Cook, Eat, Repeat: Ingredients, Recipes, and Stories
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- Create Date：2021-04-11 03:31:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Nigella Lawson
- ISBN：0063079542
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Summary
“Food， for me， is a constant pleasure: I like to think greedily about it， reflect deeply on it， learn from it; it provides comfort， inspiration， meaning， and beauty…More than just a mantra， ‘cook， eat， repeat’ is the story of my life。”
Cook， Eat， Repeat is a delicious and delightful combination of recipes intertwined with narrative essays about food， all written in Nigella Lawson’s engaging and insightful prose。 Whether asking “what is a recipe？” or declaring death to the “guilty pleasure，” Nigella brings her wisdom about food and life to the fore while sharing new recipes that readers will want to return to again and again。
Within these chapters are more than a hundred new recipes for all seasons and tastes from Burnt Onion and Eggplant Dip to Chicken with Garlic Cream Sauce; from Beef Cheeks with Port and Chestnuts to Ginger and Beetroot Yogurt Sauce。 Those with a sweet tooth will delight in desserts including Rhubarb and Custard Trifle; Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake; and Cherry and Almond Crumble。
“The recipes I write come from my life， my home，” says Nigella， and in Cook， Eat， Repeat she reveals the rhythms and rituals of her kitchen through recipes that make the most of her favorite ingredients， with inspiration for family dinners， vegan feasts， and solo suppers， as well as new ideas for cooking during the holidays。
Cook， Eat， Repeat is a delicious and delightful combination of recipes intertwined with narrative essays about food， all written in Nigella Lawson’s engaging and insightful prose。 Whether asking “what is a recipe？” or declaring death to the “guilty pleasure，” Nigella brings her wisdom about food and life to the fore while sharing new recipes that readers will want to return to again and again。
Within these chapters are more than a hundred new recipes for all seasons and tastes from Burnt Onion and Eggplant Dip to Chicken with Garlic Cream Sauce; from Beef Cheeks with Port and Chestnuts to Ginger and Beetroot Yogurt Sauce。 Those with a sweet tooth will delight in desserts including Rhubarb and Custard Trifle; Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake; and Cherry and Almond Crumble。
“The recipes I write come from my life， my home，” says Nigella， and in Cook， Eat， Repeat she reveals the rhythms and rituals of her kitchen through recipes that make the most of her favorite ingredients， with inspiration for family dinners， vegan feasts， and solo suppers， as well as new ideas for cooking during the holidays。
Reviews
Emmalita
，
A book is often many years in the making and over the last year， I have read many authors reflecting on the strangeness of trying to write and release books during a global pandemic。 Writing a cookbook， especially one that envisions family gatherings and entertaining around a table of food must have been particularly challenging。 A couple of the essays in Nigella Lawson’s Cook， Eat， Repeat refer to the lockdown she is experiencing while writing。 I’m glad she included those mentions because it ad A book is often many years in the making and over the last year， I have read many authors reflecting on the strangeness of trying to write and release books during a global pandemic。 Writing a cookbook， especially one that envisions family gatherings and entertaining around a table of food must have been particularly challenging。 A couple of the essays in Nigella Lawson’s Cook， Eat， Repeat refer to the lockdown she is experiencing while writing。 I’m glad she included those mentions because it adds a pathos to the book that wouldn’t otherwise be there。I don’t necessarily but Nigella Lawson cookbooks for their recipes， though her recipes are very good。 In fact， I get a recipe from Nigella Lawson every day via email。 Her recipes are great。 I buy Nigella Lawson’s cookbooks for her food writing。 Her life， very different from mine， has afforded her the opportunity to travel and experience food in a way I have not and never will。 There might be some tiny amount of jealousy， but mostly I love reading her thoughts on food and cooking。In her first essay， “What is a Recipe，” Lawson dives into the nature of recipes， what they are and what they are not。A recipe can be many things: a practical document; a piece of social history; an anthropological record; a family legacy; an autobiographical statement; even a literary exercise。 You don’t have to take your pick: the glory of food is that， beyond sustenance， it comprises a little of everything—aesthetics and manual labour， thrown in。 Interestingly， she repeats a story I’ve heard from the many therapists I am related to， the story of the woman who cut the ends off her roasts。 She’s asked why and doesn’t know， that’s just how she was taught。 Further investigation reveals that her mother， or grandmother， had a too small roasting pan。 For therapists it’s a story about rules are made and followed even when they are no longer necessary or beneficial。 For Nigella Lawson it’s about turning the transitory process of cooking into a recipe written to be followed exactly。 It’s both an explanation that she， the recipe creator， is working within the limitations of her kitchen and available ingredients， and tacit approval for us， the recipe user to adapt recipes as necessary。 She does go on to state clearly that we the people cooking from her recipes can and should adapt them as we need， but we should do so with the understanding that we are making a new and different recipe from the one she wrote。With this understanding of the relationship between recipe author and recipe user， I did make a few of the recipes and I did adapt them as I saw fit。 When I made the No -Knead Black Bread， I left out the caraway and fennel seed and added additional nigella seeds because I like the oniony flavor of nigella better。 I was very happy with the way it turned out。 For the Tuscan Bean Soup， I used drained and rinsed canned cannellini beans because I don’t have easy access to borlotti beans。 Neither tasted exactly as they would had they come from Nigella Lawson’s hands， but both were very good and I will definitely use both recipes again。I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lisa H
，
The return of the Domestic Goddess。 I loved this book。 Told in the familiar and uniquely Nigella Lawson voice。 Her style is warm， conversational。 a bit wry and self deprecating， always perfectly British。 She understands that once a recipe is presented， everyone wants to change it despite all the work that went into perfecting the recipe。 Its a dilemma。 The recipes are entwined with stories and memories and my hands down favorite is the labor intensive lasagna of love （and love it is）。 I have a s The return of the Domestic Goddess。 I loved this book。 Told in the familiar and uniquely Nigella Lawson voice。 Her style is warm， conversational。 a bit wry and self deprecating， always perfectly British。 She understands that once a recipe is presented， everyone wants to change it despite all the work that went into perfecting the recipe。 Its a dilemma。 The recipes are entwined with stories and memories and my hands down favorite is the labor intensive lasagna of love （and love it is）。 I have a soft spot for the bread pudding， this time with fig preserve。 I remember being fascinated with a version of this recipe on her show years ago （and made it many times）。 Peppered with staples and more unusual recipes， Cook。 Eat。 Repeat is perfectly Nigella。 Welcome back。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Sophie （RedheadReading）
，
Honestly I approached this more as a lovely selection of food writing than as something I'm necessarily going to be cooking from cover to cover。 I always enjoy the way she effusively sings the praises of food she loves so had a lovely time reading through what are essentially essays in between the recipes。 From a cooking standpoint， Nigella can be a bit hit and miss for me。 I appreciate all the info given at the start of recipes for how to adapt them to suit different dietary requirements， but t Honestly I approached this more as a lovely selection of food writing than as something I'm necessarily going to be cooking from cover to cover。 I always enjoy the way she effusively sings the praises of food she loves so had a lovely time reading through what are essentially essays in between the recipes。 From a cooking standpoint， Nigella can be a bit hit and miss for me。 I appreciate all the info given at the start of recipes for how to adapt them to suit different dietary requirements， but there's a lot of these I'll never cook due to the large number of meaty dishes or just flavours that aren't my cup of tea （namely rhubarb and anchovies！）。 Some of these felt a smidge repetitive compared to some of her other cookbooks， but I can't deny that I had a lovely time immersing myself in the gorgeous descriptions！ 。。。more
Alexander Peterhans
，
"I sometimes think that the appetite for recipes， for reading and writing about food and how we cook it， says just as much about our hunger for stories—these little condensed chronicles that say so much—as about our hunger for pleasure and sustenance。 In the recipe form， these hungers are fused。"I've always been fascinated with Nigella Lawson。 Her love of food and cooking is abundantly clear， but she also has an air of the ridiculous over her， leaning into the projected image of her being some k "I sometimes think that the appetite for recipes， for reading and writing about food and how we cook it， says just as much about our hunger for stories—these little condensed chronicles that say so much—as about our hunger for pleasure and sustenance。 In the recipe form， these hungers are fused。"I've always been fascinated with Nigella Lawson。 Her love of food and cooking is abundantly clear， but she also has an air of the ridiculous over her， leaning into the projected image of her being some kind of sensual queen of the kitchen。 I also suspect she has a fantastic sense of humour， and is the first to laugh at herself （or at least， her TV self）， but that the general public has a hard time letting her show that （just look at how the internet imploded over her pronunciation of 'microwave'）。"Be patient， lift up and swirl the pan often and monitor it closely; as Tammy almost sang， Stand By Your Pan。"I'm a pretty mediocre cook myself， so I approach her cooking books more for her writing， not so much her recipes。 And this book seems written for readers like me - she not only writes a lengthy literary introduction to each chapter， she adds a lot of anecdotes and thoughts to the text under the recipes。 She is a funny writer， and she knows it。 She is very personable， and it comes across as an eloquent friend talking directly to you。I'm a vegetarian， and I was happy to see her tackling vegetarian and vegan cooking with gusto， and commenting on augmenting non-vegan recipes where possible （she is also realistic， saying she can't make every recipe vegetarian/vegan）。The book is peppered with beautiful food photography， mostly focusing on eyepopping colours。"And so I protect fiercely the deep enjoyment I get from food， and want so fervently for others to share it， too。 Every gorgeous mouthful stills the world， and yet revels in it at the same time; eating joyfully keeps me in the pleasurable present。"Can't comment too much on the recipes （although most of it looks and sounds delicious）， but this is a fine example of literary cookery writing。（Thanks to Ecco for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss） 。。。more
Girl
，
As always， love Nigella。
Amy Dendy
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Cook，Eat，Repeat by the famous Nigella Lawson is all about figuring out your rhythm in cooking。 She shows you how to prepare individual meals as well as family meals and the stories are shared that helped to shape some of those meals。 Cooks around the world will want to add this to personal cookbook collections and refer back to some of the less typical recipes。
Jessica
，
A fantastically unique cookbook！ Filled with Nigella's stories and insights but also packed with inspired recipes like "Lemon & Elderflower Syrup Cake" and an entire chapter devoted to the love of "Brown Food"。Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this cookbook。 My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own。 A fantastically unique cookbook！ Filled with Nigella's stories and insights but also packed with inspired recipes like "Lemon & Elderflower Syrup Cake" and an entire chapter devoted to the love of "Brown Food"。Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this cookbook。 My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Rachel
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*I received an ARC for a fair review*I am a huge fan of Nigella and this book was no different。 She starts off with a chapter devoted to the humble anchovy， an ingredient that is small yet mighty。 She teaches home cooks how to get the most flavor from this tinned wonder。 Following through the book， I loved the pleasures section which included yummy indulgences and recipes for simple breads。 As usual， these recipes are accessible to home cook and look simply scrumptious。 Perhaps my favorite porti *I received an ARC for a fair review*I am a huge fan of Nigella and this book was no different。 She starts off with a chapter devoted to the humble anchovy， an ingredient that is small yet mighty。 She teaches home cooks how to get the most flavor from this tinned wonder。 Following through the book， I loved the pleasures section which included yummy indulgences and recipes for simple breads。 As usual， these recipes are accessible to home cook and look simply scrumptious。 Perhaps my favorite portion of the book is the chapter dedicated to Rhubarb。 As an American who ate quite a bit more rhubarb that my peers （thanks to an English great-grandmother） as a child---this chapter called to me。 I am ready to make literally all of these rhubarb recipes。The most stand-out recipe to me was the Crab Mac n Cheese。 I'm sorry。。。let's just sit and luxuriate in those word。。。。CRAB。。。。CARBS。。。。CHEESE。 What else could you want？ Oh right， for Nigella to be the one guiding your hand as you make such an indulgent and warming dish。 。。。more
Tina
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I am a huge fan of Nigella Lawson and love her cookbooks。 Some more than others and I was anxious to get a copy of her latest cookbook。 Thanks to an advanced readers copy I was able to peruse her recipes and memoir style writing in Cook， Eat， Repeat。Nigella writes about starting this book in one world and finishing in another。 We all remember what it was like pre-pandemic and how things were different。 This book was produced with a foot in both worlds。She speaks aboout self-isolation and wonders I am a huge fan of Nigella Lawson and love her cookbooks。 Some more than others and I was anxious to get a copy of her latest cookbook。 Thanks to an advanced readers copy I was able to peruse her recipes and memoir style writing in Cook， Eat， Repeat。Nigella writes about starting this book in one world and finishing in another。 We all remember what it was like pre-pandemic and how things were different。 This book was produced with a foot in both worlds。She speaks aboout self-isolation and wonders when we may dine with friends again， learning from the lockdown and daily ways to find pleasure。 She speaks about lasagna and says don't limit it to "occasions' and we ceratinly do not do that in our home。 Doug and I have it whenever we want， but mostly when the weather deems we need a hearty rib sticking meal。There are many good recipes in this book and I of course gravitated to the chicken with orzo and lemon。 My favorite flavors and ingredients。。。For vegetarinan fare there are loads of recipes such as spiced bulger wheat with roasted veggies， Vegan polenta cake， Tuscan bean soup and more。Publication date is 15 June 2021。 Genre: Biographies and Memoirs; Cooking， Food and Wine; nonfictionMuch thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 I was not compensated for my review and opinions are mine。 。。。more
Poppy Flaxman
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I've been slowly making my way through this， stealing moments in the day to read a few essays and recipes。 It is important to spend time with Nigella as each recipe is rich with detail and sentences as beautiful as the food on the opposite page。 I think this has swiped the title of favourite Nigella cookbook。 The premise is gorgeous: one of recipes we return to again and again that fill up our life。 Since I've starting reading， I've already made her fish finger bhorta， no knead bread and sandwic I've been slowly making my way through this， stealing moments in the day to read a few essays and recipes。 It is important to spend time with Nigella as each recipe is rich with detail and sentences as beautiful as the food on the opposite page。 I think this has swiped the title of favourite Nigella cookbook。 The premise is gorgeous: one of recipes we return to again and again that fill up our life。 Since I've starting reading， I've already made her fish finger bhorta， no knead bread and sandwich loaf regular recipes in my repertoire。 I've baked many things from this too and am eagerly looking forward to repeating those soon。 As a vegetarian I think there is a good level of both meaty recipes， which I can admire but won't be cooking， vegetarian and vegan。 As well as plenty of gluten free options。 Some are quite easily adaptable as well - the fish finger bhorta， for example， which I make with quorn fishless fingers and wouldn't want to go without！ If you are looking for a cookbook to inspire and treasure， this is it。 。。。more
chris tervit
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I’m a fan。 Enjoyed her TV series with this book - nice winter Covid telly。 I’ve made her fish fingers bhorta & lemon + elderflower drizzle pudding several times。 She’s quite rambling in her prose - several pages of text with little actually said often。 Also can be bugging as a recipe book as they layout more of a novel。
Kaitlyn
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I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I feel like this was a little bit too wordy for me。 I think if I wanted to learn more about the different parts of food and what is good and bad about them then this would be great， but I was looking for just a cookbook and this was written more like a regular book。
Billie
，
I’ve tried many of these recipes and found the majority of them to be utterly tasteless。 The exception being the fish finger bhorta which was a knock out。 Did Nigella get covid before putting these recipes together and not realise？ Not only are they tasteless they take an extremely long time to arrive at no taste valley。 Overall I remain unimpressed。
Mike Clarke
，
Eats shoots， leaves and anchovies: In the Corfu Trilogy， Gerald Durrell notes that his mother never read fiction - only cookery books。 I am beginning to understand why。 In the midst of turmoil it’s reassuring to have something tried and tested， something reliable by an expert （that word） in their field， that will produce pleasure and satisfaction for oneself and others。 Until now I’d not engaged much with the Nigella phenomenon， seeing myself as immune to the arch campery of La Lawson’s innuendo Eats shoots， leaves and anchovies: In the Corfu Trilogy， Gerald Durrell notes that his mother never read fiction - only cookery books。 I am beginning to understand why。 In the midst of turmoil it’s reassuring to have something tried and tested， something reliable by an expert （that word） in their field， that will produce pleasure and satisfaction for oneself and others。 Until now I’d not engaged much with the Nigella phenomenon， seeing myself as immune to the arch campery of La Lawson’s innuendo kitchen。 But by golly she’s good。 Perhaps better in print where the act is toned down a bit。 I rarely meet anyone who shares my inordinate fondness for the anchovy and thanks to Cook， Eat， Repeat I’ve replenished my stocks and am now using them in more ways than I would have ever imagined possible （her prose style also is catching after a while）。 I’ve also tried no-knead bread （more honestly no-chance bread in my case） and ordered beef cheeks and oxtails from Waitrose。 It’s all most exciting - I’m AGOG。 But can I find chilli crisp oil or bottarga？ Can I buffalo。 And although I’m rarely “feeling fierce in the morning” （I need to get past 11am and three coffees for that） her scotch woodcock is to die for。 Nigella is like your culinary big sister - organised， a bit bossy， but she gets results and likes a slug of Campari so all’s well。 Like the sainted Mrs Durrell， I can’t think of better reading for these dark days。 。。。more
Isabella May
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As fabulous as all of her previous books。 Nigella not only showcases some amazing - and simple to put-together recipes - but she writes about food like nobody else。 An absolute comfort and joy to get lost in。。。
Jennifer Spiliakos
，
I was so excited to see this one on #netgalley - cookbooks are a particular love of mine， and Nigella's have long been some of my favorites。 I love that her recipes feel fresh and different， things I can and typically will cook in my own kitchen。 She has a way with words as well。 I started jotting down names of recipes I wanted to remember and stopped when I got to a dozen or so because I'm just going to buy the book now。 I was so excited to see this one on #netgalley - cookbooks are a particular love of mine， and Nigella's have long been some of my favorites。 I love that her recipes feel fresh and different， things I can and typically will cook in my own kitchen。 She has a way with words as well。 I started jotting down names of recipes I wanted to remember and stopped when I got to a dozen or so because I'm just going to buy the book now。 。。。more
（a）lyss（a）
，
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 This book wasn't quite what I was expecting。 This is less of a recipe book as it is stories and recipes。 Lawson picks a variety of ingredients like anchovies and rhubarb and shares stories about them along with recipes that include them。 The pictures included are beautiful， but there aren't as many as I'd hoped。 The recipes themselves don't really have a lot of pictures or as much guidance as I expected， it seems I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 This book wasn't quite what I was expecting。 This is less of a recipe book as it is stories and recipes。 Lawson picks a variety of ingredients like anchovies and rhubarb and shares stories about them along with recipes that include them。 The pictures included are beautiful， but there aren't as many as I'd hoped。 The recipes themselves don't really have a lot of pictures or as much guidance as I expected， it seems like it's geared toward people who are more confident cooks。 Overall it is a reflective book that is more about food than it is about cooking food。 。。。more
Basicsadie
，
In true Nigella Lawson persona， this book is SO Nigella！！ From her love of food， a passion really， the recipes flow from her and pull you into the kitchen to recreate what she has just explained in a way only she can！ Only she can put into words what food congers up in all of us。 The pure delight and pleasure we get from eating and all the passion and delight cooks try to pass on to your families， Nigella will get you there， All without the guilt！
Ann Dewar
，
Well I eked it out as long as I could but found it impossible to read in short chunks。There can be few writers whose voice， both literal and metaphorical， are as instantly recognisable as Nigella Lawson’s。 Whether writing a Sunday Times column or a cookery book， you can hear her read her words to you in your head。This book is like meeting a friend for a coffee and cake and after you saying you’re bored of cooking， having her give you ideas on how to riff on ingredients， interspersed with anecdot Well I eked it out as long as I could but found it impossible to read in short chunks。There can be few writers whose voice， both literal and metaphorical， are as instantly recognisable as Nigella Lawson’s。 Whether writing a Sunday Times column or a cookery book， you can hear her read her words to you in your head。This book is like meeting a friend for a coffee and cake and after you saying you’re bored of cooking， having her give you ideas on how to riff on ingredients， interspersed with anecdotes and family gossip。I also love the fact that she insists on defending unappealing brown food because food is not all about Instagram and calling her children ‘children’， even though they are in their 20’s。 It is， in short， a delight。 。。。more
Deb
，
I read this as if it were a novel， cherishing each page。 Nigella pulls you in and wraps you tightly in her genuine love of ingredients， recipes， and the stories behind them。 The recipes I’ve cooked so far have been wonderfully simple and so enjoyable， and I can’t wait to keep testing more！
Soph
，
I bought anchovies
Sara Coleman
，
I loved this。 The beautifully written passages about food and the way we choose to eat it and the variations of the recipes were perfect for a Winter afternoon of reading and an inspiration for new year cooking。
Beckie Tee
，
A beautifully written collection of anecdotes， stories and recipes！ Cannot wait to try out some of the recipes soon！
Tina Athaide
，
Nigella's books are like reading a family cookbook that has been past down through the ages with recipes filled with love， heart， and mouthwatering dishes。 This latest book doesn't disappoint！ The recipes are comforting， unique， familiar， delicious， and accompanied with tips and personal anecdotes。 This is a great addition for culinary classes。 I will definitely be adding this one to the shelf in our classroom and look forward to seeing which future chef are inspired by this book。 Nigella's books are like reading a family cookbook that has been past down through the ages with recipes filled with love， heart， and mouthwatering dishes。 This latest book doesn't disappoint！ The recipes are comforting， unique， familiar， delicious， and accompanied with tips and personal anecdotes。 This is a great addition for culinary classes。 I will definitely be adding this one to the shelf in our classroom and look forward to seeing which future chef are inspired by this book。 。。。more
Tania Kliphuis
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I have yet to cook much from this book， but it deserves a five-star rating as a collection of essays in any case。 Nigella writes about food in such a loving， evocative and exciting way。 She makes a simple slice of sourdough topped with butter and an anchovy sound like a luxury （which it is if you take the time to notice every sensation）。 I also love that it was edited to fit the times。 Nigella speaks of lockdown baking and cooking， and comfort food and the memory of dinner parties that we all ha I have yet to cook much from this book， but it deserves a five-star rating as a collection of essays in any case。 Nigella writes about food in such a loving， evocative and exciting way。 She makes a simple slice of sourdough topped with butter and an anchovy sound like a luxury （which it is if you take the time to notice every sensation）。 I also love that it was edited to fit the times。 Nigella speaks of lockdown baking and cooking， and comfort food and the memory of dinner parties that we all hated to throw but now wish we could！ That makes it really special， like a time capsule that I’ll give my kids one day。 I’m itching to make almost every single thing from this book， and really appreciate the way that she encourages home cooks to experiment and make dishes personal。 。。。more
Kat
，
I feel conflicted with this， while I worship the altar of Lawson and have cooked， and still do， many of her recipes over the years this one was not a hit with me。 It is incredibly long-winded and while I could compare the format to How To Eat， maybe it was the design of the book or perhaps too many liberties taken with an editor but it - and believe me， I am stupefied myself that I am using this term with Lawson- dragged on and on。 I love rhubarb vehemently but plodding through the chapter was a I feel conflicted with this， while I worship the altar of Lawson and have cooked， and still do， many of her recipes over the years this one was not a hit with me。 It is incredibly long-winded and while I could compare the format to How To Eat， maybe it was the design of the book or perhaps too many liberties taken with an editor but it - and believe me， I am stupefied myself that I am using this term with Lawson- dragged on and on。 I love rhubarb vehemently but plodding through the chapter was a task and not a joyful ponder。 It was not a good read for cooking in mind。 If you've been cooking with Nigella over the years her prose is one of the joys， but I don't know what it is with this particular volume， it just wasn't there for me。 Some of the recipes seem recycled ideas or borrowing from others （which is fine）- marzipan loaf， the banana and tahini bread， the NYT loaf， another lemon and almond cake- and overall an esoteric collection of ingredients that normally I would default as an 'Ottolenghi' move: marrowbone， celeriac， a lot of chestnuts。 It feels weird to say this， but a solo Nigella pottering in her house cooking meals for one and not entertaining and cooking for a bounty seems， perhaps yes， truthful and of the now （lock down， kids moving on etc） but like a jigsaw with missing pieces。 Maybe that is it， it was a book that was essentially cooking for one and not enough of a balance？ I can at the end of all this， however， recommend the black forest brownies and the spiced bulgur wheat。 I will put the book on my shelf and give it time to mellow and see how I feel when I return to it over time。 。。。more
Ben
，
Thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for an ARC of this。 Nigella Lawson's books have always been some of my favorites for the writing alone， and this new book is no exception。 Food writer Helen Rosner has a wonderful newsletter about the process of writing a recipe （which ends in a kale/bean/sausage soup called Roberto）， and the balance of economy of space vs。 teaching someone who doesn't know what size of onion you need when a recipe calls for a large onion。 When I copy out a recipe for friends， I also Thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for an ARC of this。 Nigella Lawson's books have always been some of my favorites for the writing alone， and this new book is no exception。 Food writer Helen Rosner has a wonderful newsletter about the process of writing a recipe （which ends in a kale/bean/sausage soup called Roberto）， and the balance of economy of space vs。 teaching someone who doesn't know what size of onion you need when a recipe calls for a large onion。 When I copy out a recipe for friends， I also find it shifting and changing from the original text - I hew closely to the original instructions， but also add in bits written in my voice that elucidate the things I needed to figure out for myself and want to make sure they get right the first time since I was the one who raved about the recipe in the first place。Nigella's always been good at threading this needle， and I love that the essay approach this book takes in places （including a chapter on just how you get to a recipe） gives you the feeling of having a friend guiding you through a recipe while sitting at a kitchen island， letting you figure out the magic with your own hands。 As with her last few books， there's a nice balance of more classic preparations with a few nods to current cooking trends - I feel like if Nigella's tried something and is telling me about it （in this case， 'nduja sausage， or cooking pasta in beet juice both for color and flavor）， it's probably worth seeking out and trying for myself。 I also like that a few of the essays in the book call out the current food climate we're in with quarantine， and how cooking can be both a balm and something where we just want to reach for something quick because we're tired of things being a balm and just want to eat。 。。。more
Ann Brogan
，
While I don’t think this is Nigella’s best collection of recipes， and as much as I enjoy her confessional style of writing， I found the sections in between them musing on all things related to cooking a tad long-winded， all the same， there are some gems to try， such as the Spiced Bulgur Wheat with Roast Vegetables and Chicken in a Pot with Lemon and Orzo。 One thing you can rely on with Nigella is that her recipes reflect the current stage of life she’s at。 Now 60 and living alone， a lot of her r While I don’t think this is Nigella’s best collection of recipes， and as much as I enjoy her confessional style of writing， I found the sections in between them musing on all things related to cooking a tad long-winded， all the same， there are some gems to try， such as the Spiced Bulgur Wheat with Roast Vegetables and Chicken in a Pot with Lemon and Orzo。 One thing you can rely on with Nigella is that her recipes reflect the current stage of life she’s at。 Now 60 and living alone， a lot of her recipes here are aimed at a one to two-person household。 My impression is that her cookbooks have also become repetitive of late， this one features the now customary variations on trifle， roast chicken， anchovy and rhubarb and pickled red onion recipes she has done before。 That said there are also a few experimental outliers that I can’t see myself ever trying， like the Fish Finger Bhorta， Banana Skin （！） Curry and Beetroot Noodles。 Previous experience has shown me that these excessively talked-up suggestions don’t tend to work。 I received this book as a gift and wouldn’t otherwise have bought it myself。 Nevertheless， it’s worth a look if you’re a fan like me， but if you new to Nigella， I would recommend her earlier books， such as How to Eat， Feast and Kitchen。 。。。more
Marie Jose
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