Customer Reviews
lovely book, but only if you have a lot of time on your hands... - By: L. Bretherton, 23 Jul 2010 
Like other reviewers, i was suckedin by the fantastic reviews for this book, & got a copy for my birthday. I was very excited when it arrived, but, when I started actually studying the recipes, I found that :
a) I don't have half the ingredients, nor can I buy them anywhere near me
b) I need more cookery equipment than I own
c) I would need a whole afternoon to prepare the evening meal!
I did try making a couple of things, tried the apple & olive oil cake, that took me about two hours to make & it turned out very dry & ordinary. Plus the kitchen was like a bombsite.
If you are a real foodie & have no job to go to, perhaps this is the book for you!
Something missing and pretentious undertones! - By: K. Murns, 20 Jul 2010 i had never heard of ottolenghi before but i read the reviews & thought id give it a go. I was so excited to receive this book & i flicked through from back to front. I loved the look & ingredient lists for the baked goods (towards the back), but as i got to the front of the book, my interest started to dwindle. The first part is LOADS of salad, & im not a salad fan. They also use lots of fruit & vegetable combinations & outlandish ingredients ive never heard about-and yes im usually always shoppingin deli's & healthfood/alternative food stores. I decided to then read the introduction section. I really enjoyed the first part & i felt that the explainations of how the restaurant got together was sufficient. Then it carried on & on & on! I also felt that throughout the book there was a pretentious undertones.
I have tried a few recipes & those that i did try i felt (like a previous reviewer put quite exact) that tehy seemed to be lackingin something or not enough of something to make it taste right...but again, thats just my opinion on taste.
I've not tried any of the baked goods yet, & they do look amazing.
Please remember its only a fellow foodies opinion! I wouldnt recommend this book but i do like the pictures & the fact that they accompany a snippet of thought with each recipe....
Great Cookbook BUT - By: nuit americaine, 05 Jul 2010 
I am a great admirer of this cookbook, but for cooks who are not experienced, a few words of warning. There appear to be a few errors on ingredient quantities, and, as with much middle eastern cookery, many of the recipes require the use of an inordinate number of pots pans & dishes. Many of the recipes are certainly not for the cookin a hurry. Having said that, if you have time, the recipes reward with delicious results.
Yummy, yummy - By: Instant Forever, 02 Jul 2010 
I bought this book after seeing 'Plenty' on a friends bookshelf & decided to take a look here & see what it's all about.
The reviews sold it for me & the book has stood up to expectations.
There are LOTS of the things that I like to eat, flavoursome salads, new ideas for family chicken dishes (which went down really well, even with my fussy 3 year old) & gorgeous looking meringues & sweet things which I haven't tried yet but which definitely fall into the category of 'food porn'.
Well worth a look.
Great! - By: Woodhouselil, 30 Jun 2010 Wonderful book! Great food & different, & the book has a good mix of everything. Each recipe is very well set outin stages. Glossy pages & fab photos make this enjoyable to flick through as well - would make a really nice present for foodies. Gave the Caramel & Macadamia Cheesecake to friends last week & they are still drooling....
