Great for experienced cooks too - Rated 
Full of interesting things and new ways to do stuff (like the marvellous meringues recipe), this book has just rescued my Christmas (and a cheap turkey bought by well-meaning relatives).
Foolproof and readable. Fab.
Lots of opinions - Rated 
Tam really likes to wax lyrical in this book and I do wonder, if she didn't write so much about the reputation of moussaka or how she loved making upside down cake as a child, would the book be as meaty as it is?
My boyfriend hates this book, he is firmly seated on Team Oliver where measurements are a "glug" or a "fistful" and everything is Pukka and you can do what you like when you like. I argue that, for a beginner, it's more reassuring to be given exact measurements for fear of screwing up - Tam's accurate measures are useful to anyone unsure if their glugs aren't enough or their hands are inadequate.
If you read her little blurbs in the wrong mood you probably won't cook one dish - it's quite full of "never do this" "always serve that" it's not Debrett's Kitchen Bible, but you might start to wonder how far removed from it the book really is.
I have made several recipes from my copy of this hulk of a book and they've all been yummy and successful dishes.
I'm not slating this book, her recipes do work and she has sorted the recipes into sections of Frugal, Easy, Serious skills, as well as your usual cakes, starters, meat and veggie sections... there's also a Christmas and New Year section which is festive.
I don't think it's a recipe book you'll pick up day to day or week to week and use all the time, but it is one to own.
Fabulous!! a must own for cooks of all abilities! - Rated
I have this book in its hardback form, and it is BRILLIANT! all recipies are so easy to follow, everyone MUST try the recipie for lasagne, the ragu sauce is wonderful!
`From simple cakes, cookies and roasts to Christmas cooking, classics and more modern recipes.... - Rated
...this book has it all.'
A cover quote from `Sainsbury's Magazine', which precisely describes this weighty tome, even in paperback format!
And from the front cover:- 'This book will never leave my kitchen', from Nigel Slater
The d/j goes on to say:-
`This is a one-stop cookbook equally useful for the
complete beginner or the experienced cook
looking for inspiration. There are 500 recipes
covering every aspect of cooking at home - the
simplest things, hearty budget dishes, the classics
and new favourites...'
And that also proves to be very accurate.
Everything is here from how to boil an egg - poach it, scramble it, fry it, omelette it to `Coronation Chicken', including `world favourites' such as `Hummus Bi Tahini', `Welsh Rarebit', `Pilavs', `Moroccan Couscous', 'Irish Stew', `Moules Marinière' and `Boeuf Bourguignonne'.
`Tamasin explains things other cookbooks assume - how to bake cakes with confidence, make scones, deal with fish, coordinate a roast, cook game, master mayonnaise and custard and rescue a split sauce,......'
Yes it is true to say that it has been done before, but this `bible' does actually do it with more passion, and, pays more attention to those details the less experienced cook needs to keep a steady hand in the kitchen.
511 shiny high quality pages, split over 7 main
chapters:-
(1) Easy Things
(2) Simple Skills
(3) Frugal Food
(4) Christmas Countdown
(5) Classic Recipes
(6) Fool-proof Favourites
(7) Serious Skills
with an introduction, sections entitled:-
'The Kitchen'
'Store Cupboard'
'Seasonal British Diary',
a list of suppliers and a concise index.
`I have to confess that the undertaking of a book such as this is bound to fill the writer with fears of inadequacy for the task ahead and dread of the sins of omission. For as much as I want people of all levels, ages and skills to be able to turn to these pages and cook up a storm, find the recipe they want, the dish they can't find anywhere else, the method they understand, it can't pretend to be all things to all people. I would rather people read these pages for inspiration, knowing that they might find something they'd never cooked, never heard of or never dared to try and just got cooking.
It is not meant to be a manual.
I start and finish with one principle where food and eating are concerned, the pleasure principle.
The rest is up to you in your kitchen'
Each chapter title page has a list of the sub-
sections, e.g.:-
`Easy Things'
Sweet Treats
Scones
Savoury Snacks
Pancakes
Easy Cakes
followed by a two-page spread of the typical T.D-L
narrative.
Each recipe is clearly laid out with the title, general text, list of ingredients, sub-divided (if applicable)and the method.
A very small taste of the other recipes within:-
Jam Tarts
Butterscotch
Victoria Sponge
Eggs
Pasta Dishes
Cauliflower Cheese
Dressings
Soups
Garlic Bread
Spare Ribs in Chinese-style Barbecue Sauce
Sunday Roasts and all the trimmings
Chocolate Marble Cake
Rice/Risottos
Belly of Pork and Beans
Tasmanian Lemon Pie
Batters
Steak
Toad in the Hole
Baked Rice Pudding
Syllabub
Gruyère Soufflé
Salads
Caesar Salad
Pommes Dauphinois
Ratatouille
A Simple Flatbread
Crab Apple Jelly
Mince Pies - speaking of which, with Christmas just around the corner, the dedicated chapter in this excellent book is just the tonic one needs, before the panic really sets in!
It is split into sub-sections:-
3-2-1 Days Before Christmas
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
The Vegetables
Things to Cook over Christmas and New Year
Soups
Brunch
Christmas and New Year Puddings
Jelly and Ice Creams
A slight criticism - and it is very slight - with so many recipes and a book this size, the photography is bound to be on the light side, but what is pictured is simply mouth-watering - full credit to David Loftus!
The well -humbed and gravy-stained variety. - Rated
Bought this after watching some of TDL's programmes and found it was not only full of recipes that I would wish to try (or come back to) as a seasoned cook, but a great read as well. It went away to university with my first born, who was taught the rudiments at home - but used to mum doing the actual work! The book has been thoroughly and successfully used , not only by my offspring but his flat-mates as well. This has resulted in my purchase of a second copy for home. I think a third will be needed soon when number 2 flies the nest for the higher annals of learning.
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