Simply The Best

Simply the Best is made up of much more than its subtitle, The Art of Seasonal Cooking, suggests. Tamasin Day-Lewis provides so many contexts for her recipes--in descriptions of family holidays and picnics, food-fact-finding expeditions to France, Spain and Ireland, encounters with chefs and organic-food producers and many other delightful experiences--that the effect encompasses a complete lifestyle. Pleasurable in the highest degree, it inevitably induces a bewilderment that the results of one's own exertions should fall so far short of what is possible. What is possible, if you have the time, the money and the inclination to do the kind of shopping that Tamasin Day-Lewis can afford, is wonderful ingredients: cooked with care and attention, they deliver marvellous flavours. The recipes are a mixture of the familiar and less so, the comforting and the exciting. In spring, tender rhubarb is made into ice cream with preserved ginger and acacia honey, and guinea fowl is stewed with preserved lemons and broad beans. Summer might bring squid, braised in its ink with fennel, peas and Oloroso sherry, light fish stews or a white-fruit summer pudding. Wild mushrooms and game are the flavours of autumn, followed perhaps by a steamed lemon-curd pudding; while winter rounds the year off with rich meat stews, baked fruits and chocolate; and, to soothe the post-Christmas stomach, a dish of baked skate, verging on the bland but spiked with lemon and capers. --Robin Davidson

View other editions of Simply The Best.
View books by Tamasin Day-Lewis.

Good food all year round - Rated
This book is about the art of seasonal cooking. But, I am not one for seasonal cooking, so for me this book is all about good food, of which there are plenty! Along with recipes, this book also has some interesting stories (some from Tamsin's own experiences), eg Phil the Fish, Peter Whiteman's potatoes, the Sheridan Brothers, etc. which make it more than just a cook book: it is a book you can read, appreciate and take to the kitchen.

There are lots of recipes here to try - soups, pies, tarts, savouries, sweets, main courses, light meals, starters etc. It should keep you more than busy for the whole year.

The desserts and other sweet delights in this book are spectacular and I cannot wait to try the other suggestions for the year. This is one section where we are (albeit reluctantly) subject to seasonal limitations. Still, it gives us something to look forward to making in the winters months.

Personally, I love this book - the recipes are uncomplicated, the pictures are truly inspiring and the results are noteworthy.

Great Stuff - Rated
Every one of Tamasin Day-Lewis' books is worth buying, reading and cooking from, and this collection is a classic example of what makes her such an addictive writer. With the emphasis on seasonal produce, this is a collection of food that shows you how to get the most out of your budget and the most taste out of the food that is at its best in each of the four seasons. Modern, unpretentious and compulsive, it's one of those cookery books that you return to time and again.

This is a wonderful book - Rated
Tamasin writes with great knowledge of, and respect for, her ingredients. The book is beautifully photographed and presented. Recipes are grouped according to season and effortlessly linked to stories of small food producers. Her writing makes you want to seek out the best quality ingredients you can afford, then return to your kitchen and start cooking your way through her book