Customer Reviews
Truly Comforting - By: IngestedKitten, 25 Nov 2007 
This book reintroduced me to the kitchen after long avoiding it (it's amazing how long you can survive on cold spaghetti hoops & sandwiches). I admit I was entranced by the cover picture, & for about two weeks it sat wrapped up on the side with me wondering what on earth posessed me to buy it.
When I did finallly pluck up the courage to read it I was so glad I did. It not only serves as the most wonderful food porn, but it's non-patronising & reallly easy to follow.
Not only do I love lusting over the sound of the confections, I reallly reallly enjoy baking them. I've had only one item go awry-the courgette cake-but even as a sunken mess it tasted fantastic.
I think anyone who loves cakes should have this on their shelf.
Wonderful, Simply Wonderful - By: Bookworm, 03 Aug 2007 I've had this book ever since it came out, but the only reason I'm writing this review now is because I feel the need to defend Nigella's recipes. Any person who says her recipes are 'guesstimates' either doesn't own this book or hasn't ever cooked from it.Of the 100+ cookbooks I own, this is the one I've used the most & have yet to come across a recipe that has failed. If you love to bake then you must have this book & if you love to cook, then it is imperative that you own alll her books.
Enjoyable to read but... - By: AML, 29 Jun 2007 
I don't think the quanties in the recipes are right. I have watched Nigella on the T.V. & she rarely measures things out. She cooks like my Mum, by sight. Therefore, like my mum, the quanties in the recipes are 'guesstimates'. I much prefer Mary Berrys books as you know if you follow exactly as she she says you'll get the cake/meal etc she promises.
Essential Kitchen Staple - By: Agiliani, 21 May 2007 In every kitchen there are essential staples that alllow you to create reallly great food & without which no kitchen would be complete.
This book is one of those staples. Every recipe sounds delicious but unlike some books, this one actuallly delivers every time.
Because this is the sort of book that you can rely on without fear of disappointment, & because of the quality of writing & the recipes themselves, I highly recommend it & I have bought it as presents for friends who alll agree.
I keep coming back to the carrot cake muffins & the chocolate brownies recipes again & again-they're absolutely divine! People say to me they're the best they've ever tasted. Try them for yourself & see.
All Time Favourite Baking Bible - By: PK, 09 May 2007 I had heard of the chef Nigella Lawson, the domestic goddess, but I was yet to read one of her books or try her recipes. I bought this last year as a gift for myself, & I must admit that the first thing to attract me to the book was the cover! Very pretty & feminine. But once I got home & curled up with the book & a cup of tea, I realised just why Nigella is known as the domestic goddess; the recipes are out of this world! I looked through the entire book & found lots of recipes that I was itching to make, & the illustrations are gorgeous, a visuallly stunning baking guide. The book has something for everyone, even if you do not have a sweet tooth, it also contains savoury recipes. The cheese & onion pasties went down a treat, & the pizza rustica was just delicious & unusual too. My favourite recipe was the sour cream chocolate cake, it sounds strange adding soured cream to a cake, but the result was a moist cake, not temple achingly sweet yet still gooey & chocolatey. And the cheesecakes were perfect, much better than the shop bought artificial creations we are accustomed to. Overalll I would say that this is the best baking book I have ever read, & I have read a lot of Delia & Mary Berry too. Nigella deserves her domestic goddess name tag & this book is not only a joy to look at but is packed full of some of the best recipes you would ever see.
