Notes about Recipes in this book

• Buttermilk crepes with citrus compote

  • Melanie on September 27, 2013

    I didn't make the full recipe for these however I have attempted parts. I made a half batch of the citrus compote and served it for dessert with honey and yoghurt - this was probably too sour though and I don't know if I would make it again. However, I also made a variation of the crepes (plain flour only, lemon with milk instead of buttermilk) which were lovely and soft. Served these with lemon, sugar and blueberries.

  • DulcieD on April 27, 2014

    Have just made the crepes and they were perfectly light and nutty in taste. Substituted buttermilk for milk + vinegar

• Strawberry, apple and almond breakfast muffins

  • Astrid5555 on June 23, 2013

    Delicious! Loved the cinnamon strawberry combination. The apples made for tender muffins with a crunchy top from the pistachio nuts (no flaked almonds at home) and the sugar sprinkled on top. Will repeat with other berries as well.

• Bob's toasted muesli

  • Melanie on September 10, 2013

    Good base recipe. I used flaked coconut; increased the almonds to 200g; substituted 100g sesame seeds for the pumpkin and sunflower seeds and skipped the wheatgerm.

  • e_ballad on October 18, 2019

    A good toasted muesli recipe (not like a granola), though I’m not sure what was achieved by toasting only half of the muesli.

• Orecchiette with roast tomatoes and pecorino cream sauce

  • Melanie on March 25, 2016

    Tasty but very rich, even though I cut the quantity of cream in half.

• Pearl barley salad with harissa-spiced chicken

  • Melanie on March 25, 2016

    This makes a huge amount - I added a little extra rocket but this was more than four main meals for us. Great flavour and healthy. I would have preferred the broccoli warm.

  • wjjjww on April 26, 2018

    i did keep it kind of on the warm side. steamed the broccoli, sautéed the zucchini AFTER i cut into small cubes. used more almonds. use ALL the green pepper (i didn’t and wish i would have, it gives a nice crunch). more harissa in the salad part, we like it spicy!

  • jvozoff on April 13, 2024

    Used grilled broccoli with Kinder’s butter seasoning (kept warm), no zucchini, some leftover diced sweet potato, and sous vide chicken breast, heated with the marinade. I doubled the chicken and broccoli. Made at least 6 full meals. I would definitely cut barley in half (or double the veg/meat/nuts) next time. Was delicious.

• Red cabbage and fennel salad with tarragon and lemon yoghurt

  • debbates on February 27, 2026

    The dressing! Salty, tangy. ??

• Quinoa and lentil salad with asparagus, mint and haloumi

  • Astrid5555 on June 23, 2013

    Tasty and healthy side for a BBQ. Substituted grilled chicken breast for the haloumi.

  • Melanie on September 01, 2013

    Lunch winner - doubled and made slight changes for 10 serves for the week. 2C lentils; 2C quinoa (mix red and white); 1 bunch mint; 1 lemon (zest and juice); 1 long red chile; 2 punnets cherry tomatoes; 2 bunches asparagus (quick steam of stem and then grill); 1 cucumber; 2 packets haloumi.

• Fregola salad with bacon, baby peas and preserved lemon

  • Melanie on December 29, 2012

    Delicious - flavours and textures worked really well together. I skipped the preserved lemon and swapped feta for the ricotta.

  • debbates on May 16, 2026

    Made it vegan with coconut bacon and vegan cheese. So good!

• Apple, ginger and cranberry vodka cocktail

  • Melanie on December 28, 2012

    Might up the vodka next time but this was a great pre-dinner drink for a Christmas catch up.

  • j_h on January 02, 2016

    Better link - http://www.whatkatieate.com/recipes/apple-ginger-and-cranberry-vodka-cocktail/

  • j_h on January 05, 2017

    Great for a mocktail too if you leave out the vodka. I also like to add some mint leaves.

• Parmesan cookies with roasted tomato and pesto

  • Melanie on December 29, 2012

    Must make these again - these look and taste great with a huge hit of umami! I made these little canapés to have with drinks at a Christmas dinner. I cooked the biscuits and tomatoes the night before so I only had to assemble on the day. I didn't have enough basil so I made a small batch of pesto and mixed it in with the store bought stuff.

• Madeleine's homemade lemonade cordial

  • DulcieD on April 27, 2014

    Have made this twice, second time I tried to reduce sugar. Mistake as didn't quite have the syrup texture. Kept the strained zest and put into hot cross buns, result!

• Mini pork, apple and pistachio sausage rolls

  • Melanie on March 12, 2016

    These were brilliant, even if tinier than expected. Full of flavour they were a big hit with guests. I pre made the sausage rolls, cooked until they puffed up (and meat was cooked), and then froze before reheating for party.

  • e_ballad on June 16, 2018

    These were ok, but was expecting more flavour, based on the enthusiastic review below. Mine also had soggy bases, despite cooking for longer than stated in our fan-forced oven.

• Roast chicken with lemon cream gravy

  • DulcieD on April 27, 2014

    Chicken was perfect, made gravy with 1/3 of cream though and substituted in chicken stock

• Katie's fish pie with crunchy bacon and leek topping

  • e_ballad on August 14, 2016

    I don't know what I'm doing wrong - tried this twice & got soup both times. Bland soup. Usually love Katie's recipes but this one did not work for me.

• Creamy macaroni bake with salami and chilli

  • DulcieD on April 27, 2014

    Devine, devine, devine

• Gourmet chicken wraps with chipotle mayo, chunky salsa and salad

  • Melanie on March 28, 2014

    I made the chunky salsa component of this recipe as part of a mexican spread. I chopped the vegetables slightly smaller than suggested however they still felt too big... the flavours were good but I think the vegetables need to be diced instead.

• Shepherd's pie with roasted garlic and cheesy mash topping

  • Melanie on March 25, 2016

    Rich winter warming dish.

  • e_ballad on October 19, 2020

    This is an excellent cold-weather dish. I don’t feel that the roasted garlic added a great deal to the dish, so I’ll omit that next time.

• Lemon chicken with herbed rice

  • hbakke on November 25, 2019

    I didn't see the publishers correction, but the recipe turned out fine. This had a different, unexpected flavor. Tasty. The sauce was lemony and savory. I would make this again using the corrections. I thought the smoked paprika would be overpowering, but it added a nice flavor.

  • marcia_s9d2vk on February 28, 2026

    Absolutely delicious, I just reduced the lemon in half. Made with rice and broccoli.

• Mushroom and bacon risotto with poached egg

  • e_ballad on August 02, 2017

    Loved this!

• Mick's pork and red wine lasagne

  • e_ballad on August 08, 2020

    Excellent. I might cheat next time & use store-bought sundried tomatoes instead of the slow-roasted tomatoes, as this is quite a time intensive recipe.

• Sticky chicken with sesame and chilli

  • Emily Hope on March 25, 2013

    This was far too sweet for my taste, and I have a pretty high tolerance for sweetness in savory foods. If I were to make again (which I'm not sure I will), I'd try reducing the sugar and honey by quite a bit.

  • e_ballad on August 21, 2020

    Sweet & tangy, these a re very easy to prepare & could be readily prepared in advance, by marinating in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.

• Poached chicken risotto with white truffle oil and tarragon

  • e_ballad on September 10, 2017

    The recipe 'works', but we found this to be very bland despite the truffle oil & tarragon.

• Eight-hour lamb with Persian feta

  • Fiona on February 10, 2013

    I've done this dish twice and both times it has turned out really well. I've made it for a family dinner without the feta, there wasn't a scrap left on the plate and for a party dish at Christmas with the feta and got great feedback. The hard part is making sure you leave yourself enough time to get the 8 hours cooking time in.

  • j_h on March 19, 2016

    The dressing thickens slightly if it sits so if you make it early, make it a little bit thinner

• Baby carrots roasted with thyme, hazelnuts and white wine

  • Melanie on July 05, 2014

    Cooking instructions are perfect and I liked the idea of using a parcel to cook the carrots in. Needs a warm plate to come out of the oven onto though as the baby carrots cool very quickly. Made a couple of changes - swapping the white wine & blood orange for a dash of cider vinegar & maple syrup. Next time I will try recipe as suggested though - need the right level of sweet & acidity.

  • e_ballad on March 02, 2017

    This was a lovely side dish. I did use regular oranges. I did need a fair bit longer than the cooking time specified as I had baby carrots that were more 'toddler' than 'baby'.

• White bean, chickpea and roasted garlic dip

  • Melanie on March 12, 2016

    Roasted garlic while I had a few other things in the oven. After that, it is very quick to pull together in the food processor. Great texture and flavour.

• Katie's Irish mash

  • kelly_ff7q50 on April 23, 2026

    These are the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had. I’ve made them every Thanksgiving and Christmas for over a decade now.

• Spicy pumpkin with roasted pumpkin seeds and pangrattato

  • Astrid5555 on October 07, 2013

    Made without pangrattato. Turned out somewhat bitter, which is most likely due to the pumpkin I used and not the recipe itself. Will try again.

  • RosieB on June 12, 2016

    This was tasty but I cooked the pumpkin for much less time so it didnt go mushy. The pangrattato added a nice crunch.

  • e_ballad on July 09, 2019

    Tasty, with lots of textural contrast. A lot of pans for a weeknight side dish though!

• Super-crunchy roast potatoes

  • jzanger on March 13, 2014

    This is well worth the extra few steps. I used a large enameled cast ion au gratin pan and made about a half recipe. One step I skipped was letting the oil heat in the already-hot pan for several minutes (in the oven).

• Roasted capsicum and eggplant chutney

  • Melanie on March 12, 2016

    Yet another winner from this book, this was a great accompaniment to cheese and so easy to prepare.

• Raspberry friands

  • Astrid5555 on August 15, 2013

    Incredibly easy and quick. Used only 2/3 icing sugar, still too sweet for my taste. Made half raspberry, half blueberry friands. Will repeat with even less sugar.

  • Lindgy on July 17, 2014

    An absolute 'crowd pleaser'. Not too sweet if using raspberries.

• Rhubarb frangipane tart

  • raybun on June 04, 2017

    This was absolutely hands down the most delicious thing I've eaten in a while! The rhubarb was still slightly tart, cutting the sweetness of the frangipane that had a lovely texture. Definitely on the make again list.

  • hbakke on May 23, 2021

    I followed the directions exactly and the tart was burnt to a crisp at 25 minutes (recipe says it should take 30-35 minutes) at the recommended 425°F. Also, the recipe doesn't state what you're supposed to do with the cooked down rhubarb syrup. Very disappointed with this recipe.

• Blood orange and rosemary cake

  • Melanie on October 12, 2014

    Delicious and relatively simple, despite the multiple components that are involved. Be careful with the icing though, if you add too much blood orange it will be far too runny (mine was a very thin glaze but the flavour of the cake was still fantastic).

  • e_ballad on August 18, 2017

    This was fantastic. I didn't make the glaze as there seemed to be enough going on without it. One of those cakes that improve if left for a day or so.

• Mocha chocolate mousse with Irish whiskey

  • e_ballad on February 11, 2017

    This is rich, potent stuff. Absolutely loved it!

• Wrap Your Lips Around This

  The recipes are easy to follow, and rarely call for ingredients that would be hard to get. It’s become one of my favourite and most trusted cookbooks on the shelf.

  Full review