Customer Reviews
Not as "complete" as I'd hoped! - By: T. Brunskill, 06 Jan 2009 
i bought this book the minute it came out - I am a huge fan of Sarah's - butin truth, despite the enticing cover & fabulous photography, there was simply not enough substance for me. I didn't buy it for the recipes, to be fair, as there are plenty of other great books which cover Christmas food, but rather because I felt that Sarah would give wonderful ideas on creating & celebrating a more natural Christmas. There were some lovely pictures, but those I found inspiring - the hydrangea wreath, for example - were not accompanied by really good instructions. Nice photo, but I was so disappointed that there were no step by step details. Not enough nitty gritty. Not enough inspired & unusual ideas with instructions for utilising all sorts of thingsin the garden (other than putting themin a vase), which I felt were bound to bein it. I thought the narrative was a little uninspiring, &in places, rather opinionated (is there really only one combination of colours which work well for Christmas?!) . I was sure this would be a real tonic to combat a festive world which is too commercial & glitzy - but perhaps I was expecting too much. There were perhaps half a dozen things I took from it at most - the honey mustard sausages were nice - but not enough that was original or different. And given that Sarah is both those things, her book could have been outstanding.
Superb! - By: J. Starling, 05 Jan 2009 
I wish I'd been the proud possessor of this book BEFORE Christmas as it's so good. Never mind, now I've got it & there are only 11 months to go before I can use it for Christmas 2009;in the meantime, there are lots of recipes which I can see are going to become family favourites, Christmas or not.
I have Delia, I have Nigella, but this goes way beyond either of those. Sarah's Raven's enthusiasm is like Nigel Slater's ; it makes you want to get into the kitchen & start cooking; it makes you want to get your coat & boots on & go into the garden or out for a walk to find some of the beautiful raw ingredients for tranforming your home into a place of winter beauty. I'll never look at artichokes & beans again without wanting to spray them silver!
Thank you, Sarah Raven, for a wonderful book. This will take its place highin my list of "Can't-live-Without-books".
Absolutely AWFUL - By: L. Lee, 03 Jan 2009 
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. In fact I didn't want to give it any stars - it's not traditionalin the slightest. Couldn't relate anything to Christmas - RUUUUUUBBISH - buy Delia or a Victorian Christmas recipe book instead - then you'll have the perfect Christmas book.
Oh, do be quiet! - By: H. Konig, 18 Dec 2008 Ms L, i came across your reviews while looking to order this book for christmas presents. having bought it & used it successfully already. I must say that i find your reviews & counter reviews rather self important not to mention boring. Do please stop using this site as a vehicle to play AA Gill because it is obvious from what you say that you are not a cook.
Gorgeous Sarah Raven Christmas food and flowers collection - By: Ms. Harriet Atkinson, 07 Dec 2008 I have been a huge fan of Sarah Raven since I got my hands on a copy of her brilliant Garden Cook Book. This has stood mein very good stead for the whole year as each new type of meat, fruit & veg has come into season - it seems to cover every type of veg that I've come across. But her Christmas food book does something different - hurrah! - it gives ideas for how to produce scrumptious, special food for a large or small party. I made the crispy cumin & caraway squid for a group of friends a couple of weeks ago & it went down a treat. The very cheesy biscuits (and pesto cheese straws) are the easiest & quickest (and yummiest) things ever & you can stow away some of the mixturein the fridge for another day if you discover that you've made too much. Her sausagesin honey & mustard & bruschetta were also dead easy. She suggests all sorts of snacks that can be madein advance, which are right up my street. The book is really pretty - lots of lovely Christmassy colours, sparkly cover & gorgeous photos of food & flowers. Lovely!
