Customer Reviews
Truly scrumptious - By: sam155, 12 Aug 2004 
Quite simply, Nigella Lawson will enable you to gain a reputation amongst friends for being a brilliant cook. What your friends won't know is just how effortless it alll is when you are in Nigella's capable hands. Her narrative is just as eulogistic as her other books, which means that recipes you would normallly overlook end up being firm favourites, thanks to her powers of persuasion. As a stand alone read, this book is well written & colourful, even out of the kitchen. Don't be put off by the summery title, these are just foods that remind her of summer. Most of these dishes could be cooked or adapted to suit any time of the year. That's another good thing- she doesn't mind if you mess about with her recipes to make it suit your own taste. She often recommends alternatives & is very rarely bossy & only when she needs to be (twice I think). I tried the Chocolate Peanut Squares & used pecan nuts instead of peanuts. I also used dark & white chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Whatever I used, the plate was cleared & colleagues & family were begging for more. It's now a firm favourite & I can now pretty much rustle it up now without needing the book. I also tried the Braised Little Gem Lettuces & was amazed to find they taste like a nutty version of asparagus when cooked this way. The Pasta al Sugo Crudo tasted nothing like I expected Italian Tomato-ey pasta to taste. It was fresher, more fragrant & tasted much lighter than I would have imagined. If you, like me, think life doesn't get better than a gathering of friends & greedy portions of superb food & great conversation, then buy this book.
A Must Read for Food Lovers with an Edge! - By: , 18 May 2004 I love this book! Colourful, easy to follow - the recipes are so interesting & brighten up any dinner party! It is hard to choose a favourite but the Keralan Fish Curry just pips everything else to the post. This book also boasts a fantastic lip-smacking selection of delicious desserts from Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova (a slight variation of an old classic) to the creamily delicious White Chocolate & Passionfruit Mousse ... Witty, Interesting & thoroughly creative from start to finish - Bravo Nigella!
Much better than it looks - By: A. Weston, 04 Jun 2003 
I am a reluctant convert to Nigella Lawson - alll the cult of the personality stuff irritates me enormously - but damn the woman, her recipes are good, even the ones that aren't hers. This book weirdly came out mid-autumn last year & it took me a full six months to overcome my dislike of the look of it to pick up a copy, first from the library & then finallly to buy it. Boy am I glad I did!
These are cracking recipes, the book is well structured and, as long as you skip the crinch-makingly twee intro, very readable. To be fair to the woman, she also properly credits ideas & recipes she's pilfered from other writers & cooks like Jane Grigson & Ruth/Rose of River Cafe fame. I did throw away the lurid dust jacket & can reveal that underneath is a very well-designed jacket of water washing over sand. It could be a metaphor for the whole book.
Sumptuous - By: , 28 Apr 2003 Try her Slut-Red Raspberries in Chardonnay Jelly (on page 198).
She's absolutely right in saying that it is heaven on a plate. Go for this particular recipe & you will unexpectedly find that you want to dive into it, paddle deliciously around in it & then float on it in ecstatic appreciation.
I'm not a pudding person but I could jump into a swimming pool full of this one.
(It's a reallly easy recipe too!)
Brilliant! - By: Mrs. C. E. Maggs, 29 Nov 2002 This has to be the best of Nigella's books. What I love the most is that her recipies are not too complicated. I hate recipies with a long list of ingredients, these don't. She's stylish & makes cooking relaxing rather than stressful. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in cooking.
