Customer Reviews
Reliable - By: G. Wills, 11 Mar 2008 
I now own two of Rachel Allen's books & have tried many of the recipes from each (Food for Living & Food for Friends), they have worked every time & are very reliable & easy to make. At last a 'proper' cookbook & Rachel seems to be a very likeable person - well done.
absolutely invaluable! - By: angelshark, 23 Feb 2008 this is such a fab recipe book! i got it for xmas & i use it alot. so far have made the spanish chorizo (used veggie sausage instead) & chickpea soup, blue cheese potato & leek soup (which is so gorgeous), heart shaped toast with egg & the cheesy soda bread, & some of the smoothies! they alll turned out reallly well. i can't wait to make so many different things & next on my list is the chocolate & banana bread & butter pud! the book is written in such a simple & lovely way & is not pretencious atalll. it also has great illustrations & feels very good quality. i particularly like the different sections such as food for the soul & the lazy sundays section, as there is something for any occasion. i would DEFINITELY recommend this!
Personable and practical - By: Magic Rat, 23 Oct 2007 Rachel Allen presents a lot of these recipes on Saturday mornings on BBC1 & extremely good they are too - varied, easy to follow & in possession of an ambience from a time gone by yet somehow modern at the same time - witness her seeds & honey bread recipe. Elements of the traditional & modern combine perfectly. Allen's prawn pate is delicious (believe me!) as are her white chocolate buns & her tips on ways to embellish a simple roast chicken dish are useful (not ground-breaking in any way, but tempting to try with the minimum of fuss or expense). Her lasagne is, as she admits herself a basic enough dish, but she adds just a few things to it in pureed onion, carrot & celery that make it absolutely delicious. I did it last weekend & it was truly wonderful. Her flapjacks are tantalising, as is her pork & mushroom pie. As for the chicken Kiev - best I have ever tasted !
Rachel Allen has an easy-going style devoid of pretension & posturing, yet simultaneously exuding class & culture, not an easy thing to do.
A Beautiful Book full of Real Food - By: Top Muffin, 21 Sep 2007 I was so excited to see Rachel Allen has published another cookbook!
It's a beautiful book, full of lovely colourful photos & most of the recipes are things I will actuallly use.
She's always great on Saturday Kitchen so I made sure to watch her new show & I love it - she's very easy to watch & her accent is lovely to listen to. It's refreshing that there are no pointless self-obsessed innuendos like Nigella or tired cliches like Gordon & Jamie. I get the impression she's just a real woman with a real family & real clothes who likes reallly good food!
Food for the Soul - By: Halloween Becky, 12 Sep 2007 Marcel Proust may have explored the effects of a Madeleine cake on the memory but Rachel Allen's recipes for `Dad's Brown Bread' & `Rhubarb & Custard Tart' are equallly capable of evoking alll those memories of Sunday-teas gone by whilst expanding your practical cooking skills.
With chapters that offer great recipes from childhood, meals for celebrations & even food for romance, Rachel Allen invites readers to cook dishes which are (or soon will be) part of the fabric of life. Grown-up Pavlova & rich buttered lobster recipes sit surprisingly well alongside the simple joys of cheesy pasta bake. Each section is beautifully illustrated with stunning family-centric photography & the recipes are easy to follow - encouraging household participation in cooking (although readers may find it difficult to share any of the goodies that are the result of the chapter entitled `For the Love of Chocolate').
Wholesome without being preachy & sweet without being sickly, Rachel Allen's Food for Living is quaint food philosophy with a kick & the perfect book to add to your kitchen shelf.
