Fantastic Book... a real investment!

A great book!! Just the right size and jam packed full of not just recipes but also great advice on the produce needed and equiptment etc. <br />I'm also going to directly disagree with the previous reviewer and say that I cannot believe that from the very first recipe I attempted it tasted as great (if not better!?) than the shop bought innocent faves!! Plus living in the country has not hindered me one bit in finding the ingredients, a mixture of supporting a local fruit 'n' veg traders shop and anything unavailable from there (i.e. out of season) can be found in all large-ish supermarkets all year round. <br />So so sooooo pleased with the book I want to pass it around to my friends, but at the same time don't want to be without it, so will be buying them for birthdays and christmas!!

Very useful

As a complete novice when it comes to jams and preserving I have found this book a very useful introduction. There is plenty of information on equipment, ingredients and techniques before commencing. I am sure this is a book I will keep returning to throughout the year. I would have thought it would also be fairly useful for those with more preserving experience - the recipes are all, I believe, from WI members so will have had plenty of testing before being added to the book. Not possibly the most adventurous combinations, but more than adequate for a beginner like me!

Don't think about it, just buy it.

This book make the flight across the big pond for me and the 21 day wait to get it was worth every second and extra penny. It is true, this is THE book as a resource guide. If you even think you will like it, buy it, you won't beable to put it down. Mine sits on my coffee table and I read parts of it over and over every day. It has enlightened me tremendously on areas that American physicians have no information on nor do they know where to tell you to go to get the information. After struggling with underactive thyroid and wheat and dairy intolerances I am now enlightened as to what my internal system is managing on a day to day basis. I've made changes already and am reaping higher energy rewards. I was already a healthy eater and have a very active lifestyle but this book puts food at a whole new level, a healing level.

Judge a book by it's cover

I know that this book hasn't even been released yet but one look at the divine Rosemary Conley on the front cover should be enough to convince you of what can be achieved by following her health tips.<br />The lady herself is 60,she looks amazing in her jeans,has a lovely slim waist and looks a picture of health.She could very easily pass for being 20 years younger than she is and her previous books have sold millions.Buy this book if you want to look as good as the lady herself.You have to admit,she is a stunner.<br />I feel that I must just add that I have now seen this book and it does look to be an outstanding addition to Rosemary's collection with loads of hints and several very helpful photos of the lovely lady herself as she shows you how to get that body you have always dreamed of.Top drawer and a must buy.

Disappointing

Having watched the TV show and loved the wit and sparkle of Dave and Si, I was really looking forward to the book but would have to say I was a little disappointed. For a book that is advertised as a cook book there are very few recipes and it seems to be more of a script for the programme. If there is another book boys I would say give us more recipes!

Great fun and the recipes work

Okay, obviously the recipes aren't the point, but they are fun and they do work; my family were delighted to find treats from favourite books and to share the author's thoughts on the books themselves. Serious fans of this kind of reading might quibble over the choices, however. I wanted new-made cream cheese from Blyton, and something from Antonia Forest - she doesn't do nothing with food, as Brocket claims, because there's all the home food - and more than saffron cake from Marmaduke Scarlet, misnamed Marmaduke Saffron, gadzooks, here, in one of many small careless errors. And what about the Abbey Girls and some flower decorations? But this was good fun and it was especially nice to see so much of the now-neglected Ransome children.

excellent recipes

Have this book for 6 months and have tried many recipes from within very successfully - one of the best cook books I have bought.

Home (European) cooking to satisfy just about anyone.

We have had a previous print of this book for years and will, I am sure, use it for many to come. This review is based on the version we have.<br /><br />I always hate the word 'complete' in the title of any book as books can NEVER be COMPLETE. There will always be several ways to do any one thing. This is, however, an extremely comprehensive book that clearly describes all the basic methods of preparing and cooking most ingredients and equipment. It even tells you to remove barnacles from mussels before cooking them!<br /><br />The clear instructions and of photos taken at different stages during the process are the best that I have seen in a cookbook. It is incredibly practical and easy to use. <br /><br /><br />

Venice on a plate

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!

pretty much perfect for what I wanted

I'm really pleased with this book. The recipes all use items which I've heard of and are easily to get hold of, and don't involve spending the whole day preparing. My 20 month old also enjoys"helping" me make some of the more treat-like recipes, which goes a long way to pursuading her to eat occasionally. My favourite thing about the book however is that most if not all of them have a veggie alternative, which means we can cook one meal which everyone in the family will eat. I would say however that if you fancy yourself as a bit of a Delia in the kitchen it's not necessarily for you as simplicity seems to be the name of the game. For me however, a working Mum with good intentions, it's just great.

Quick and Easy

Unlike one of the previous reviewers I haven't found any recipe in this book that takes more than 30 minutes, and I wouldn't say I was an especially acomplished cook. <br /><br />This is a great book for working people. Most of the stuff you'll have in your cupboard and all most of the recipes need are the addition of a handful of fresh ingredients. Nigel Slater has an easy no-nonsense style and, apart from a few typos, the recipes are all easier to follow and give better results than Nigella or Delia.

Beware - this book could change you for life

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

Lovely promise but....

I had looked forward to this for some time. I have been a fan on NS on TV since he first appeared. I like his style, his taste and his appreach to food. So why oh why or WHY did NS have to ruin it all for me with a single thoughtless - and eeming uncharacteristic - comment. He makes the point that continental stews are flavoursome and interesting while ours '...smell of old people.' As newly retired. I found it belittling, insulting and it stopped me reading the book in my tracks.

Food photography from the 70's

I was hugely disappointed with this book - particularly with the photography of the finished dishes - it's redolent of the quality you'd find in a 1970's cookbook - the food looks totally unappetising.<br /><br />I love cookery books and looked forward to this arriving but can honestly say I'll be lucky to use 2-3 recipes if that. Uninspiring with an over reliance on a few ingredients.<br /><br />Sorry, but wouldn't recommend this to anyone who really enjoys cooking.

Fantastic!

I love this book. I never appreciated beforehand that I would need to learn to cook more than a frozen pizza after having a baby and so its been a steep learning curve. From when my son turned about 10 months and I brought this book he has only eaten homecooked family meals. There are loads of great recipies and plenty of advice on nutrition and I always find I have enough for my husband and I plus at least 4 toddler size portions to stick in the freezer. I have recommended it to all of my friends.

Lovely

This book has something for everyone. I'm no master chef but I love Good Food Magazine and this book is easy to follow and inspirational.<br /><br />There are pictures of every dish which is great and the recipes range from the very easy to approaching difficult, but they are all delicious.<br /><br />

A great family cookbook

I really love this book. Tana Ramsay knows what family cooking is about - simple, healthy, hearty food which husband and kids will love to eat! The recipes are straightforward and unfussy, with an emphasis on things you can prepare in advance and put in the fridge (essential for busy mothers!) There are also loads of tips for making family meals something to love and remember - I love her idea, for example, of having a weekend 'taste a bit of everything' lunch, where you put lots of different foods out for your kids to sample and savour new tastes and ideas. Quite the best family cookbook since Delia Smith's classic 'Complete Cookery Course'!

Best indian cook book ever

I've had this book for years, the recipes are easy to follow,and they taste superb.I would say that the book is excellent value for money. I'm having to buy a new copy because the old one has fallen apart from overuse!

great!

I actually bought this book about 2 years ago in a cheap bookshop not really knowing what I was buying. This book is wonderful. Such quick and easy recipes to make. <br />The individual carrot cakes were a massive hit for my daughters 1st birthday. Most recipes suit adults and children alike. Recommended to all my baby friends!

Wonderful book!

I've only recently started having a go at making my own bread - and by that I mean a couple of weeks ago! However, I decided to invest in a couple of books so I would be able to make something different as well as basic plain everyday bread. And man am I glad I did it!<br />The book arrived less than a week ago and I've done nothing ever since other than make bread!<br />All the recipes are very clear, easy to understand and the sheer variety of them left me gobsmacked.<br />If you're thinking about getting this book, just do it! You won't regret it! I'm certainly glad I bought it.