy photos, count me out: I prefer pictures that look like what I make, not some bizarre studio impersonation of food.

The Silver Spoon is all about good food cooked by real people in real kitchens. Bravo! Buy it!

A must for any italian food lover, 28 Apr 2008
My step father was an Italian restauranteur and had a copy of this same book in Italian throughout his career. He even had it rebound a few years back. During his life he ran a hotel in Rome and cooked for cardinals that came there from the vatican using recipes from the Silver spoon.

I was therefore thrilled when this came out in English and so far have bought 3 copies so that both my daughters have them for their homes. They use them daily. Not only is this the authentic cookery book for Italian food lovers it is amazingly economical, utilising seasonal fresh foods and not that many ingredients unlike so many newer recipes.

Risotto with carrots for example is fantastically creamy as the carrot is pureed. Highly recommended reading and an ideal gift for any newly weds or new home buyers.

Really Good, 11 Apr 2008
Bought this book from Amazon and after two weeks have cooked 4 things from it. Every recipe has tasted great with bags of flavour. More importantly, every recipe has worked.



Best Italian cook book, 05 Feb 2008
This is an excellent book with over 2000 authentic recipes (some are very authentic - there's a whole section on brains!) The recipes are, typically of Italian food, simple and easy to follow. There is also a small section at the back with some more complicated recipes from famous Italian chefs. All in all a top book you're not likely to get bored with quickly.

beautiful, but impractical, 29 Oct 2008
As with Tessa Kiros' previous books, this one is absolutely gorgeous. Gold-edged pages and many, many shots of Venice and its people, especially around Carnival time make it a delight to leaf through.

So far, so good, and if you know someone who loves Venice or has had a special time there, this would be a good gift. But I doubt how much actual cooking I'll be doing from this book...octopus, anchovies, special Italian sausage and prosecco feature highly on the ingredients list, none of which I find particularly appealing or easy to lay my hands on.

It's certainly not the family-friendly fare of Falling Cloudberries or Apples for Jam. Nice to read but I think I'll stick to her earlier works for cooking.

Yet Another Hit For Tessa Kiros, 28 Oct 2008
Yet another stunning book from Tessa Kiros. I have already loved recipes from Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes and Twelve: A Tuscan Cook Book which occupy the space closest to hand on my cookbook shelf. I pre-ordered this as soon as I saw it and I've not been disappointed.

It arrived on Friday and over the weekend I've already tried the marinated sea bass, carpaccio beef and pumpkin gnocchi, all of which were delicious. None of these are my usual style of cooking, but her recipes are simple and straightforward, and with so few ingredients they just beg you to try them. Every recipe of hers I've ever tried seems to produce the most authentic dishes full of amazingly intense flavours that whisk you off to their country of origin.

Given the region from which these recipes are drawn, fish and seafood are unsurprisingly the stars of the menu and although dedicated carnivores may be left wanting, fish lovers will love the range of simple fish and seafood recipes. Even those like myself for whom fish is not instinctively their first choice, may find themselves unusually tempted by things they have never tried before. I can't remember the last time I had fresh sardines, but roasted as they were here, they were simple and fabulous (and even more simple if you get the fishmonger to fillet them for you). However; this is most definitely not just a fish book. All round there's plenty to try no matter what your tastes, including the carnivores amongst us, and there are some especially delicious antipasti, risottos and vegetable sides.

The book introduces you to eating Venetian style beginning with a section on Cicchetti (small bites), followed by Antipasto and Primo (starters), Secondi (mains), Contorni (sides) and Dolci (sweet things). Each section begins with a short narrative on the experience of eating in Venice so that by the time you have read, prepared and indulged you may well imagine you can hear the waters of the Veneto lapping at the kitchen door.

Although I buy books for their recipe content rather than their looks this one is undeniably beautiful and would double as a coffee table book any day. Edged in gold, with black velvet page markers and full of inspiring photos of Venice it makes you want to dive right in (notwithstanding the pollution). A few of the descriptions and ingredients are written in Italian and not being an Italian speaker I did have to Google some words, however it all just seems to add to the Italian flavour of a truly beautiful and inspiring book, and almost all were straightforward ingredients I was able to source locally once I knew what I was looking for (ruccola/rocket; peperoncino/crushed dried chilli peppers - thank heavens for Google).

I agree with the other reviewer that a few of the fish recipes call for less straightforward ingredients such as eel, squid or octopus but surely that's no great surprise when buying a book on Venetian cooking? That said, I live in a small market town in mid-Wales and our even our landlocked Fishmonger (if not the local Morrisons) can source any of these on request. The vast majority of recipes use everyday ingredients which keen cooks will have in their store cupboard, although I did have to go to Waitrose in the next town for squid ink spaghetti for a pasta dish. For the recipes mentioned I only had to buy the single main ingredient fresh, the rest was already in the cupboard or fridge.

I'm a sucker for cookery books and have over a hundred at home however I'm very lazy at writing reviews even for my favourites and have never yet written one; this book is so good I couldn't deny it a write-up. This is less a family meals book than Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life but rather an experience of eating out in Venice. If you're looking for simple cooking which produces grown-up, great flavours and love her two books mentioned above, or My Favourite Ingredients and A Year in my Kitchen by Skye Gyngell you'll love this; and if Skye's recipes entice you but seem a little complex for a week-night supper after work then you'll love the simplicity of these which can be knocked up in no time at all.


An Italian Classic, 27 Nov 2008
I think that this is one of my favourite recipe books ever!! I love Italian food and this book has it all. Really simple sauces and marinades to much more complex cookery. If ever we are stuck for an idea for dinner this book is always picked up first, I would highly recommend it!

Wonderful - just beware the quantities, 21 Aug 2008
There are some reviews of this fabulous cook book which complain about the poor translation, the fact that the book isn't in Engish alphabetical order, that the quantities aren't precise enough ... You're safe to ignore all these quibbles provided you accept the basis on which this cookebook was created.

It was designed to guide (young) Italians who were starting to lose their traditional roots in national cuisine and to help them know just how to make high quality food. For this audience it isn't necessary to give exact quantities or lengths of time ... they just know. And after working with this cookery book, you'll get to know these things too.

For me, a precise English/American book telling me just precisely what to do down to the last millilitre, gramme or degree of heat is not letting you be creative, not allowing you to find out what works best for you in your kitchen, and - above all - what great ingredients work with which.

This is a classic book; its English translation works; and I simply couldn't be without it. (And excuse me, if cooking is all about glossy photos, count me out: I prefer pictures that look like what I make, not some bizarre studio impersonation of food.

The Silver Spoon is all about good food cooked by real people in real kitchens. Bravo! Buy it!

A must for any italian food lover, 28 Apr 2008
My step father was an Italian restauranteur and had a copy of this same book in Italian throughout his career. He even had it rebound a few years back. During his life he ran a hotel in Rome and cooked for cardinals that came there from the vatican using recipes from the Silver spoon.

I was therefore thrilled when this came out in English and so far have bought 3 copies so that both my daughters have them for their homes. They use them daily. Not only is this the authentic cookery book for Italian food lovers it is amazingly economical, utilising seasonal fresh foods and not that many ingredients unlike so many newer recipes.

Risotto with carrots for example is fantastically creamy as the carrot is pureed. Highly recommended reading and an ideal gift for any newly weds or new home buyers.

Really Good, 11 Apr 2008
Bought this book from Amazon and after two weeks have cooked 4 things from it. Every recipe has tasted great with bags of flavour. More importantly, every recipe has worked.



Best Italian cook book, 05 Feb 2008
This is an excellent book with over 2000 authentic recipes (some are very authentic - there's a whole section on brains!) The recipes are, typically of Italian food, simple and easy to follow. There is also a small section at the back with some more complicated recipes from famous Italian chefs. All in all a top book you're not likely to get bored with quickly.

The best cover ever? , 30 Sep 2008
I've never seen such tempting food on a book cover...I just longed to eat it at once! The recipes are all of a high standard, and the photography glorious. I have to admit that I have not warmed to the authors to anything like the same degree: their personal anecdotes seemed smug and self congratulatory, and I won't be booking a holiday with them! The excellent recipes are frequently fairly complex and time consuming, with many stages in each dish, and the book is probably one for the more experienced cook and not for a novice

Good recipes, but not vegetarian!, 24 Sep 2008
These look like delicious recipes, certainly, and good for anyone wanting to cut back on their meat consumption for health or other reasons.

However the recipes are most emphatically not vegetarian! A quick glance shows many include non-vegetarian cheeses such as Parmesan and Pecorino Romano, which by definition are made with calf rennet and therefore not suitable for vegetarians. There are fairly good veggie alternatives to these cheeses, however the authors seem completely unaware of the whole issue, which makes me question whether they have any understanding of what 'vegetarian' even means.

beautiful book, 06 Sep 2008
The photos are beautiful, the food amazingly delicious and Malu and Alberto are charming and passionate about what they do. Having been to Montali - it's heaven! The only place i've discovered that i want to return to every year. If you want to cook delicious, gourmet vegetarian food - this book will show you how.

Tempering their enthusiasm... , 25 Jun 2008
I feel compelled to write a short note to counter some of the enthusiasm of this book's (and the restaurant's) devotees. I have not eaten at the restaurant in Italy, so I can't vouch for its delights, but I ordered this book with some anticipation, and was very disappointed. While it appears that many like the design/photography of this volume, I found it really dated. The colour is over-saturated, the food styling uber-seventies, the format over-large and ostentatious, the paper glossy and off-putting to handle... This, quite apart from the recipes which are over-complicated and old-fashioned looking. They remind me of some 'gourmet' vegetarian food I had in Rome once, which was enough to put me off veggie food for life. So stylised - and not in a good way! For my money, if you want to buy books on gourmet vegetarian food, try Denis Cotter of Cafe Paradiso, Cork, fame. His books are much more beautiful and tactile - and the recipes user-friendly and authentic - not the kind of ponceyness this book tries to proffer.

Yummy!, 19 Jun 2008
I'm a vegetarian but my husband isn't and it is really difficult to find recipes I can eat but which satisfy him. I bought this book as previous reviews said this will meet this requirement. I think it does and the more I cook from it the more my husband agrees!

The pictures are really inspiring and make you really excited about cooking them. Although some of the ingrediants are impossible to get hold of in my neck of the woods the recipes still seem to work with a few well thought out alternatives and substitutions.

I wasn't too keen on some of the pages dedicated to stories about their life. Quite frankly some of them are a bit too self-congratulatory and remind me of the "hilarious" stories people tell you about people who you have never met and have no inclination to. However, as a cookery book I like it and best of all I the receipes on the whole seem to actually work which is always a bonus for an enthusiatic but unskilled cook like me.

Subtitled An intimate Guide to the Authentic Flavours of Venice, Francesco da Mosto`s Francesco's Kitchen is truly a delectable book, mixing some brilliantly composed photographs (and not just of the food, but of the settings in which they were prepared). Such is the charm of the aristocratic Francesco da Mosto -- familiar to many of us from his evocative TV series (and books) on Venice and Italy that we are even prepared to forgive him the fact that that he appears to cook with a cigarette in his mouth.

As with his earlier work, it is the evocation of his country and lifestyle that makes this such a dream book for non-Italian readers (and, one imagines, for Italian readers who don't possess da Mosto's elegant lifestyle). Within these strikingly illustrated pages, Francesco matches the appeal of his personal tours of Venice and Italy with an idiosyncratic guide to the authentic food and flavours of Venice. As he points out, Venetian cuisine (much like the city itself) is a remarkable synthesis of elements which coalesced over the years as traders and travellers moved across the Mediterranean. Reflecting all the atmosphere of this glorious city, the book presents us with an astonishing variety of dishes based on fish, seafood, poultry, game and Mediterranean vegetables. Needless to say, the essentials of Italian cookery such as pastas and risotto are here alongside more exotic fare. There are, of course, some mouth-watering deserts -- but this is book for those who are watching their calories. But for anyone seeking a culinary tour of Venice and its surrounding countryside, this evocation of the traditional food of the region will be very hard to beat. Readers will be looking forward to the next region of Italy that Francesco da Mosto turns his attention to. --Barry Forshaw

beautiful, but impractical, 29 Oct 2008
As with Tessa Kiros' previous books, this one is absolutely gorgeous. Gold-edged pages and many, many shots of Venice and its people, especially around Carnival time make it a delight to leaf through.

So far, so good, and if you know someone who loves Venice or has had a special time there, this would be a good gift. But I doubt how much actual cooking I'll be doing from this book...octopus, anchovies, special Italian sausage and prosecco feature highly on the ingredients list, none of which I find particularly appealing or easy to lay my hands on.

It's certainly not the family-friendly fare of Falling Cloudberries or Apples for Jam. Nice to read but I think I'll stick to her earlier works for cooking.

Yet Another Hit For Tessa Kiros, 28 Oct 2008
Yet another stunning book from Tessa Kiros. I have already loved recipes from Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes and Twelve: A Tuscan Cook Book which occupy the space closest to hand on my cookbook shelf. I pre-ordered this as soon as I saw it and I've not been disappointed.

It arrived on Friday and over the weekend I've already tried the marinated sea bass, carpaccio beef and pumpkin gnocchi, all of which were delicious. None of these are my usual style of cooking, but her recipes are simple and straightforward, and with so few ingredients they just beg you to try them. Every recipe of hers I've ever tried seems to produce the most authentic dishes full of amazingly intense flavours that whisk you off to their country of origin.

Given the region from which these recipes are drawn, fish and seafood are unsurprisingly the stars of the menu and although dedicated carnivores may be left wanting, fish lovers will love the range of simple fish and seafood recipes. Even those like myself for whom fish is not instinctively their first choice, may find themselves unusually tempted by things they have never tried before. I can't remember the last time I had fresh sardines, but roasted as they were here, they were simple and fabulous (and even more simple if you get the fishmonger to fillet them for you). However; this is most definitely not just a fish book. All round there's plenty to try no matter what your tastes, including the carnivores amongst us, and there are some especially delicious antipasti, risottos and vegetable sides.

The book introduces you to eating Venetian style beginning with a section on Cicchetti (small bites), followed by Antipasto and Primo (starters), Secondi (mains), Contorni (sides) and Dolci (sweet things). Each section begins with a short narrative on the experience of eating in Venice so that by the time you have read, prepared and indulged you may well imagine you can hear the waters of the Veneto lapping at the kitchen door.

Although I buy books for their recipe content rather than their looks this one is undeniably beautiful and would double as a coffee table book any day. Edged in gold, with black velvet page markers and full of inspiring photos of Venice it makes you want to dive right in (notwithstanding the pollution). A few of the descriptions and ingredients are written in Italian and not being an Italian speaker I did have to Google some words, however it all just seems to add to the Italian flavour of a truly beautiful and inspiring book, and almost all were straightforward ingredients I was able to source locally once I knew what I was looking for (ruccola/rocket; peperoncino/crushed dried chilli peppers - thank heavens for Google).

I agree with the other reviewer that a few of the fish recipes call for less straightforward ingredients such as eel, squid or octopus but surely that's no great surprise when buying a book on Venetian cooking? That said, I live in a small market town in mid-Wales and our even our landlocked Fishmonger (if not the local Morrisons) can source any of these on request. The vast majority of recipes use everyday ingredients which keen cooks will have in their store cupboard, although I did have to go to Waitrose in the next town for squid ink spaghetti for a pasta dish. For the recipes mentioned I only had to buy the single main ingredient fresh, the rest was already in the cupboard or fridge.

I'm a sucker for cookery books and have over a hundred at home however I'm very lazy at writing reviews even for my favourites and have never yet written one; this book is so good I couldn't deny it a write-up. This is less a family meals book than Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life but rather an experience of eating out in Venice. If you're looking for simple cooking which produces grown-up, great flavours and love her two books mentioned above, or My Favourite Ingredients and A Year in my Kitchen by Skye Gyngell you'll love this; and if Skye's recipes entice you but seem a little complex for a week-night supper after work then you'll love the simplicity of these which can be knocked up in no time at all.


An Italian Classic, 27 Nov 2008
I think that this is one of my favourite recipe books ever!! I love Italian food and this book has it all. Really simple sauces and marinades to much more complex cookery. If ever we are stuck for an idea for dinner this book is always picked up first, I would highly recommend it!

Wonderful - just beware the quantities, 21 Aug 2008
There are some reviews of this fabulous cook book which complain about the poor translation, the fact that the book isn't in Engish alphabetical order, that the quantities aren't precise enough ... You're safe to ignore all these quibbles provided you accept the basis on which this cookebook was created.

It was designed to guide (young) Italians who were starting to lose their traditional roots in national cuisine and to help them know just how to make high quality food. For this audience it isn't necessary to give exact quantities or lengths of time ... they just know. And after working with this cookery book, you'll get to know these things too.

For me, a precise English/American book telling me just precisely what to do down to the last millilitre, gramme or degree of heat is not letting you be creative, not allowing you to find out what works best for you in your kitchen, and - above all - what great ingredients work with which.

This is a classic book; its English translation works; and I simply couldn't be without it. (And excuse me, if cooking is all about glossy photos, count me out: I prefer pictures that look like what I make, not some bizarre studio impersonation of food.

The Silver Spoon is all about good food cooked by real people in real kitchens. Bravo! Buy it!

A must for any italian food lover, 28 Apr 2008
My step father was an Italian restauranteur and had a copy of this same book in Italian throughout his career. He even had it rebound a few years back. During his life he ran a hotel in Rome and cooked for cardinals that came there from the vatican using recipes from the Silver spoon.

I was therefore thrilled when this came out in English and so far have bought 3 copies so that both my daughters have them for their homes. They use them daily. Not only is this the authentic cookery book for Italian food lovers it is amazingly economical, utilising seasonal fresh foods and not that many ingredients unlike so many newer recipes.

Risotto with carrots for example is fantastically creamy as the carrot is pureed. Highly recommended reading and an ideal gift for any newly weds or new home buyers.

Really Good, 11 Apr 2008
Bought this book from Amazon and after two weeks have cooked 4 things from it. Every recipe has tasted great with bags of flavour. More importantly, every recipe has worked.



Best Italian cook book, 05 Feb 2008
This is an excellent book with over 2000 authentic recipes (some are very authentic - there's a whole section on brains!) The recipes are, typically of Italian food, simple and easy to follow. There is also a small section at the back with some more complicated recipes from famous Italian chefs. All in all a top book you're not likely to get bored with quickly.

The best cover ever? , 30 Sep 2008
I've never seen such tempting food on a book cover...I just longed to eat it at once! The recipes are all of a high standard, and the photography glorious. I have to admit that I have not warmed to the authors to anything like the same degree: their personal anecdotes seemed smug and self congratulatory, and I won't be booking a holiday with them! The excellent recipes are frequently fairly complex and time consuming, with many stages in each dish, and the book is probably one for the more experienced cook and not for a novice

Good recipes, but not vegetarian!, 24 Sep 2008
These look like delicious recipes, certainly, and good for anyone wanting to cut back on their meat consumption for health or other reasons.

However the recipes are most emphatically not vegetarian! A quick glance shows many include non-vegetarian cheeses such as Parmesan and Pecorino Romano, which by definition are made with calf rennet and therefore not suitable for vegetarians. There are fairly good veggie alternatives to these cheeses, however the authors seem completely unaware of the whole issue, which makes me question whether they have any understanding of what 'vegetarian' even means.

beautiful book, 06 Sep 2008
The photos are beautiful, the food amazingly delicious and Malu and Alberto are charming and passionate about what they do. Having been to Montali - it's heaven! The only place i've discovered that i want to return to every year. If you want to cook delicious, gourmet vegetarian food - this book will show you how.

Tempering their enthusiasm... , 25 Jun 2008
I feel compelled to write a short note to counter some of the enthusiasm of this book's (and the restaurant's) devotees. I have not eaten at the restaurant in Italy, so I can't vouch for its delights, but I ordered this book with some anticipation, and was very disappointed. While it appears that many like the design/photography of this volume, I found it really dated. The colour is over-saturated, the food styling uber-seventies, the format over-large and ostentatious, the paper glossy and off-putting to handle... This, quite apart from the recipes which are over-complicated and old-fashioned looking. They remind me of some 'gourmet' vegetarian food I had in Rome once, which was enough to put me off veggie food for life. So stylised - and not in a good way! For my money, if you want to buy books on gourmet vegetarian food, try Denis Cotter of Cafe Paradiso, Cork, fame. His books are much more beautiful and tactile - and the recipes user-friendly and authentic - not the kind of ponceyness this book tries to proffer.

Yummy!, 19 Jun 2008
I'm a vegetarian but my husband isn't and it is really difficult to find recipes I can eat but which satisfy him. I bought this book as previous reviews said this will meet this requirement. I think it does and the more I cook from it the more my husband agrees!

The pictures are really inspiring and make you really excited about cooking them. Although some of the ingrediants are impossible to get hold of in my neck of the woods the recipes still seem to work with a few well thought out alternatives and substitutions.

I wasn't too keen on some of the pages dedicated to stories about their life. Quite frankly some of them are a bit too self-congratulatory and remind me of the "hilarious" stories people tell you about people who you have never met and have no inclination to. However, as a cookery book I like it and best of all I the receipes on the whole seem to actually work which is always a bonus for an enthusiatic but unskilled cook like me.

Venice on a plate, 05 Nov 2007
This is a wonderful book for all those who are passionate about Venice. Presented with great style, it is certainly up to the standard of Franceso's previous publications. But this is not just a book of traditional recipes and pretty photographs, many pages are devoted to the produce used in Venetian cooking and the history of various ingredients. There are pages describing 18th. century life in the palazzi of Venice and four pages devoted to the humble fork. This is a book that will transport you to the Grand Canal everytime you read it. Oh if only all trattoria and ristorante in Venice had a copy!

Great mix of food and place, 30 Oct 2007
This attractive book is a great mix of practical recipes and photos which give a sense of place. And the photos of food don't look stylized and artificial - so many in other books, I suspect, are studio shots - but these, if not of Venice or people, look as though they had been taken at the moment Francesco took food from the hob or oven. The book has a reality, a vitality and an honesty. Great gift for anyone who likes Venice and/or Italian food.

beautiful, but impractical, 29 Oct 2008
As with Tessa Kiros' previous books, this one is absolutely gorgeous. Gold-edged pages and many, many shots of Venice and its people, especially around Carnival time make it a delight to leaf through.

So far, so good, and if you know someone who loves Venice or has had a special time there, this would be a good gift. But I doubt how much actual cooking I'll be doing from this book...octopus, anchovies, special Italian sausage and prosecco feature highly on the ingredients list, none of which I find particularly appealing or easy to lay my hands on.

It's certainly not the family-friendly fare of Falling Cloudberries or Apples for Jam. Nice to read but I think I'll stick to her earlier works for cooking.

Yet Another Hit For Tessa Kiros, 28 Oct 2008
Yet another stunning book from Tessa Kiros. I have already loved recipes from Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes and Twelve: A Tuscan Cook Book which occupy the space closest to hand on my cookbook shelf. I pre-ordered this as soon as I saw it and I've not been disappointed.

It arrived on Friday and over the weekend I've already tried the marinated sea bass, carpaccio beef and pumpkin gnocchi, all of which were delicious. None of these are my usual style of cooking, but her recipes are simple and straightforward, and with so few ingredients they just beg you to try them. Every recipe of hers I've ever tried seems to produce the most authentic dishes full of amazingly intense flavours that whisk you off to their country of origin.

Given the region from which these recipes are drawn, fish and seafood are unsurprisingly the stars of the menu and although dedicated carnivores may be left wanting, fish lovers will love the range of simple fish and seafood recipes. Even those like myself for whom fish is not instinctively their first choice, may find themselves unusually tempted by things they have never tried before. I can't remember the last time I had fresh sardines, but roasted as they were here, they were simple and fabulous (and even more simple if you get the fishmonger to fillet them for you). However; this is most definitely not just a fish book. All round there's plenty to try no matter what your tastes, including the carnivores amongst us, and there are some especially delicious antipasti, risottos and vegetable sides.

The book introduces you to eating Venetian style beginning with a section on Cicchetti (small bites), followed by Antipasto and Primo (starters), Secondi (mains), Contorni (sides) and Dolci (sweet things). Each section begins with a short narrative on the experience of eating in Venice so that by the time you have read, prepared and indulged you may well imagine you can hear the waters of the Veneto lapping at the kitchen door.

Although I buy books for their recipe content rather than their looks this one is undeniably beautiful and would double as a coffee table book any day. Edged in gold, with black velvet page markers and full of inspiring photos of Venice it makes you want to dive right in (notwithstanding the pollution). A few of the descriptions and ingredients are written in Italian and not being an Italian speaker I did have to Google some words, however it all just seems to add to the Italian flavour of a truly beautiful and inspiring book, and almost all were straightforward ingredients I was able to source locally once I knew what I was looking for (ruccola/rocket; peperoncino/crushed dried chilli peppers - thank heavens for Google).

I agree with the other reviewer that a few of the fish recipes call for less straightforward ingredients such as eel, squid or octopus but surely that's no great surprise when buying a book on Venetian cooking? That said, I live in a small market town in mid-Wales and our even our landlocked Fishmonger (if not the local Morrisons) can source any of these on request. The vast majority of recipes use everyday ingredients which keen cooks will have in their store cupboard, although I did have to go to Waitrose in the next town for squid ink spaghetti for a pasta dish. For the recipes mentioned I only had to buy the single main ingredient fresh, the rest was already in the cupboard or fridge.

I'm a sucker for cookery books and have over a hundred at home however I'm very lazy at writing reviews even for my favourites and have never yet written one; this book is so good I couldn't deny it a write-up. This is less a family meals book than Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life but rather an experience of eating out in Venice. If you're looking for simple cooking which produces grown-up, great flavours and love her two books mentioned above, or My Favourite Ingredients and A Year in my Kitchen by Skye Gyngell you'll love this; and if Skye's recipes entice you but seem a little complex for a week-night supper after work then you'll love the simplicity of these which can be knocked up in no time at all.


An Italian Classic, 27 Nov 2008
I think that this is one of my favourite recipe books ever!! I love Italian food and this book has it all. Really simple sauces and marinades to much more complex cookery. If ever we are stuck for an idea for dinner this book is always picked up first, I would highly recommend it!

Wonderful - just beware the quantities, 21 Aug 2008
There are some reviews of this fabulous cook book which complain about the poor translation, the fact that the book isn't in Engish alphabetical order, that the quantities aren't precise enough ... You're safe to ignore all these quibbles provided you accept the basis on which this cookebook was created.

It was designed to guide (young) Italians who were starting to lose their traditional roots in national cuisine and to help them know just how to make high quality food. For this audience it isn't necessary to give exact quantities or lengths of time ... they just know. And after working with this cookery book, you'll get to know these things too.

For me, a precise English/American book telling me just precisely what to do down to the last millilitre, gramme or degree of heat is not letting you be creative, not allowing you to find out what works best for you in your kitchen, and - above all - what great ingredients work with which.

This is a classic book; its English translation works; and I simply couldn't be without it. (And excuse me, if cooking is all about glossy photos, count me out: I prefer pictures that look like what I make, not some bizarre studio impersonation of food.

The Silver Spoon is all about good food cooked by real people in real kitchens. Bravo! Buy it!

A must for any italian food lover, 28 Apr 2008
My step father was an Italian restauranteur and had a copy of this same book in Italian throughout his career. He even had it rebound a few years back. During his life he ran a hotel in Rome and cooked for cardinals that came there from the vatican using recipes from the Silver spoon.

I was therefore thrilled when this came out in English and so far have bought 3 copies so that both my daughters have them for their homes. They use them daily. Not only is this the authentic cookery book for Italian food lovers it is amazingly economical, utilising seasonal fresh foods and not that many ingredients unlike so many newer recipes.

Risotto with carrots for example is fantastically creamy as the carrot is pureed. Highly recommended reading and an ideal gift for any newly weds or new home buyers.

Really Good, 11 Apr 2008
Bought this book from Amazon and after two weeks have cooked 4 things from it. Every recipe has tasted great with bags of flavour. More importantly, every recipe has worked.



Best Italian cook book, 05 Feb 2008
This is an excellent book with over 2000 authentic recipes (some are very authentic - there's a whole section on brains!) The recipes are, typically of Italian food, simple and easy to follow. There is also a small section at the back with some more complicated recipes from famous Italian chefs. All in all a top book you're not likely to get bored with quickly.

The best cover ever? , 30 Sep 2008
I've never seen such tempting food on a book cover...I just longed to eat it at once! The recipes are all of a high standard, and the photography glorious. I have to admit that I have not warmed to the authors to anything like the same degree: their personal anecdotes seemed smug and self congratulatory, and I won't be booking a holiday with them! The excellent recipes are frequently fairly complex and time consuming, with many stages in each dish, and the book is probably one for the more experienced cook and not for a novice

Good recipes, but not vegetarian!, 24 Sep 2008
These look like delicious recipes, certainly, and good for anyone wanting to cut back on their meat consumption for health or other reasons.

However the recipes are most emphatically not vegetarian! A quick glance shows many include non-vegetarian cheeses such as Parmesan and Pecorino Romano, which by definition are made with calf rennet and therefore not suitable for vegetarians. There are fairly good veggie alternatives to these cheeses, however the authors seem completely unaware of the whole issue, which makes me question whether they have any understanding of what 'vegetarian' even means.

beautiful book, 06 Sep 2008
The photos are beautiful, the food amazingly delicious and Malu and Alberto are charming and passionate about what they do. Having been to Montali - it's heaven! The only place i've discovered that i want to return to every year. If you want to cook delicious, gourmet vegetarian food - this book will show you how.

Tempering their enthusiasm... , 25 Jun 2008
I feel compelled to write a short note to counter some of the enthusiasm of this book's (and the restaurant's) devotees. I have not eaten at the restaurant in Italy, so I can't vouch for its delights, but I ordered this book with some anticipation, and was very disappointed. While it appears that many like the design/photography of this volume, I found it really dated. The colour is over-saturated, the food styling uber-seventies, the format over-large and ostentatious, the paper glossy and off-putting to handle... This, quite apart from the recipes which are over-complicated and old-fashioned looking. They remind me of some 'gourmet' vegetarian food I had in Rome once, which was enough to put me off veggie food for life. So stylised - and not in a good way! For my money, if you want to buy books on gourmet vegetarian food, try Denis Cotter of Cafe Paradiso, Cork, fame. His books are much more beautiful and tactile - and the recipes user-friendly and authentic - not the kind of ponceyness this book tries to proffer.

Yummy!, 19 Jun 2008
I'm a vegetarian but my husband isn't and it is really difficult to find recipes I can eat but which satisfy him. I bought this book as previous reviews said this will meet this requirement. I think it does and the more I cook from it the more my husband agrees!

The pictures are really inspiring and make you really excited about cooking them. Although some of the ingrediants are impossible to get hold of in my neck of the woods the recipes still seem to work with a few well thought out alternatives and substitutions.

I wasn't too keen on some of the pages dedicated to stories about their life. Quite frankly some of them are a bit too self-congratulatory and remind me of the "hilarious" stories people tell you about people who you have never met and have no inclination to. However, as a cookery book I like it and best of all I the receipes on the whole seem to actually work which is always a bonus for an enthusiatic but unskilled cook like me.

Venice on a plate, 05 Nov 2007
This is a wonderful book for all those who are passionate about Venice. Presented with great style, it is certainly up to the standard of Franceso's previous publications. But this is not just a book of traditional recipes and pretty photographs, many pages are devoted to the produce used in Venetian cooking and the history of various ingredients. There are pages describing 18th. century life in the palazzi of Venice and four pages devoted to the humble fork. This is a book that will transport you to the Grand Canal everytime you read it. Oh if only all trattoria and ristorante in Venice had a copy!

Great mix of food and place, 30 Oct 2007
This attractive book is a great mix of practical recipes and photos which give a sense of place. And the photos of food don't look stylized and artificial - so many in other books, I suspect, are studio shots - but these, if not of Venice or people, look as though they had been taken at the moment Francesco took food from the hob or oven. The book has a reality, a vitality and an honesty. Great gift for anyone who likes Venice and/or Italian food.

love this book, 11 Sep 2008
I just love this book. The photography is wonderful and the recipe's work brilliantly. It is a book that I return to for solid recipes for special occasions. Definitely one of my favourites.

Excellent book for home cooking, 30 Jan 2008
Angela's book is just perfect for home cooking with fabulous results. The dishes are italian, traditional and ageless, I cook again and again from this book. Thanks Angela!!

Great recipes and edu-taining!, 16 May 2007
Bought this book last week and already getting it dirty with olive oil, flour...

Being a Michelin starred chef one might think Angela would have a book of highly complicated recipes and gloss, but it isn't.

All bases are covered from soups and starters to puddings and snacks. The recipes are clear and never more than a page, very similar to River Cafe Easy. The difference here though is that Angela is in touch with Italy not just through cooking but through family. She has a great easy going tone and together with her heritage makes it all much more interesting, informative and personal.

Little stories and notes place the food in context, adding to the great recipes.

I'm clearly a fan but I'm really enjoying it and I think if you like Italian food and want it more accessible than Locatelli's huge Made in Italy or more personality than the River Cafe books then this is the one to spill your olive oil over.

There may be many pretenders to her throne, but as The Delia Collection: Fish comprehensively demonstrates, Delia Smith can still see off her rivals, even those with trendy haircuts and manic TV personalities. She is still seen by most who tackle the Art of Cookery as the most sane and balanced voice in the field and there are few houses which don't boast one of her invaluable books.

This volume may not replace earlier Delia books in a similar vein, but it provides as useful and basic a resource as any cookery enthusiast is likely to need. The large, attractive format is always at the service of the individual recipes, which are drawn from 33 years of recipe writing and television. While Delia followers will find much here to stimulate, this is an excellent entry-level book for those new to the doyenne of TV chefs. Fish confines itself to the main categories: white fish; salmon; trout; oily and other fish; and smoked fish. The recipes varying from the concise, such as a very straightforward Fried Plaice Fillets, to the more advanced (a mouth-watering preparation for Fillets of Sole Véronique). A particularly attractive recipe is that for Smoked Salmon Tart, which is an object lesson in concision and practicality--if the pastry isn't--we're told--rising in the centre, we should prick it a couple of times and press it back down with our hands.

Instructions are as direct and uncomplicated as one would expect (this, of course, is Delia's trademark) and up-to-date conversion tables are included, along with an impressive section on fish extras, making this an invaluable and user-friendly guide. --Barry Forshaw

beautiful, but impractical, 29 Oct 2008
As with Tessa Kiros' previous books, this one is absolutely gorgeous. Gold-edged pages and many, many shots of Venice and its people, especially around Carnival time make it a delight to leaf through.

So far, so good, and if you know someone who loves Venice or has had a special time there, this would be a good gift. But I doubt how much actual cooking I'll be doing from this book...octopus, anchovies, special Italian sausage and prosecco feature highly on the ingredients list, none of which I find particularly appealing or easy to lay my hands on.

It's certainly not the family-friendly fare of Falling Cloudberries or Apples for Jam. Nice to read but I think I'll stick to her earlier works for cooking.

Yet Another Hit For Tessa Kiros, 28 Oct 2008
Yet another stunning book from Tessa Kiros. I have already loved recipes from Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes and Twelve: A Tuscan Cook Book which occupy the space closest to hand on my cookbook shelf. I pre-ordered this as soon as I saw it and I've not been disappointed.

It arrived on Friday and over the weekend I've already tried the marinated sea bass, carpaccio beef and pumpkin gnocchi, all of which were delicious. None of these are my usual style of cooking, but her recipes are simple and straightforward, and with so few ingredients they just beg you to try them. Every recipe of hers I've ever tried seems to produce the most authentic dishes full of amazingly intense flavours that whisk you off to their country of origin.

Given the region from which these recipes are drawn, fish and seafood are unsurprisingly the stars of the menu and although dedicated carnivores may be left wanting, fish lovers will love the range of simple fish and seafood recipes. Even those like myself for whom fish is not instinctively their first choice, may find themselves unusually tempted by things they have never tried before. I can't remember the last time I had fresh sardines, but roasted as they were here, they were simple and fabulous (and even more simple if you get the fishmonger to fillet them for you). However; this is most definitely not just a fish book. All round there's plenty to try no matter what your tastes, including the carnivores amongst us, and there are some especially delicious antipasti, risottos and vegetable sides.

The book introduces you to eating Venetian style beginning with a section on Cicchetti (small bites), followed by Antipasto and Primo (starters), Secondi (mains), Contorni (sides) and Dolci (sweet things). Each section begins with a short narrative on the experience of eating in Venice so that by the time you have read, prepared and indulged you may well imagine you can hear the waters of the Veneto lapping at the kitchen door.

Although I buy books for their recipe content rather than their looks this one is undeniably beautiful and would double as a coffee table book any day. Edged in gold, with black velvet page markers and full of inspiring photos of Venice it makes you want to dive right in (notwithstanding the pollution). A few of the descriptions and ingredients are written in Italian and not being an Italian speaker I did have to Google some words, however it all just seems to add to the Italian flavour of a truly beautiful and inspiring book, and almost all were straightforward ingredients I was able to source locally once I knew what I was looking for (ruccola/rocket; peperoncino/crushed dried chilli peppers - thank heavens for Google).

I agree with the other reviewer that a few of the fish recipes call for less straightforward ingredients such as eel, squid or octopus but surely that's no great surprise when buying a book on Venetian cooking? That said, I live in a small market town in mid-Wales and our even our landlocked Fishmonger (if not the local Morrisons) can source any of these on request. The vast majority of recipes use everyday ingredients which keen cooks will have in their store cupboard, although I did have to go to Waitrose in the next town for squid ink spaghetti for a pasta dish. For the recipes mentioned I only had to buy the single main ingredient fresh, the rest was already in the cupboard or fridge.

I'm a sucker for cookery books and have over a hundred at home however I'm very lazy at writing reviews even for my favourites and have never yet written one; this book is so good I couldn't deny it a write-up. This is less a family meals book than Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life but rather an experience of eating out in Venice. If you're looking for simple cooking which produces grown-up, great flavours and love her two books mentioned above, or My Favourite Ingredients and A Year in my Kitchen by Skye Gyngell you'll love this; and if Skye's recipes entice you but seem a little complex for a week-night supper after work then you'll love the simplicity of these which can be knocked up in no time at all.


An Italian Classic, 27 Nov 2008
I think that this is one of my favourite recipe books ever!! I love Italian food and this book has it all. Really simple sauces and marinades to much more complex cookery. If ever we are stuck for an idea for dinner this book is always picked up first, I would highly recommend it!

Wonderful - just beware the quantities, 21 Aug 2008
There are some reviews of this fabulous cook book which complain about the poor translation, the fact that the book isn't in Engish alphabetical order, that the quantities aren't precise enough ... You're safe to ignore all these quibbles provided you accept the basis on which this cookebook was created.

It was designed to guide (young) Italians who were starting to lose their traditional roots in national cuisine and to help them know just how to make high quality food. For this audience it isn't necessary to give exact quantities or lengths of time ... they just know. And after working with this cookery book, you'll get to know these things too.

For me, a precise English/American book telling me just precisely what to do down to the last millilitre, gramme or degree of heat is not letting you be creative, not allowing you to find out what works best for you in your kitchen, and - above all - what great ingredients work with which.

This is a classic book; its English translation works; and I simply couldn't be without it. (And excuse me, if cooking is all about glossy photos, count me out: I prefer pictures that look like what I make, not some bizarre studio impersonation of food.

The Silver Spoon is all about good food cooked by real people in real kitchens. Bravo! Buy it!

A must for any italian food lover, 28 Apr 2008
My step father was an Italian restauranteur and had a copy of this same book in Italian throughout his career. He even had it rebound a few years back. During his life he ran a hotel in Rome and cooked for cardinals that came there from the vatican using recipes from the Silver spoon.

I was therefore thrilled when this came out in English and so far have bought 3 copies so that both my daughters have them for their homes. They use them daily. Not only is this the authentic cookery book for Italian food lovers it is amazingly economical, utilising seasonal fresh foods and not that many ingredients unlike so many newer recipes.

Risotto with carrots for example is fantastically creamy as the carrot is pureed. Highly recommended reading and an ideal gift for any newly weds or new home buyers.

Really Good, 11 Apr 2008
Bought this book from Amazon and after two weeks have cooked 4 things from it. Every recipe has tasted great with bags of flavour. More importantly, every recipe has worked.



Best Italian cook book, 05 Feb 2008
This is an excellent book with over 2000 authentic recipes (some are very authentic - there's a whole section on brains!) The recipes are, typically of Italian food, simple and easy to follow. There is also a small section at the back with some more complicated recipes from famous Italian chefs. All in all a top book you're not likely to get bored with quickly.

The best cover ever? , 30 Sep 2008
I've never seen such tempting food on a book cover...I just longed to eat it at once! The recipes are all of a high standard, and the photography glorious. I have to admit that I have not warmed to the authors to anything like the same degree: their personal anecdotes seemed smug and self congratulatory, and I won't be booking a holiday with them! The excellent recipes are frequently fairly complex and time consuming, with many stages in each dish, and the book is probably one for the more experienced cook and not for a novice

Good recipes, but not vegetarian!, 24 Sep 2008
These look like delicious recipes, certainly, and good for anyone wanting to cut back on their meat consumption for health or other reasons.

However the recipes are most emphatically not vegetarian! A quick glance shows many include non-vegetarian cheeses such as Parmesan and Pecorino Romano, which by definition are made with calf rennet and therefore not suitable for vegetarians. There are fairly good veggie alternatives to these cheeses, however the authors seem completely unaware of the whole issue, which makes me question whether they have any understanding of what 'vegetarian' even means.

beautiful book, 06 Sep 2008
The photos are beautiful, the food amazingly delicious and Malu and Alberto are charming and passionate about what they do. Having been to Montali - it's heaven! The only place i've discovered that i want to return to every year. If you want to cook delicious, gourmet vegetarian food - this book will show you how.

Tempering their enthusiasm... , 25 Jun 2008
I feel compelled to write a short note to counter some of the enthusiasm of this book's (and the restaurant's) devotees. I have not eaten at the restaurant in Italy, so I can't vouch for its delights, but I ordered this book with some anticipation, and was very disappointed. While it appears that many like the design/photography of this volume, I found it really dated. The colour is over-saturated, the food styling uber-seventies, the format over-large and ostentatious, the paper glossy and off-putting to handle... This, quite apart from the recipes which are over-complicated and old-fashioned looking. They remind me of some 'gourmet' vegetarian food I had in Rome once, which was enough to put me off veggie food for life. So stylised - and not in a good way! For my money, if you want to buy books on gourmet vegetarian food, try Denis Cotter of Cafe Paradiso, Cork, fame. His books are much more beautiful and tactile - and the recipes user-friendly and authentic - not the kind of ponceyness this book tries to proffer.

Yummy!, 19 Jun 2008
I'm a vegetarian but my husband isn't and it is really difficult to find recipes I can eat but which satisfy him. I bought this book as previous reviews said this will meet this requirement. I think it does and the more I cook from it the more my husband agrees!

The pictures are really inspiring and make you really excited about cooking them. Although some of the ingrediants are impossible to get hold of in my neck of the woods the recipes still seem to work with a few well thought out alternatives and substitutions.

I wasn't too keen on some of the pages dedicated to stories about their life. Quite frankly some of them are a bit too self-congratulatory and remind me of the "hilarious" stories people tell you about people who you have never met and have no inclination to. However, as a cookery book I like it and best of all I the receipes on the whole seem to actually work which is always a bonus for an enthusiatic but unskilled cook like me.

Venice on a plate, 05 Nov 2007
This is a wonderful book for all those who are passionate about Venice. Presented with great style, it is certainly up to the standard of Franceso's previous publications. But this is not just a book of traditional recipes and pretty photographs, many pages are devoted to the produce used in Venetian cooking and the history of various ingredients. There are pages describing 18th. century life in the palazzi of Venice and four pages devoted to the humble fork. This is a book that will transport you to the Grand Canal everytime you read it. Oh if only all trattoria and ristorante in Venice had a copy!

Great mix of food and place, 30 Oct 2007
This attractive book is a great mix of practical recipes and photos which give a sense of place. And the photos of food don't look stylized and artificial - so many in other books, I suspect, are studio shots - but these, if not of Venice or people, look as though they had been taken at the moment Francesco took food from the hob or oven. The book has a reality, a vitality and an honesty. Great gift for anyone who likes Venice and/or Italian food.

love this book, 11 Sep 2008
I just love this book. The photography is wonderful and the recipe's work brilliantly. It is a book that I return to for solid recipes for special occasions. Definitely one of my favourites.

Excellent book for home cooking, 30 Jan 2008
Angela's book is just perfect for home cooking with fabulous results. The dishes are italian, traditional and ageless, I cook again and again from this book. Thanks Angela!!

Great recipes and edu-taining!, 16 May 2007
Bought this book last week and already getting it dirty with olive oil, flour...

Being a Michelin starred chef one might think Angela would have a book of highly complicated recipes and gloss, but it isn't.

All bases are covered from soups and starters to puddings and snacks. The recipes are clear and never more than a page, very similar to River Cafe Easy. The difference here though is that Angela is in touch with Italy not just through cooking but through family. She has a great easy going tone and together with her heritage makes it all much more interesting, informative and personal.

Little stories and notes place the food in context, adding to the great recipes.

I'm clearly a fan but I'm really enjoying it and I think if you like Italian food and want it more accessible than Locatelli's huge Made in Italy or more personality than the River Cafe books then this is the one to spill your olive oil over.

Recipe for fish!, 06 Jan 2006
some mouthwatering recipe's- i should know- i bought it for my mum, who keeps cooking scrummy thigs from it! great birthday or xmas pressie!

Another great Delia book., 30 Jan 2004
I thought this book would be full of weird and wonderful fish recipes, but it's not. I haven't had any difficulty finding any of the fish for the recipes (recipes are included for halibut, squid, cod, haddock, lemon or dover sole, plaice, herring, mackerel, kippers, salmon,trout, sardines, skate wings, smoked haddock, smoked salmon, tuna, rainbow trout and whiting and hake are mentioned as optional ones - I find even my local supermarket stocks these). There's even a recipe for tinned salmon fishcakes along with all the dinner party type recipes. I'm also dying to try the foaming hollandaise recipe - I've never heard of it before. All in all, I'm thrilled with this book - up to Delia's usual high standard.

Not as good as the others, 11 Nov 2003
Of the four new Delia books (Chicken, Soup, Chocolate and Fish) this is the only one I was dissapointed with.

Some of the recipes are too complex and the fish is hard to find (even from a fishmongers).

I have got better fish books and I strongly recommend any of her other books but this is not that good.

Ok but not up to her normal standard.

beautiful, but impractical, 29 Oct 2008
As with Tessa Kiros' previous books, this one is absolutely gorgeous. Gold-edged pages and many, many shots of Venice and its people, especially around Carnival time make it a delight to leaf through.

So far, so good, and if you know someone who loves Venice or has had a special time there, this would be a good gift. But I doubt how much actual cooking I'll be doing from this book...octopus, anchovies, special Italian sausage and prosecco feature highly on the ingredients list, none of which I find particularly appealing or easy to lay my hands on.

It's certainly not the family-friendly fare of Falling Cloudberries or Apples for Jam. Nice to read but I think I'll stick to her earlier works for cooking.

Yet Another Hit For Tessa Kiros, 28 Oct 2008
Yet another stunning book from Tessa Kiros. I have already loved recipes from Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes and Twelve: A Tuscan Cook Book which occupy the space closest to hand on my cookbook shelf. I pre-ordered this as soon as I saw it and I've not been disappointed.

It arrived on Friday and over the weekend I've already tried the marinated sea bass, carpaccio beef and pumpkin gnocchi, all of which were delicious. None of these are my usual style of cooking, but her recipes are simple and straightforward, and with so few ingredients they just beg you to try them. Every recipe of hers I've ever tried seems to produce the most authentic dishes full of amazingly intense flavours that whisk you off to their country of origin.

Given the region from which these recipes are drawn, fish and seafood are unsurprisingly the stars of the menu and although dedicated carnivores may be left wanting, fish lovers will love the range of simple fish and seafood recipes. Even those like myself for whom fish is not instinctively their first choice, may find themselves unusually tempted by things they have never tried before. I can't remember the last time I had fresh sardines, but roasted as they were here, they were simple and fabulous (and even more simple if you get the fishmonger to fillet them for you). However; this is most definitely not just a fish book. All round there's plenty to try no matter what your tastes, including the carnivores amongst us, and there are some especially delicious antipasti, risottos and vegetable sides.

The book introduces you to eating Venetian style beginning with a section on Cicchetti (small bites), followed by Antipasto and Primo (starters), Secondi (mains), Contorni (sides) and Dolci (sweet things). Each section begins with a short narrative on the experience of eating in Venice so that by the time you have read, prepared and indulged you may well imagine you can hear the waters of the Veneto lapping at the kitchen door.

Although I buy books for their recipe content rather than their looks this one is undeniably beautiful and would double as a coffee table book any day. Edged in gold, with black velvet page markers and full of inspiring photos of Venice it makes you want to dive right in (notwithstanding the pollution). A few of the descriptions and ingredients are written in Italian and not being an Italian speaker I did have to Google some words, however it all just seems to add to the Italian flavour of a truly beautiful and inspiring book, and almost all were straightforward ingredients I was able to source locally once I knew what I was looking for (ruccola/rocket; peperoncino/crushed dried chilli peppers - thank heavens for Google).

I agree with the other reviewer that a few of the fish recipes call for less straightforward ingredients such as eel, squid or octopus but surely that's no great surprise when buying a book on Venetian cooking? That said, I live in a small market town in mid-Wales and our even our landlocked Fishmonger (if not the local Morrisons) can source any of these on request. The vast majority of recipes use everyday ingredients which keen cooks will have in their store cupboard, although I did have to go to Waitrose in the next town for squid ink spaghetti for a pasta dish. For the recipes mentioned I only had to buy the single main ingredient fresh, the rest was already in the cupboard or fridge.

I'm a sucker for cookery books and have over a hundred at home however I'm very lazy at writing reviews even for my favourites and have never yet written one; this book is so good I couldn't deny it a write-up. This is less a family meals book than Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life but rather an experience of eating out in Venice. If you're looking for simple cooking which produces grown-up, great flavours and love her two books mentioned above, or My Favourite Ingredients and A Year in my Kitchen by Skye Gyngell you'll love this; and if Skye's recipes entice you but seem a little complex for a week-night supper after work then you'll love the simplicity of these which can be knocked up in no time at all.


An Italian Classic, 27 Nov 2008
I think that this is one of my favourite recipe books ever!! I love Italian food and this book has it all. Really simple sauces and marinades to much more complex cookery. If ever we are stuck for an idea for dinner this book is always picked up first, I would highly recommend it!

Wonderful - just beware the quantities, 21 Aug 2008
There are some reviews of this fabulous cook book which complain about the poor translation, the fact that the book isn't in Engish alphabetical order, that the quantities aren't precise enough ... You're safe to ignore all these quibbles provided you accept the basis on which this cookebook was created.

It was designed to guide (young) Italians who were starting to lose their traditional roots in national cuisine and to help them know just how to make high quality food. For this audience it isn't necessary to give exact quantities or lengths of time ... they just know. And after working with this cookery book, you'll get to know these things too.

For me, a precise English/American book telling me just precisely what to do down to the last millilitre, gramme or degree of heat is not letting you be creative, not allowing you to find out what works best for you in your kitchen, and - above all - what great ingredients work with which.

This is a classic book; its English translation works; and I simply couldn't be without it. (And excuse me, if cooking is all about glossy photos, count me out: I prefer pictures that look like what I make, not some bizarre studio impersonation of food.

The Silver Spoon is all about good food cooked by real people in real kitchens. Bravo! Buy it!

A must for any italian food lover, 28 Apr 2008
My step father was an Italian restauranteur and had a copy of this same book in Italian throughout his career. He even had it rebound a few years back. During his life he ran a hotel in Rome and cooked for cardinals that came there from the vatican using recipes from the Silver spoon.

I was therefore thrilled when this came out in English and so far have bought 3 copies so that both my daughters have them for their homes. They use them daily. Not only is this the authentic cookery book for Italian food lovers it is amazingly economical, utilising seasonal fresh foods and not that many ingredients unlike so many newer recipes.

Risotto with carrots for example is fantastically creamy as the carrot is pureed. Highly recommended reading and an ideal gift for any newly weds or new home buyers.

Really Good, 11 Apr 2008
Bought this book from Amazon and after two weeks have cooked 4 things from it. Every recipe has tasted great with bags of flavour. More importantly, every recipe has worked.



Best Italian cook book, 05 Feb 2008
This is an excellent book with over 2000 authentic recipes (some are very authentic - there's a whole section on brains!) The recipes are, typically of Italian food, simple and easy to follow. There is also a small section at the back with some more complicated recipes from famous Italian chefs. All in all a top book you're not likely to get bored with quickly.

The best cover ever? , 30 Sep 2008
I've never seen such tempting food on a book cover...I just longed to eat it at once! The recipes are all of a high standard, and the photography glorious. I have to admit that I have not warmed to the authors to anything like the same degree: their personal anecdotes seemed smug and self congratulatory, and I won't be booking a holiday with them! The excellent recipes are frequently fairly complex and time consuming, with many stages in each dish, and the book is probably one for the more experienced cook and not for a novice

Good recipes, but not vegetarian!, 24 Sep 2008
These look like delicious recipes, certainly, and good for anyone wanting to cut back on their meat consumption for health or other reasons.

However the recipes are most emphatically not vegetarian! A quick glance shows many include non-vegetarian cheeses such as Parmesan and Pecorino Romano, which by definition are made with calf rennet and therefore not suitable for vegetarians. There are fairly good veggie alternatives to these cheeses, however the authors seem completely unaware of the whole issue, which makes me question whether they have any understanding of what 'vegetarian' even means.

beautiful book, 06 Sep 2008
The photos are beautiful, the food amazingly delicious and Malu and Alberto are charming and passionate about what they do. Having been to Montali - it's heaven! The only place i've discovered that i want to return to every year. If you want to cook delicious, gourmet vegetarian food - this book will show you how.

Tempering their enthusiasm... , 25 Jun 2008
I feel compelled to write a short note to counter some of the enthusiasm of this book's (and the restaurant's) devotees. I have not eaten at the restaurant in Italy, so I can't vouch for its delights, but I ordered this book with some anticipation, and was very disappointed. While it appears that many like the design/photography of this volume, I found it really dated. The colour is over-saturated, the food styling uber-seventies, the format over-large and ostentatious, the paper glossy and off-putting to handle... This, quite apart from the recipes which are over-complicated and old-fashioned looking. They remind me of some 'gourmet' vegetarian food I had in Rome once, which was enough to put me off veggie food for life. So stylised - and not in a good way! For my money, if you want to buy books on gourmet vegetarian food, try Denis Cotter of Cafe Paradiso, Cork, fame. His books are much more beautiful and tactile - and the recipes user-friendly and authentic - not the kind of ponceyness this book tries to proffer.

Yummy!, 19 Jun 2008
I'm a vegetarian but my husband isn't and it is really difficult to find recipes I can eat but which satisfy him. I bought this book as previous reviews said this will meet this requirement. I think it does and the more I cook from it the more my husband agrees!

The pictures are really inspiring and make you really excited about cooking them. Although some of the ingrediants are impossible to get hold of in my neck of the woods the recipes still seem to work with a few well thought out alternatives and substitutions.

I wasn't too keen on some of the pages dedicated to stories about their life. Quite frankly some of them are a bit too self-congratulatory and remind me of the "hilarious" stories people tell you about people who you have never met and have no inclination to. However, as a cookery book I like it and best of all I the receipes on the whole seem to actually work which is always a bonus for an enthusiatic but unskilled cook like me.

Venice on a plate, 05 Nov 2007
This is a wonderful book for all those who are passionate about Venice. Presented with great style, it is certainly up to the standard of Franceso's previous publications. But this is not just a book of traditional recipes and pretty photographs, many pages are devoted to the produce used in Venetian cooking and the history of various ingredients. There are pages describing 18th. century life in the palazzi of Venice and four pages devoted to the humble fork. This is a book that will transport you to the Grand Canal everytime you read it. Oh if only all trattoria and ristorante in Venice had a copy!

Great mix of food and place, 30 Oct 2007
This attractive book is a great mix of practical recipes and photos which give a sense of place. And the photos of food don't look stylized and artificial - so many in other books, I suspect, are studio shots - but these, if not of Venice or people, look as though they had been taken at the moment Francesco took food from the hob or oven. The book has a reality, a vitality and an honesty. Great gift for anyone who likes Venice and/or Italian food.

love this book, 11 Sep 2008
I just love this book. The photography is wonderful and the recipe's work brilliantly. It is a book that I return to for solid recipes for special occasions. Definitely one of my favourites.

Excellent book for home cooking, 30 Jan 2008
Angela's book is just perfect for home cooking with fabulous results. The dishes are italian, traditional and ageless, I cook again and again from this book. Thanks Angela!!

Great recipes and edu-taining!, 16 May 2007
Bought this book last week and already getting it dirty with olive oil, flour...

Being a Michelin starred chef one might think Angela would have a book of highly complicated recipes and gloss, but it isn't.

All bases are covered from soups and starters to puddings and snacks. The recipes are clear and never more than a page, very similar to River Cafe Easy. The difference here though is that Angela is in touch with Italy not just through cooking but through family. She has a great easy going tone and together with her heritage makes it all much more interesting, informative and personal.

Little stories and notes place the food in context, adding to the great recipes.

I'm clearly a fan but I'm really enjoying it and I think if you like Italian food and want it more accessible than Locatelli's huge Made in Italy or more personality than the River Cafe books then this is the one to spill your olive oil over.

Recipe for fish!, 06 Jan 2006
some mouthwatering recipe's- i should know- i bought it for my mum, who keeps cooking scrummy thigs from it! great birthday or xmas pressie!

Another great Delia book., 30 Jan 2004
I thought this book would be full of weird and wonderful fish recipes, but it's not. I haven't had any difficulty finding any of the fish for the recipes (recipes are included for halibut, squid, cod, haddock, lemon or dover sole, plaice, herring, mackerel, kippers, salmon,trout, sardines, skate wings, smoked haddock, smoked salmon, tuna, rainbow trout and whiting and hake are mentioned as optional ones - I find even my local supermarket stocks these). There's even a recipe for tinned salmon fishcakes along with all the dinner party type recipes. I'm also dying to try the foaming hollandaise recipe - I've never heard of it before. All in all, I'm thrilled with this book - up to Delia's usual high standard.

Not as good as the others, 11 Nov 2003
Of the four new Delia books (Chicken, Soup, Chocolate and Fish) this is the only one I was dissapointed with.

Some of the recipes are too complex and the fish is hard to find (even from a fishmongers).

I have got better fish books and I strongly recommend any of her other books but this is not that good.

Ok but not up to her normal standard.

Love Italian? Look no further, 26 Mar 2004
Having bought the first four books in The Delia Collection last year, I was delighted to see the latest edition to this series was 'Italian' (being a total Italian food addict!). Yes I have got some of the recipes in other Delia cookbooks, but it's an absolute luxury to have a really good selection of Italian recipes all in one place - thank you Delia! - this makes life a whole lot easier when you need a recipe pronto!

A bit of a rip-off, 16 Mar 2004
It was difficult to rate this book. I've given it 2 stars because, as I already own a number of Delia Smith books, I already have most of the recipes which puts me off buying the other books in this series.

However, if you don't, it contains some great recipes for lovers of Italian food - I particularly like the one for spaghetti with olive oil, chilli and garlic.

beautiful, but impractical, 29 Oct 2008
As with Tessa Kiros' previous books, this one is absolutely gorgeous. Gold-edged pages and many, many shots of Venice and its people, especially around Carnival time make it a delight to leaf through.

So far, so good, and if you know someone who loves Venice or has had a special time there, this would be a good gift. But I doubt how much actual cooking I'll be doing from this book...octopus, anchovies, special Italian sausage and prosecco feature highly on the ingredients list, none of which I find particularly appealing or easy to lay my hands on.

It's certainly not the family-friendly fare of Falling Cloudberries or Apples for Jam. Nice to read but I think I'll stick to her earlier works for cooking.

Yet Another Hit For Tessa Kiros, 28 Oct 2008
Yet another stunning book from Tessa Kiros. I have already loved recipes from Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes and Twelve: A Tuscan Cook Book which occupy the space closest to hand on my cookbook shelf. I pre-ordered this as soon as I saw it and I've not been disappointed.

It arrived on Friday and over the weekend I've already tried the marinated sea bass, carpaccio beef and pumpkin gnocchi, all of which were delicious. None of these are my usual style of cooking, but her recipes are simple and straightforward, and with so few ingredients they just beg you to try them. Every recipe of hers I've ever tried seems to produce the most authentic dishes full of amazingly intense flavours that whisk you off to their country of origin.

Given the region from which these recipes are drawn, fish and seafood are unsurprisingly the stars of the menu and although dedicated carnivores may be left wanting, fish lovers will love the range of simple fish and seafood recipes. Even those like myself for whom fish is not instinctively their first choice, may find themselves unusually tempted by things they have never tried before. I can't remember the last time I had fresh sardines, but roasted as they were here, they were simple and fabulous (and even more simple if you get the fishmonger to fillet them for you). However; this is most definitely not just a fish book. All round there's plenty to try no matter what your tastes, including the carnivores amongst us, and there are some especially delicious antipasti, risottos and vegetable sides.

The book introduces you to eating Venetian style beginning with a section on Cicchetti (small bites), followed by Antipasto and Primo (starters), Secondi (mains), Contorni (sides) and Dolci (sweet things). Each section begins with a short narrative on the experience of eating in Venice so that by the time you have read, prepared and indulged you may well imagine you can hear the waters of the Veneto lapping at the kitchen door.

Although I buy books for their recipe content rather than their looks this one is undeniably beautiful and would double as a coffee table book any day. Edged in gold, with black velvet page markers and full of inspiring photos of Venice it makes you want to dive right in (notwithstanding the pollution). A few of the descriptions and ingredients are written in Italian and not being an Italian speaker I did have to Google some words, however it all just seems to add to the Italian flavour of a truly beautiful and inspiring book, and almost all were straightforward ingredients I was able to source locally once I knew what I was looking for (ruccola/rocket; peperoncino/crushed dried chilli peppers - thank heavens for Google).

I agree with the other reviewer that a few of the fish recipes call for less straightforward ingredients such as eel, squid or octopus but surely that's no great surprise when buying a book on Venetian cooking? That said, I live in a small market town in mid-Wales and our even our landlocked Fishmonger (if not the local Morrisons) can source any of these on request. The vast majority of recipes use everyday ingredients which keen cooks will have in their store cupboard, although I did have to go to Waitrose in the next town for squid ink spaghetti for a pasta dish. For the recipes mentioned I only had to buy the single main ingredient fresh, the rest was already in the cupboard or fridge.

I'm a sucker for cookery books and have over a hundred at home however I'm very lazy at writing reviews even for my favourites and have never yet written one; this book is so good I couldn't deny it a write-up. This is less a family meals book than Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life but rather an experience of eating out in Venice. If you're lookin