Complete Illustrated Cookery Course

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The one I always reach for first - Rated
I have a library of over 100 'cookery'and recipe books. Some are classics and some are useless, but, over the years, I keep returning to just three of them (the other two are Nigel Slater's Real Cooking and Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery). Yes, she can state the obvious. Yes, she can be irritatingly twee: "What you do then is...". But the recipes work, they taste really good, and her advice is always 100% sound. If I could only have one cook book, it would be this.

Great introduction to cooking, dated recipes - Rated
This book is probably the best book for someone just starting to cook.
The writing style is simple, easy, witty and the information is very, very useful.

However, I find the recipes very dated, like something that was fashionable in the 70's and 80's. I don't mean to say that cooking necesserily needs to be fashionable, but there is too much emphasis on very traditional, meaty, stogy dishes, very English-like, although - the recipes work. I am more geared to healthy, lighter eating, and I find the book a bit too heavy heanded with its recipes, but that's only me.
But I am sure, had the book been written more recently, it would have been much fresher (as they are some great recipes on Delia's website).
Perhaps the dishes are kept more traditional and old-fashioned as they may be easier to make for the beginner then some modern recipes, which perhaps use some less known ingredients. But this is the metter of taste and choice.
So I would say, this book is the best book for the cooking instructions and methods, but for the recipes, I would say it is so-so, at least for me.

Everyone's first cookbook... - Rated
I have about ten cookbooks, but by far Delia's Cookery Course is the best of them all. The recipes are clear, well laid out with different chapters, the book is sturdy and Delia writes interestingly on the various dishes and even equipment needed - but most importantly, the recipes are EASY!!!!!

I have never, ever failed with a recipe from this book, they are all so practical and clear. Delia Smith takes nothing for granted and explains each step simply. The dishes themselves are very tasty and look very nice. Everyone will be familiar with them as well, from the potato and leek soup to the Apple Crumble. One final thing: her souffles don't collapse! Buy it!!

Complete Cookery Course - Rated
I used many of her recipes at christmas time last year and plan on using them again this year. I made Christmas Pudding, mince pies and my own mincemeat. Her recipe for mincemeat was the best I have tried so far and this was the first time I made christmas pudding. All items turned out very well. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow. At no time was I confused about the instructions and that for me makes this book one I would recommend very highly.

Delia is fantastic as always - Rated
Delia's writing style is wonderful - interesting, entertaining, and very easy-to-follow instructions. Complemented by the lovely photographs in this edition, Delia's inimitable style makes this book worth buying even if you don't have a kitchen. And if you do have a kitchen, you WILL be able to follow all these recipes even if you have hardly even boiled an egg before. The one negative comment I could make is that this compilation of recipes is starting to look a little dated now, and perhaps doesn't reflect the hugely increased range of products available in supermarkets. Having said that, for good home cooking you couldn't find a better starting point than this.