Nigella Bites

Her devotees will be relieved to learn that, in Nigella Bites, the goddess returns among us, her attributes unmodified: the cashmere twinsets, the hair, the postmodern penchant for trailer trash, the eerily intense gaze, the Kim Novak eyebrows, all are present in this lavishly illustrated accompaniment to the TV series. To these may now be added the Playboy-bunny T-shirt and the lilac pashmina worn recklessly and negligently at the barbecue. So much for the essentials, now what about the food?

The Nigella formula of fashion-flouting comfort food with knobs on is now pretty firmly established, so it will come as no surprise to find here American Pancakes with Wafer-Bacon and Maple Syrup, Chicken Soup with Kniedlach, Italian Sausages with Lentils, Whitebait or Chocolate Fudge Cake; yet there is room too for more sophisticated fare such as Thai Yellow Pumpkin and Seafood Curry, Bitter Orange Ice-Cream and Bagna Cauda. The chapter titles give as good an indication of the approach as one might want: they include All-Day Breakfast, Comfort Food, TV Dinners, Rainy Day and Trashy. Trashy (and one feels this chapter will in many ways give the most pleasure) offers a modified version of the now-notorious Ham in Coca-Cola from How to Eat, deep-fried Bounty bars in batter and the calorifically devastating Elvis Presley's Fried Peanut-Butter and Banana Sandwich.

This exemplifies the Lawson approach, teasing but serious, liberating too. It would be fair to say that there is probably nothing in this luscious and clever book that you wouldn't find a pleasure to cook and eat at home. --Robin Davidson

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my best ever cookbook - Rated
time and time again i end up making recipes from this book after spending hours scanning all my other cookery books. lamb shanks, egyptian tomato salad, ham in coca cola and sweetcorn eggy bake thing are particular favourites.

very good but about 1 cm away from being perfect - Rated
theres little wrong with this book in fact i love glancing through it even though im not in the kitchen or even planning to enter in the very near future. however, i cant ingnore this, but there is one small problem.

they content, though very good and well thought of, is lacking more recipies. i mean yes they all are very intresting and good to eat but unfortunately it is a tad bit on the dull side if all u can do is just tweak and tweak again, i know this book is for following a series but i still think that nigella shoud of added a few more extra

other than that its a perfect book , large text ( unlike so many other books in which i sometimes have to squint to read) and throughly enjoyable recipies such as that ever luring chocolate fudge cake

Great Food, Great Fun - Rated
This is the first of Ms Lawson's books that I encountered and I absolutely loved her style of writing. Its all so realistic..."you can make this dish by doing this, this and this but if its all too much trouble just pop the lot in a blender and blitz." Her pancakes are a regular feature at breakfast in our house as are most of the cakes and biscuits. I think one of the most enjoyable aspects of this book is that you can sit down and read it at any time, not just when you are looking for inspiration!

Another excellent offering from Nigella - Rated
This is an easy to follow, fun book for both beginners and more experienced cooks alike.
Nigella Bites is simply a wonderful addition to any cookbook collection and great if you fancy trying something a little different. The section on Tacky food is particularly entertaining. Clearly laid out and with excellent pictures. You won't be dissapointed.

Food For Fun - Rated
Though a compulsive cookbook-buyer, most of my collection until now has lived on its shelf while I heated up things in the microwave. Not this, though. This is the first book that has ever compelled me, on first reading through it, to go straight into the kitchen and actually use a recipe to cook something from fresh ingredients. And it worked, so I did it again. And again. While I can see why some people might think the presentation outweighs the content, the simplicity and confidence-building of Nigella's approach - she really does write as if you are her friend - makes this a perfect book for the nervous kitchen novice. And even if you are an experienced cook there will be lots to inspire you.