Kitchen Garden Forum

a book that should be in every home
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I've got a few of his books, some of his recipes are great but I have had some fails as well. Jamie at home is probably my most used. I haven't bought a cook book for ages so will have a look for it in the bookshop. Welcome to the forum btw!

It depends upon when you started buying, or being given, cookery books.
Many of mine date back to the late 1970s (when I was a student), books such as some of Rose Elliot's cover all the basics. And Madhur Jaffrey, which I bought later, covers a great deal else.

Got his latest "Veg" as after watching some of his latest tv show episodes.

I can't stand the man

I have 5 of his but never use them. I have also got 7 of Mary Berry's books that I use all of the time

I have so many cook books it is a bit embarrassing! Funnily some are in pristine condition, like Muddyboot68 loads of Jamies rarely looked at, there is a couple of Delia's with the odd spot on the page from recipes tried, only one page from Nigella's smeared. What I do now is go online - seems better to rant at the recipe presented with mistakes or just bloody weird, than waste shelf space & £'s!

only one page from Nigella's smeared.

It is interesting how different styles appeal to different people. There is no right answer nor a wrong one either.

I have a lovely book on side dishes
https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/foodanddrink/cookbook-challenge-ed-smiths-on-the-side-a3545061.html

so predominanly veg. I ought to love it (if my sister and I dine out we often just have a collection of side dishes) but have yet to really appreciate it.

I can't stand watching the Hairy Bikers on the telly. They are so false and scripted - very rarely natural. That said, I love their cookbooks. The recipes are tasty, easy enough to follow, and they always work - well, they work for me anyway. Paul Hollywood's books are also useful, even though I'm not a fan of the man himself.

I have several hundreds of cookbooks - many bought for a £1 or so at my local charity shop in the UK - plus I splash out and buy some very ambitious books. I like "Heston at Home", for example, but haven't quite got around to making anything out of it yet. Ditto William Curley's "Nostalgic Delights".

In restaurants I invariably find the main courses are too big and my husband is usually happy to share a few appetisers with me and not bother with a main.

The hairy guys were so much better when they started & agree their recipes work. It's a bit like Nigel Slater - preferred him when he started to now & made quite a few of his recipes - particularly fond of his crispy fish in his 'Real Food' book. I was channel flicking a few days ago & found him really hairy as well & complicating what he did best!

I have a fun cook book of Greek Recipes from South Africa I bought at a table top sale for 20p. The recipes are rubbish & don't think I can buy or would want a sheep's brain, but the ads are a peek into the times which I think is early 50's - so not PC in todays terms but definitely interesting with the cigarette ads & the twin tub washing machines as state of the art. It's a keeper for the ads not the recipes & I think I have had it for about 20 yrs+ or more!

I agree, Westi. I have Nigel Slater's older books and liked them. But now it's as though he's struggling to think up something new all the time. He's part of the establishment, though, and a "name" so they'll most likely not put him out to grass and he'll just go on forever suggesting ever weirder dishes.

Why not just go on line and google it. Much cheaper.

You do have to credit Jamie for getting on the band wagon before the others with his 'Keep cooking & Carry On'! There must have been some busy people working for him to get this show out in just a couple of weeks! There is nothing fancy pants about what he is cooking but offering alternatives that you may have in your pantry to the traditional.