Feast

Destined to become a classic like HOW TO EAT, written with the same gorgeously sensual, evocative and inimitable style, and packed with over 200 recipes from all over the world and from near to home, FEAST proclaims Nigella's love of life and great food to celebrate it with. Essentially about families and food, about public holidays and private passions, about how to celebrate the big occasions and the small everyday pleasures - those times when food is very definitely much more than fuel - it includes everything from Christmas, Thanksgiving and Birthdays, to Passover and a special Sardinian Easter; from that first breakfast together to a meal fit for the In-Laws, from seasonal feasts of strawberries or chestnuts to the ultimate chocolate cake Hall of Fame; from cocktail food for cheering up the 'Unhappy Hour' to funeral baked meats, from a Georgian feast to a Love-Fest; from Nigella's all-time favourite dish to a final New Year fast-. Heartwarming, sensual, passionate, informed, refreshingly uncomplicated and full of ideas, this is Nigella at her best, with helpful menus for whole meals, too, and more than 120 glorious colour photographs. The real successor to Nigella Lawson's classic, "How to Eat", a volume that every right-thinking person cherishes and consults regularly. Essentially about families and food, about public holidays and private passions, about how to celebrate the small pleasures, as well as the big occasions, it includes everything from Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Eid, to Passover and Easter; from Meatless Feasts to Midnight Feasts, from weddings to funerals, from kitchen feasts to kids' favourites, from Party-time to the ultimate Chocolate Cake Hall of Fame. Heartwarming, passionate, informed, refreshingly uncomplicated and full of ideas, "Feast" is destined to become a classic.

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Astoundingly tantalising and scrumptious!! - Rated
As a cookery book sceptic this book has transformed by attitude towards celebrity chefs. This book has a personal and `down to earth' nature which is really quite endearing. Engaging snapshots and quirky notes make this not only a collection of recipes but an equally enjoyable read. It has never stayed on the shelf long; I constantly find myself delving into its stunning pages which burst with inspiration and wisdom.
Selecting a favourite recipe would not do justice to the many other favourites I would have to leave out; you do really just have to buy it!

Some recipes admittedly take a lot of expensive ingredients but there is just no compromise for the quality flavours which these recipes produce. The use of ingredients however is not unnecessarily extravagant; I do not have a particularly well stocked kitchen and I find that I usually have most of the ingredients.

I would recommend this book; it is a beautiful collection of recipes which have been gathered with care and aptitude. It would make a lovely and appropriate present because of the way it focuses on various celebration foods. This book I'm sure will be a classic, and one which many family favourites will derive from....

'Feast' indeed a celebration of life. - Rated
Life is messy - and to enjoy good food improves things immeasurably. `Feast' is indeed a celebration of life. It seems strange that at times Lawson has been accused of excess for the generosity of her portion sizes, preferences for quality and interesting variation - and indeed her very person. In a world where the gap between starvation and gluttony - usually cheap, synthetic foodstuff - becomes the norm `Feast' opens up a world in which food is homemade, heartfelt and real - a world in which (once we discard our hang-ups and neurosis) a natural balance breaks out - which turns out to be healthier in a much truer sense. As a food writer Nigella Lawson is generous. What could be more pleasurable?

`Feast' represents generosity and sharing, things we witness in the quality of ingredients, her quantities and serving sizes but none so much as in the books narrative. We are amply provided for with a `little something to read' between sessions in the kitchen. Hearty, eloquent, cheering - almost self effacing at times - but above all voluptuous (some may consider verbose but the rest of us find ourselves able to devour every word with alarming ease.)

The recipes contained in this book are adaptable and successful. This reader labours under the temporary encumbrance of a dreadful kitchen but even here Lawson's recipes prove triumphant!

No veg! - Rated
Good for cakes and deserts but on the main course it seems to lack something. Where are all the veg?

DVD is now available !!!!! - Rated
I very recently found out, from Nigella's official page, that "Nigella - Feast. Food That Celebrates Life" became available on DVD in Australia in March 2008.

I got them shipped to me. The style of this programme is in line with "Nigella Bites" - she goes out for shopping, cooks a fabulous meal and serves it to her friends. However, this series was originally created for the American market, and you can tell by watching it. I did find it a little odd that Nigella shops in NY and goes back to her Eaton Square home in London to cook a supper... And the vibe, the music and the lighting are not as sophisticated as the previous two TV programmes for some known reason... This programme slightly lacks the intimacy and the relaxed mood that only Nigella provide.

Having said that I am still delighted with the DVD - the two DVDs contain the entire episodes - over 360 minutes of incomparable Nigella!!

If you have a multi-regional DVD player, you can enjoy the DVDs. As a matter of fact, I can play them on my computer. But it is safer to have a multi-regional DVD player, I guess.

Have a great watch!

A dozen chocolate cakes - need I say more? - Rated
My favourite ever book for chocolate cake, even though that's not really the main focus of the book. Look out for the section where each delectable cake is accompanied by a photo, each more beautiful than the last... One of the less beautiful cakes is a chocolate gingerbread cake, which I have been known to make weekly in the depths of winter; it's the ultimate luxurious comfort food, and I've never seen another recipe like it (tip - add chopped ginger from a jar).

If you like cookbooks with a lot of commentary, you'll like this - Nigella has a lovely way of writing both about what the recipe should hopefully look and feel like at its different stages to reassure you, and about any topic that comes into her head, sparked off by the food in question.

The recipes are typical Nigella hedonism - everything made as luxurious, tasty and soul-feeding as possible, without compromise. As well as 'English' type food, there's an emphasis on some lesser-known cuisines, like Georgian and Islamic, as well as Jewish, though all with a personalised spin.