Customer Reviews
A great book you`ll use for many years - By: Sabine Zimmermann, 17 Aug 2008 
Don't believe the one star reviews - I've had this book for years now, I'm coming back to it again & again & I'm definitely not a beginner or a bad cook, even if I say so myself. The recipes I made all turned out well (apart from one time which was my own fault, I boiled the onions for stuffing too long, to find the exact point is a bit tricky) & they're definitely not all simple beginners' stuff. Try the pork filletin Parma ham with the rhubarb, it's a great dish for entertaining. Of course, the book contains easy recipes (and those that look impressive are often easy enough to accomplish, if you follow the recipe) but perhaps that's just the good thing about it: beginners won't be frightened away. This is actually the book that got my brotherin law cooking & he's by now an accomplished & very good cook!
Best of the Jamie Oliver recipe books - By: M. Jonsson, 13 Jul 2007 Out of all the Jamie Oliver recipe books, we use this one at home most often, if not all the time. There are so many yummy recipes which are all quite easy to make. Our biggest favourite is Jamie Oliver's Favourite Curry Sauce, which we always team with the coriander chutney. It's to die for. Other favourites are the scrummy warm rocket salad & the salami spaghetti. Enjoy!
Cooking for the layman - By: John Kimble, 23 Dec 2006 This is the third Jamie Oliver book I have bought & just like the others its both simple & effective.
For me Jamie's talent isin the way describes his recipes & how he explains how the dish should come together & each stage from the prep to the dishing up. This book isn't only about getting ingredients together & making a meal, here a very young Jamie gives helpful & practical advice on herbs, preparing a marinade & using stocks & sauces.
This book will have something for everyone. It goes from the simple to the sublime & many cases the skills you learnin one recipe transfer to another.
In short I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of good cooking.
Some people don't like Jamie Oliver but for me his books have helped me learn & enjoy cooking. I've went from being a novice to cooking for my girlfriend, my family & for my friends. If I can do it then why can't anyone else?
`Remember - Don't eat to live, live to eat - that's what it's all about.' - By: Amazon Reviewer, 02 Aug 2006 
319 high quality, shiny pages, split over 13 chapters:-
Comfort Grub
Quick Fixes
Kid's Club
More Simple Salads
Dressings
Pasta
Something Fishy Going On
Nice Bit of Meat.....
...and Loads of Veg
The Wonderful World of Bread
Desserts
Bevvies
And, Finally......You Are What You Eat
sandwiched twixt an Introduction with a note about `herbs', & a concise index.
Finishes, as usual, with JO's `Nice One' - his `thanks' section.
Photography from David Loftus - JO, his family & friends, places, ingredients & for most but not all the recipes.
Rear cover quote from `Daily Express' -
`The food is simply explained & superbly presented, & it makes you want to cook very dish.'
The first chapter, `Comfort Grub' opens with `Toadin the Hole`, followed by `Good Old Steak & Guinness Pie'.. however `Newcastle Brown Ale' is not left out because it comes alongin third place - `Beef Stew with Newcastle Brown Ale & Dumplings' - so you know that this is a typical JO book!
Epecially when you get page 39, `Fantastic Fish Finger Buttie'
and
`Sticky Sausage Bap with Melted Cheese & Brown Sauce`! `Just get 3 half-decent snags (that's sausages to us southerners) .........!'
and when you get to the following page:-
`Pancakes, USA style -'instead of being thin & silky like French crepes, they are wonderfully fluffy & thick & can be made to perfection straight away - my Jools goes mad for them'.......
then page 52 , with `The Best Steak Sarnie',
and page 194 - `Superb Roast Beef, Best Spuds & Huge Yorkies'
you know that it is also a book that will be hard to put down, simply because it is so easy to read!
Useful notes head up most recipes & there is a JO intro for each new chapter, e.g.:-
Quick Fixes
'This chapter is all about really fast tasty ways to eat good old chicken, steak, cod & salmon, time & minimal washing up being of the essence. I'm going to give you quick methods like frying or grilling, or my favourite, bakingin the bag, which I started doing when Jools & I first moved to London six years ago.......I love making these little envelopes, or bags, with all the ingredients placedin the middle of them......the great thing is that you cook your meat or fishin the same bag as your vegetables & herbs which,in turn, gives you a great home-made sauce.'
Favourite Recipes:-
Superb Marinated Pork Fillet Roasted on Rhubarb
Whole Roasted Salmon wrappedin Herbs & Newspaper
The Easiest, Sexiest Saladin the World
Chicken Breast Bakedin a Bag with Mushrooms, Butter, White Wine & Thyme
Wicked Baked Sardines
Classic Penne Carbonara
Kinda Spaghetti Bolognaise
Pan-seared Scallops with Asparagus & Baby Leeks
Layered Focaccia with Cheese & Rocket
Banana & Honey Bread
Sourdough Bread
Lovely Lemon Curdy Pud
The Best Hot Chocolate
Christmasin a Glass
Fantastic - By: Lisa, 17 May 2006 I have all 6 of Jamie's books. I rate this as his 2nd best. I cook a jamie meal every single evening, he is an absolute star, i have never ever come across any other cook books where you can do a recipe from it every night of the week at reasonable cost, very little time & bloomin tasty! (jamies words) I fillin my diary up to 3 monthsin advance with one of the recipes from his books....good planning, i then go to the supermarket twice a week, buy the ingredients & away you go....no worrying what are we gonna have for tea tonight!! All recipes are simple, fast & quite often are based around the same ingredients, i have to say i very rarely have any waste. It makes my life easy.....and we are eating very healthily too, unless we do one of his puddings, but only at the weekend!
