Notes about Recipes in this book

• Short pasta with asparagus, lemon, garlic and parsley

  • Jane on May 05, 2017

    This was just OK. I wanted a quick dinner using the small amount of asparagus I had from a friend's first harvest. This was rather bland despite garlic and lemon. I added Parmesan which helped some but I won't be repeating this one.

  • foodbling on May 08, 2011

    This recipe also works well with zucchini instead of asparagus

  • j_h on May 06, 2017

    Add goat's cheese for extra flavour

• Raw beetroot, dill and mustard seed salad

  • Jane on July 12, 2012

    Very quick and fresh summer salad. Nigella recommends making it in the processor but I was just using two beets so I grated by hand (with rubber gloves on to avoid hands like Lady Macbeth as Nigella describes them). Fresh flavors from dill and lemon plus a crunchy kick from mustard seeds. For anyone who has never tried raw beetroot, definitely give it a go.

  • wester on May 12, 2017

    This was weird. I really can't make up my mind whether I like it a lot or not at all.

  • Ro_ on September 02, 2021

    I don't know if I had shoddy beetroot or what (I have never bought raw beetroot before) but we didn't really enjoy this. Came off quite dry and bland, needed more oil I think, and seasoning.

• Chocolate raspberry pavlova

  • Jane on June 07, 2016

    Lovely summer dessert and very quick and easy, while still having a wow factor when serving to guests. Don't worry if it looks very cracked when it comes out the oven, it's getting covered with cream and raspberries anyway. The meringue has a lovely chocolate flavor from the cocoa and finely chopped chocolate (I used Valrhona for both) but it isn't too rich and the cream and raspberries are a lovely contrast.

  • Hellyloves2cook on April 15, 2012

    If you love chocolate then this is the pavlova for you. My children prefer this to the conventional pav!

  • Foodycat on July 09, 2014

    I have a terrible track-record with pavlovas, but this one works really well. I am not a huge fan of chocolate with fruit, but this is good. Better with cherries on top though!

  • emma_clare on August 15, 2021

    Made this for a summer birthday party and it was a big hit. Very easy to make, looks fantastic, and not at all heavy or sickly. I used a mixture of raspberries and strawberries, which was nice. The flavour of the chocolate comes through quite strongly so it's worth getting good quality dark chocolate. I used 90% Lindt, which was perfect.

• White chocolate ice cream with hot blackberry sauce

  • Jane on July 30, 2021

    I had some lovely blackberries but not many of them - this sauce worked well. The ice cream was really good - I just made a half quantity. The custard split but it was rescued in an ice bath which was then also good for cooling the custard quickly before it went into the ice cream maker. I used good quality white chocolate (Callebaut) which I think would make a difference to the flavor of the ice cream. The combination of the sweet cold ice cream and the warm sharper berry sauce was really good.

  • KIGirl on September 02, 2014

    Did not try the sauce

• The Rainbow Room's carrot and peanut salad

  • love2laf on November 09, 2022

    Now at this link: https://www.nigella.com/recipes/the-rainbow-rooms-carrot-and-peanut-salad

  • KIGirl on September 02, 2014

    Most of the time I agree with Nigella's commentary ... But on this occasion I am afraid it didn't work for me 5/10

• Puy lentil, goat's cheese and mint salad

  • wester on April 18, 2018

    This salad lent itself very well to deconstructing. The combination of flavors worked very well, I only thought there was too much lemon zest.

  • Ro_ on September 14, 2020

    The jar in my fridge that I thought was peppers in oil was actually sun dried tomatoes in oil, so I used those instead of the peppers stated in the recipe. I really enjoyed this dish, it's definitely one of the better lentil salad recipes that I've dried, helped along by lots of punchy, salty, zingy little ingredients mixed into it. I wasn't sure what to do with the onion and garlic boiled with the lentils, I ended up shredding some of them up and adding them to the finishing salad, which seemed to work well.

• Watermelon, feta and black olive salad

  • fprincess on November 07, 2010

    Delicious salad. I usually omit the black olives.

  • Purrceyz on December 03, 2011

    Wonderful salad, that's different. I always get requests for the recipe when I make this salad.

  • sharifah on September 26, 2023

    Halved the recipe for four people instead of eight. Works really well. Quick and easy salad to prepare. Sweet, crunchy, salty and tangy, what’s not to like?! Definitely a repeat!

  • Carol.Furness on July 19, 2014

    Nice salad. Make and eat fairly quickly as the juice comes out of the watermelon so it becomes wet.

  • Foodycat on July 09, 2014

    Such a brilliant combination!

  • KIGirl on October 06, 2014

    Amazing salad - and always a winner

• Strawberry meringue layer cake

  • Astrid5555 on June 04, 2022

    Impressive looking, quick to make, very delicious - a perfect summer cake for a celebration!

  • lilham on August 08, 2021

    The cake batter does not have enough liquid. The instruction says to cook the cake at 200C for 30-35 min. However the flaked almonds were burned by 20 min, and the meringue is overcooked.

• Egg-custard ice cream

  • foodbling on May 08, 2011

    A great base to use for any flavoured ice cream

• Spaghetti aglio olio peperoncino

  • foodbling on May 08, 2011

    I find this recipe much better using at least 1.5 garlic cloves per person and more olive oil than the recipe states.

• The ultimate Greek salad

  • adrienneyoung on August 17, 2013

    This is one of my favorite salads!

  • adrienneyoung on June 19, 2016

    Actually, Nigella may be right. The fennel really is good.

  • lou_weez on January 01, 2018

    This is our favorite Greek salad!!

  • Ro_ on June 29, 2021

    Very nice Greek salad. I couldn't get fennel so had to leave out, but the rest was great.

• Prawn and black rice salad with Vietnamese dressing

  • lilham on July 23, 2021

    I found the flavour underwhelming. The salad dressing is little too salty and not sour enough for me. I have never had Venetian black rice before and I don’t like its crunchy texture either. Won’t be repeating again.

  • lou_weez on January 21, 2019

    This simple but, not overly attractive meal is really delicious. I'd add some veges to it next time.

• Keralan fish curry with lemon rice

  • redjanet on December 27, 2012

    This was simple to prepare and the sauce had a good, delicate flavour and was not overpoweringly fishy. It was a very pretty dish with the strong yellow colour provided by the turmeric (today I look like a pack a day smoker after rubbing the turmeric onto the fish!) and the flacks of red chilli throughout. My OH and I both liked it, though it was a bit too hot for me. I would give it a higher score, only I had a terrible stomach-ache after eating it! Not sure if it was something I did wrong, but suspect not as my OH was fine.

• Seared mustard-coated salmon

  • redjanet on December 27, 2012

    Another ridiculously quick and easy supper from Nigella which can be made in mere minutes. All it consists of is dredging salmon fillets in a mixture of English mustard powder and caster sugar and then frying them. I was a bit concerned that the heat of the mustard powder would be a bit overpowering, but the sugar did it's job and sweetened it well and it ended up having more of an Asian flavour (in my opinion) than the Scandinavian-esque taste Nigella seemed to be going for. She mentions in the book that it would go well with potatoes and beetroot salad, but it worked well for me with rice and some greens wouldn't go amiss.

• Za'atar chicken with fattoush

  • redjanet on December 27, 2012

    I made the chicken and the salad on the same page together and it was really lovely. The coolness of the salad, which consists of cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, mint, and pitta bread with dressing and seasoning complemented the earthiness of the za'atar blend on the chicken, which was extremely easy, really well. This would be a nice dish to serve to guests al fresco in the summer accompanied by a light rosé wine.

  • Foodycat on July 09, 2014

    This is my go-to fattoush recipe. Works really well.

• Golden Jubilee chicken

  • browniegirl on September 29, 2017

    One of my favorite salads. So refreshing. I make it often during the Summer months.

  • lou_weez on January 25, 2021

    Simple, no-cook dinner that was good for a hot summers evening.

• Saffron-scented chicken pilaf

  • Hellyloves2cook on April 15, 2012

    I have made this both with and without marinating the chicken in the yoghurt. Tastes nice whatever you do. I have to say I didn't really notice much difference.

• Courgette fritters

  • Hellyloves2cook on April 15, 2012

    I make these lovely fritters regularly- great to take on a picnic- always popular!

  • Carol.Furness on July 19, 2014

    Great flavours, these don't always make it to the table!

  • raybun on July 10, 2016

    I make these every summer! Delicious mix of mint, feta & courgettes. This year I spiralized the courgettes instead of grating them, and found the fritters held their shape better.

• Feta, walnut and herb salad

  • KarinaFrancis on January 12, 2013

    This is an easy recipe and big on flavour. Its been renamed "awesome dip" by my friends.

  • Ro_ on June 09, 2021

    Definitely a dip and not a salad (the name is misleading, you have to read the blurb to work out it's a dip) but very tasty.

• Soba noodles with sesame seeds

  • KarinaFrancis on April 20, 2017

    Chalk up another win for Ms Lawson! This was the first time I've cooked soba noodles and I'm hooked. Quick, delicious and I had everything I needed on hand. I added some roasted salmon fillet which made it a complete dinner. I see this recipe going into regular rotation.

  • KIGirl on September 02, 2014

    Don't use the qty of sesame seed given - it is about 10 time too much ! I would recommend about 5 - 10 g

  • lou_weez on September 10, 2017

    Made this today and it tastes lovely. I agree with KIGirl, there is a lot of sesame seed in this recipe, I wish I had read the comment beforehand as I would have halved the quantity. I added edamame beans and shredded carrot to bulk it up. Will definitely make this again for school/work lunches.

• Baby octopus and potato salad

  • KarinaFrancis on August 19, 2013

    Really easy and makes an impact. It took closer to an hour than the 45mins in the notes, but worth it.

• Dime bar ice cream

  • KarinaFrancis on August 19, 2013

    Very sweet and decadent. Dime bars are a bit hard to get in Australia, but its worth tracking them down. If you cant be bothered making the ice cream, the pulvarized Dime bars would be great mushed through store bought vanillla ice cream.

• Margarita ice cream

  • KarinaFrancis on April 10, 2016

    I've had this recipe bookmarked for so long and finally got around to making it. It had a really soft texture straight from the fridge, I guess due to the alcohol. While its not as ethereally wonderful as Nigella describes, it is still pretty good.

• Grilled aubergines with feta, mint and chilli

  • Carol.Furness on July 19, 2014

    Delicious. Great for party finger food.

  • Ro_ on August 21, 2021

    Delicious!

• Greekish lamb pasta

  • Foodycat on October 17, 2018

    Very tasty, but even with the feta and lamb it doesn't taste very Greek! I might add a little hint of cinnamon next time. Edited to add: when I reheated the leftovers I added a little cinnamon and some chilli flakes, and it tasted much closer to my expectations.

• Raspberry ripple ice cream

  • KIGirl on September 02, 2014

    This is sooo good I ate it for breakfast !

• Baci ice cream

  • KIGirl on September 02, 2014

    OMG ! But is it ice cream :-)

• Pina Colada

  • KIGirl on September 02, 2014

    I found the quantity of rum overpowering and too potent

• Tom Collins

  • KIGirl on September 02, 2014

    For my first taste of gin - this is a thoroughly refreshing drink

• Cold roast beef with lemon salad

  • Ro_ on August 18, 2020

    I didn't find this that special, either in the cooking of the beef or the lemony salad. Not something I'd really make again.

• Bulgur wheat salad with pink-seared lamb

  • Ro_ on August 15, 2020

    Whether or not I actually made this is debatable, since I oven-roasted a small leg of lamb, and used giant couscous instead of bulgar wheat since the supermarket was out of the latter. The flavours of the salad were very nice, a fresh and summery dish.

• Lamb cutlets with yogurt and cumin

  • Ro_ on July 13, 2020

    I made this with lamb leg chops instead of cutlets. It was a very nice marinade, but I already have some other similar lamb marinades that I prefer (they have a bit more complexity of flavour) so it won't make it to my favourites list.

• Porchetta

  • Ro_ on June 16, 2021

    I used a pallette de porc, only marinated for 5 hours, reduced cooking time and added a little water to the roasting tin periodically. The result was really really tasty, but a smidge dry for my taste. Maybe I needed a fattier piece of pork. Else a sauce would be great. I served it in buns with coleslaw and the moisture was much appreciated!

• Cacik

  • Ro_ on June 09, 2021

    Nice, but Valentine Warner has a recipe for a similar but even better cucumber/yoghurt salad with more herbs, which I prefer.

• Coconut and chilli salmon kebabs

  • Ro_ on July 14, 2020

    These were very nice. I used 600g salmon for three people, and halved the marinade recipe which still gave me a lot of marinade, more than seemed necessary. I also jsut used one (red) thai chilli deseeded, which ended up not really imparting much heat at all to the finished dish. I think this would go down well at any barbecue.

• Three fishes with three-herb salsa

  • Ro_ on July 04, 2021

    A lot probably depends on your fish cookery and your seasoning. I have to admit I made this after a couple of glasses of wine so probably took my eye off the ball in both respects. But I found it a bit underwhelming, I've definitely made other caper sauces for fish that I've preferred.

• Thai crumbled beef in lettuce wraps

  • Ro_ on May 27, 2021

    These were decent for a low-cal diet recipe, but I probably wouldn't make them in another context, I found them a bit bland and they're too messy to be a snack for guests but not substantial enough to be a meal.

• Ginger-cured salmon

  • Ro_ on July 14, 2021

    Really nice flavours, I liked the Asian twist. However this came out way too salty, which was such a shame. I'd reduce the amount of salt used next time.

• Chilled pea and mint soup

  • Ro_ on June 02, 2021

    This was delicious, perfect for a hot summer's day lunch. I was surprised that my partner was very enthusiastic about it too. The only thing is that after blending in the cream just before serving the whole thing got a tad foamy.

• Linguine with chilli, crab and watercress

  • Ro_ on July 16, 2020

    Simple and delicious. I used tinned crab meat. Not going on favourites list because crab is expensive, but if I had crab to use I'd make this again.

• Slow-roasted garlic and lemon chicken

  • Ro_ on July 19, 2021

    Meh. The major problem here was that the breasts overcooked (and I reduced the overall temperature and cooking time from her suggestion already) and became very very dry. I think basting would have helped, or else adding the breasts later during the slow cook, and then removing them earlier during the final blast.

• Barbecued quail

  • Ro_ on July 13, 2021

    This tasted kind of like teriyaki quail! Nice marinade, easy to do, maybe a smidge overpowering for the quail though?

• Mauritian prawn curry

  • etcjm on September 23, 2018

    Wasn't keen, Ate it. But have had other more flavour-some curries. Might try one more time as it was easy. Bad sign when you don't get anyone saying anything about the food!

• Spare ribs

  • etcjm on November 04, 2018

    Perfectly good. I added some water for the last 30 mins so I had some sauce. I would personally miss out the sesame and add garlic. A do again as I have always failed with ribs prior to this. Cheap and easy.