"Oh what can I make for dinner tonight" and not shopping til tomorrow

I am sure we have all been there, the cupboard is bare and the weekly shop is 12, 24 or 48 hours away. There are tins and packets in the cupboard and"stuff" in the freezer.<br />Having read through the reviews for this book, I decided to buy it and have not regretted it. Having read the recipes, but sadly, not tried any yet, I am impressed with how much one can do with so little. My only adverse comment is the section on store cupboard ingredients, which are a little pricey, but then there are alternatives available.<br />I have offered to buy a copy for my son, who is off on his way to University this coming Autumn term, and who has very little experience of having to cook for himself, but even he said he could, and would, try several of the recipes in the book. <br />I would have to agree with another reviewer, that a photo of the finished meal, would definately be a help to my son for instance, to show what it should look like when finished.<br />Otherwise, three cheers Delia, a definate hit I think

Jamie at Home: Cook your way to the Good Life.

FANTASTIC - get this book and the dvd set and it is all you will ever need. Good healthy food - everyday ingredients - readily available if you cannot manage to grow your own - do try it is worth it - FANTASTIC - 12 stars.

easy to understand one stop guide for your food and health concerns

This is probably the most useable book that Gillian McKeith has written so far. It is essentially a complete compendium that provides a thorough guide to the direct relationship between food and health, looking in detail at the effects we can have on our bodies and our general well being by taking some simple steps. Not only does the book lend itself to being a useful resource to dip into when you need to find out about a condition or illness, it is also immensly readable and has already expanded my knowledge on many areas I was not aware of. <br /><br />Be prepared though - if you are planning on just dipping in here or there, you may well be sucked into a whole new world and then find yourself clearing the store cupboards of the usual junk and hitting the shops to restock with far healthier alternatives. The advantage being this time you know why your buying certain foods and what the benefits are that will follow. <br /><br />I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a one stop bible for all food and health issues - and that might just be most of us!<br />

If you love a `Full English Breakfast'

this is still the book for you......but if a `Herb Omelette with Cherry Tomatoes' is more your scene.......the good news is.....`Healthy Appetite - Recipes from the f Word' is unlikely to disappoint many!<br /><br />`After all, a big part of living a good life is the enjoyment of food' .... and you can't say fairer than that! <br /><br />Gordon isn't the first and he won't be the last to quote:-<br />`What you are is what you eat' or words to that effect...<br /><br />From the introduction:-<br /><br />`Healthy eating is a topic close to my heart.<br />I've been passionate about leaving a healthy lifestyle for many years now...<br /><br />Now let me clarify: this is not a diet book. <br />Those who know me know that I don't believe in faddy diets. <br />I do, however, believe that I can prepare and serve healthy food without jeopardising taste and flavour, or drastically changing my style of cooking. Whether it's an elegant dinner party or a simple mid-week supper, a few simple adjustments are all that's needed to make our favourite meals that bit more balanced...lower in fat and calories yet rich in energy-giving nutrients.<br />Choosing the right ingredients is the core of healthy eating. It's not just a matter of selecting the leanest cuts of meat and reducing the amount of fat we consume, it helps to know which ingredients are at their peak at any given time, both in terms of flavour and nutrition.........<br />When it comes to putting a healthy dish together, balance and moderation are key. It's not simply a matter of putting the right types of food on a plate. How the food is cooked and seasoned and how the whole menu comes together are just as important. <br />And I don't advocate cutting out butter and cream completely, just using a little here and there where it will really enhance the flavour of a dish....'<br /><br />An eye-catching book in its own right with bright lime green covers and white titling.....(if you would rather not have GR peeking out over the top of his leafy greens on the dust-jacket!).....opens to 256 high quality matt pages split over 9 chapters:- <br /><br />Healthy breakfast<br />Healthy brunch/lunch<br />Healthy working lunch<br />Healthy Sunday lunch<br />Healthy barbecues<br />Healthy suppers<br />Healthy kids<br />Healthy entertaining<br />Healthy desserts<br /><br />plus an introduction, which includes a `Healthy Cooking Techniques' section, a `Healthy Basics' section, finishing with a concise index and a page of acknowledgments.<br /><br />Over 125 recipes laid out in the familiar GR format as seen in his other best sellers, `Fast Food' and `Sunday Lunch', where this book follows on from. <br />The useful `5 ways with' sections are here, e.g. :-<br /><br />`Oats'<br />`Tomatoes'<br /><br />along with useful information sections, e.g.:-<br /><br />`Omega-3 boost' <br />`Avoid the bad fats'<br />`Getting the right balance'<br /><br />Each recipe is clearly laid out with the, the number of servings, a list of ingredients and the clearly presented method. <br />The majority have a photograph(s) and more often than not a useful note or two, e.g.:- <br /><br />`Melon and Berry Salad'<br />`Rich in Vitamin C to boost your immunity'<br /><br />There are a number of `on location' shots, also.<br /><br />A taste of the other recipes within:- <br /><br />Berry and yoghurt smoothie<br />Seeded honey loaf<br />Cod and tomato chowder<br />Smoked trout, orange and wild rocket salad<br />Spinach and goat's cheese soufflé<br />Spaghetti vongole<br />Borscht<br />Mango, avocado and smoked chicken salad<br />Roast chicken with baby vegetables<br />Sticky baked chicken drumsticks<br />Spicy beef curry<br />Venison pie with sweet potato topping<br />Glazed gammon with pineapple salsa<br />Lamb kebabs with peppers and tomatoes<br />Four cabbage coleslaw<br />Glazed ling with sweet `n' sour shallots<br />Steamed prawns with black bean sauce<br />Vietnamese beef and noodle soup<br />Braised pork with leeks and pak choi<br />Calves liver with caramelised onions<br />Penne primavera<br />Lunchbox dips and dunkers<br />Stir-fried duck in lettuce cups<br />Mixed fish sashimi<br />Pot-roast sirloin of beef with root vegetables<br />Vanilla pannacotta with blueberry sauce<br />Spiced apple cake<br />Pavlova with roasted rhubarb fool<br />Poached pears in mulled wine<br />Lime mousse<br />Chocolate mousse - `a lighter version of my cook-along recipe'<br /><br />My only criticism is that I do miss the quick reference recipe list at the front, but this is just habit from my very regular use of `Fast Food'!

Fabulous ! just like the Lady herself !

A fantastic book ! i got this for a Christmas Present from my Husband and i love it ! i really enjoyed the BBC2 Series Nigella Express so this is great to have as ther are lots of great recipes that she didnt feature on that.<br /><br />im not the best cook, but i do like to dabble and this book is perfect for that, easy to make recipes (including some scrummy Cocktails!) mostly with minimum ingredients required, which come out as fabulous dishes ! <br /><br />The Marguerita Ice cream was so easy to make and earned me so much credit that i felt guilty !<br /><br />And it is so great to see a cook like Nigella, a real cook who loves cooking and eating food and is not afraid to say it ! She is truely fabulous !

Quick, easy & healthy recipes

Lots of quick, easy & healthy recipes. I didn't have much of a clue about weaning and found this book a godsend. My baby is now 11 months and I have used this book for cooking his meals since he was 5 months old. I am still using it just about every day. The recipes are so good we have even made family meals from them! Highly reccommended and worth the money.

St Otto of Lenghi , we love you.

Moro, Jamie, Diana (Henry) ... I've bought all those books this year, excitedly scanning through them and bookmarking the pages of lots of yummy looking recipes to try. But how many have I actually got round to trying? Probably one or two recipes per book. They inspire, excite and suggest other ideas, but as for slavishly following the recipe, nah - you can kind of work it out for yourself. <br /><br />But St Otto is different - every meal we've eaten this week has been a revealing and faithful recreation of his great works on the streets of London. Admittedly I was already a convert. Ever since his huge, puffy piles of meringues beckoned me into the tiny Notting Hill shop about 4 years ago, I have been hooked. St Otto takes simple, everyday ingredients you use all the time at home - broccoli, chilli, garlic and olive oil, for example - and somehow transforms them into something magical that tastes so much more than everyday. You come out of their shops thinking 'How did they do that? How did they make that aubergine taste so smoky? Why don't my mushrooms taste like that when I fry them in olive oil? Why is their lemon and pistachio cake so squidgy? <br /><br />Well, the cookbook generously reveals all. Garlic and lemon are likely to be involved (they start by saying that if you don't like lemon or garlic, you should skip to the end) - but there are no weird secrets underpinning the Ottolenghi magic. No intricate labours of love. This is easy to prepare food that is perfect for relaxed meals with big groups of friends. <br /><br />They just have an extraordinary understanding of which flavours and ingredients work well together and how to combine them in just the right amounts (usually more generous than you are used to) to create something that piques your interest as well as your tastebuds. You can spot that they lived an interesting life as journalists and philosophers before following their love of food, as the book is a joy to read, with a style that is as warm and relaxed as the food itself. These are people you want to come and sit down at the table and share the food with you. <br /><br />If you like modern, light and singingly fresh food that draws on the best of the Middle Eastern side of the Mediterranean, this is the book for you. If you think you already know how to knock up easy meals like roast turkey breast, couscous salad and french beans with hazelnuts without needing to invest in a cookery book, thank you very much, then it's even more imperative that you buy this book as it will lift both your everyday meals or cooking for friends to new heights. As for me, I'm off to check the price of Kenwood Chefs so I can recreate the joy of their meringues or brioche in my own home too. Praise be!

Annabel Karmel Easy meals

This book is great for those who just don't have any ideas on what to give when starting to wean your baby. My son loves all of the recipies so far, tried a few myself and turned them into a family meal. Easy to follow recipies.

Brilliant

I have only just received this book this morning and have read the first 20 or so pages. The message is such a simple one. You have the choice to eat what you want to eat. I got hungry just before dinner, my mind turned instantly to bread and cheese (it always does) but instead I tucked into a banana (which I've not eaten for ages as another detox diet said not to eat them... silly isn't it?) and a handful of almonds. I quickly felt full and happy. Happy because I don't feel guilty about eating fat laden food which inevitably used to make me reach for the crisps and chocolate in the cupboards... all the kind of stuff you know is not good but just for a moment makes you feel better - until the guilt steps in and the vicious circle begins again.<br /><br />I recommend this book to everyone out there who wants a thinner and healthier lifestyle. I have another book on order for my sister.<br /><br />I want to eat well and want to be healthy and I really think that this programme will guide me. Anyway got to go now... taking my gorgeous pup out for a run round the park!<br />

My favourite cookbook

This cookbook is one of the most useful I own. Its recipes are simple, easy to follow and the meals are delicious. Both myself and my partner work full time and have been able to have 'real food' when we get in rather than sticking a ready meal in the microwave. Lots of the recipes only take up to half an hour and you don't need a lot of fancy ingredients. I've found that I can get everything I want from a large supermarket (I haven't got the time or the money to go to six different shops to find exotic ingredients). The whole range of books are good but this is till my favourite. Also it has pictures of all the dishes, which means I can see if I've gone wrong! I'm not a great cook but I manage these recipes and can have a nice homecooked meal.

Good Introduction

I bought this book recently through a desire to understand the countryside around me and try some of its natural foodstuffs.<br />The book is very well presented and includes an excellent foreword by the author. It provides a basic explaination of the various flora, a little of their natural and culinary history and there are nice photographs with identification hints.<br />I think I would like to have seen more recipies and ways in which they might be implemented. In the section dedicated to Spring I think there are only three recipies with much of the other suggestions directed towards salads. On balance a satisfactory purchase but I think that if my interest in wild foods develops I will certainly have to follow up my purchase with something more wholly dedicated to the culinary.

Sterling Stuff

This little book was great. Had plenty of choice, book was well set out and the recipies were very easy to follow and the majority were relatively quick to make (vital for when you get home from work starving and could eat your body weight in food before turning on the kettle nevermind the oven). Having tried two of the recipies on the weekend (and not having killed anyone as a result) I declare this book a success!!<br /><br />

Highly recommended for the serious cook

I must admit I am a fan of Gordon and what he has acheived. I have had the book 3 weeks and used 2 of the meals thus far. The results astounded me and my dinner guests and they can hardly wait for another invite. The information in the book is excellent and has inspired me to consider greater things. 5 star book :o)

Gillian may be a strict work horse, but she delivers results!

I first started following Gillian's nutritional guidelines around 2 years ago when I was about 10 stones overweight... and at the age of only 23.<br /><br />I had tried and tried and absolutely tried every diet I had heard of since the age of 12 but I never managed to stick to any for more than about 2 months. The"forbidden" foods, the food weighing, the points and sins counting, how far into ketosis am i?!? They all got too much to bear, were too hard to stick to and with too little in terms of results.<br /><br />Gillian McKeith's diet is the only diet I have been able to stick to. I haven't stuck to it every day for 2 years, I have found that I am able to take a week or 2 off for Christmas, birthdays and holidays (even though Gillian would frown at me!), and I am still able to immediately get back on the wagon straight after.<br /><br />Now I know there is controversy over some of Gillian's claims and her qualifictions/background - but I still think the explanation of what different foods do to you is better than any slimming class I ever went to! I feel like I not only understand why I shouldn't eat certain foods, but I feel I thoroughly understand the benefits of why I MUST eat certain foods.<br /><br />The diet involves little to no weighing, no points or sins counting, no calorie or fat counting (yes, you did read that right), instead Gillian advises what foods to combine together and the reasons for this, and also which foods you can eat - and there's a long list of great foods - and you can pretty much eat them to your heart's content!<br /><br />This book contains an excellent selection of recipes - they may seem really scary (and unappetizing!) at first but if you have a good look through you'll find some that you like the sound of. The recipes should only be used as a guide; feel free to adapt them in line with Gillian's principles and the sky is the limit. Today I had a banana, mango and passion fruit smoothie for breakfast, made her Lemon & Cinammon Rice Pudding (a delicious treat for the weekend) and for dinner I made her lovely Aubergine and Chickpea Tagine with quinoa and rocket - I have tweaked this recipe by adding more tomatoes, spinach, aduki beans and mung beans to make a heartier meal.<br /><br />To date I have lost almost 7 stones in weight and I thank Gillian for her guidance. I no longer have acne, my dry skin has been replaced by a great complexion, I have strong shiny hair and nails, I haven't had a headache in 2 years!! I sleep so much better, I no longer snore, and my attitude is about 1000 times more positive than it used to be. I can enjoy all the great things a 25 year old should be enjoying (minus the junk food and alcohol - it's a small sacrifice, believe me!!)

The only thing i liked about this book was the retro cover!

My mother in law bought me this book for christmas knowing that i am a serial dieter and always trying to lose weight. The first part of the book has a series of quizes and lists detailing high fat foods and how you can substitute them for lower fat alternatives. As someone who is very consious of the fat and sugar content in foods i didnt find this helpful at all. I dont ever eat crisps or savory snacks, i hate bread, never drink fizzy drinks and stay away from biscuits at all costs because i know i can resist them, so the substitutions didnt help me at all because i have already cut all those things out of my diet anyway. The only thing i do eat that is bad is chocolate!!! They have a recipe in there for chocolate truffles but there is no gain out of making them. it would be easier for me to break off two squares of chocolate and hide the rest than go through the process of making these frankly delecious and irresistable truffles that i cant stay away from!!!! The first chaper is on breakfasts but unless you rise at 5.30am or earlier there is no way you are going to achieve any of these as they are so fussy and complicated. Similarly the soups and salads have ingredients in ive never heard of which really put me off and i personally wouldnt got out of my way to buy bits of pieces of things for these highly complicated salads. I have tried a few recipes from the book and they were admittedly very nice but most are complicated with unknown or expensive ingredients. For anyone who has a full time job like me and likes to eat before 8pm in the evening this book is overly complicated and ambitious.

Caution

My daughter had an allergic reaction to Annabel's recipe for Apple & Cinnamon. I later discovered that cinnamon can cause anaphylactic shock (a severe reaction, which can be life threatening). I feel this recipe should carry a warning to alert parents to this possibility, and will be more reluctant to follow Annabel's tips in future.<br />

One of the best cooking books for ages

I have watched Marcus go from being Gordon Ramsay's"side kick" on Boiling point to a Master Chef in his own right with Petrus and Great British Menu.<br />A no nonsense, decent, down to earth Chef who seems to get on with the job of creating first class food without letting the"celebrity thing" go to his head. I have bought some of his mentor's (Ramsay) books, which are excellent, but sometimes his recipies are too"chefy" and egotistical.<br /><br />What a refreshing change Marcus Wareing's book is with some no nonsense classically inspired dishes given his expert going over and made easy. Good honest dishes, made from readily available ingredients, without the need to mess around with different cooking methods, makes this book a joy to use, and the results are excellent. The idea of using one primary ingredient with 3 possible results is brilliant and inspiring. <br /><br />If you buy one cookery book this year, this is the one to get. <br />Gordon<br />Liverpool

What now?

Having seen Michael Thurmond on 'extreme makeover' I decided to give this book a go and followed the eating plan for my body type. Fantastic! It really does work- but what now? The book recommends I only follow the eating plans for 6 - 10 days maximum to boost my metabolism and give my weight lose a kick start. But where do I go from here? The book recommends trying the '6 week body makeover' but it's not available in the UK. The final chapter in the book does suggest a few additions that can now be made to my eating plan but nothing really useful for long term weight lose. This book is great if you only really want to lose a few pounds quickly.

Excellent book

I found the recipes easy to follow and the results are fabulous. There quite a lot of fish recipes in here which makes a pleasant change. Great stuff Gordon write some more books!

The authors veered slightly off course.

People who bought this book expecting to read a no nonsense approach to sensible eating have every right to feel disappointed. Had the authors paid more attention to the health disadvantages of eating animal derivatives, most readers would not have felt deceived. I personally feel there are no benefits to eating meat or anything derived from it but I don't agree people should be steam rolled into becoming vegans. Most people are aware of the controversy surrounding the treatment of farm animals and still eat meat. The book should have stuck solely to educating people about the risk to health and should have explained in more detail how eating meat also contributes to obesity. <br /><br />I felt the book started off well but then veered off into slightly dangerous territory. The cover is misleading and does not give any real insight into what the reader is really purchasing. I felt the authors failed to follow their own, very wise advice.."be careful not to preach"!