• lilham on March 12, 2021

  This and the domestic goddess are my favourite cookbooks.

• FeastsandFestivals on June 22, 2012

  Nigella's best book by a mile. Nothing since has come near this. It works because it's true, you know that she's cooked most of these recipes a hundred times for real, not just for the telly. It's a great book to kick you out of a cooking rut...

• Janemac on June 13, 2011

  This was one of the books that started my cooking 'obsession', all the recipes work and there are some great tips too. Will soon need to replace the book as it has been so well used its starting to fall apart!

• rodillagra on November 11, 2009

  Everything I have cooked from this book has worked.

• cookmag on September 15, 2009

  One of my favorites

• Jane on April 22, 2009

  If I could only have one cookbook this would probably be it.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Clementine cake

  • Jane on December 02, 2012

    This is an incredibly easy cake. You do have to plan ahead as the fruit needs to boil for 2 hours but once done it is just mixed with the other ingredients then baked for an hour. The cake is very moist with a lovely citrus flavor.

  • Queezle_Sister on January 09, 2014

    Zosia, you always find such excellent recipes! This sounds great, as I am a big fan of the bitter notes from citrus zest. This goes on my "to make" list!

  • cassiemcgannon on November 14, 2012

    I made this with two mandarins and a lemon, as it's hard to get clementines where I live. It's dense and moist. Although it takes a long time (two hours to boil the citrus), you can ignore it for most of that. It's not going on my list of all-time favourites cakes, but the next time I need something that's both low-fuss and wheat-free, I'll be making it again.

  • Zosia on January 09, 2014

    Moist and easy cake with a flavour reminiscent of marmalade, sweet and citrus-y but with slightly bitter notes. I baked as individual cakes in 90ml moulds for 25 minutes.

  • stef on November 17, 2019

    This is an excellent moist cake. We really enjoyed that bit of bitterness. Instead of boiling the clementines I high pressured them for 20 minutes in my instant pot. Will repeat.

  • Foodycat on December 16, 2017

    My husband actually requested this cake - which is weird because he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth at all and hardly ever asks for cake. The whole boiled fruit in this gives a nice bitter edge. I used a 2lb loaf tin, which I thought might be a bit small but was actually perfect.

• Translucent apple tart

  • Jane on October 11, 2013

    I made this very quickly by using frozen puff pastry. The filling was so quick to put together. One gripe is that Nigella lists one cooking apple - cooking apples vary hugely in size. I wish writers would specify weights for fruits and veg. I ended up using 2 medium sized apples and it worked fine.

• Mashed potatoes with fish

  • MrsGideon on July 18, 2011

    @blackp it's on page 466 of my edition. It's just one paragraph in a section on potatoes in the "Feeding Babies and Small Children" chapter. It's more a serving suggestion than a recipe.

  • blackp on May 26, 2011

    What page is the recipe on? I just wasted 15 minutes looking through the hopeless index and didn't have enough time to flip the 450 or so pages.

• Aromatic chilli beef noodle soup

  • Breadcrumbs on January 16, 2014

    p. 381 - Lovely! Since I was using pork I opted to go with chicken broth as I didn’t have any pork broth and I’m not a fan of bouillon cubes, which Nigella suggests. I also had some fresh Thai bird chilis so I chopped 2 along w a little bit of garlic before adding the chunk of ginger and the broth to the pan. I went with baby bok choy and snap peas as NL suggests. I topped my soup w some chopped green onions, parsley, basil and chives since I didn’t have any Thai basil. This was a tasty and satisfying soup. I especially appreciated the flavour from the aromatics. The ginger and chili infused broth was so good I would have been happy to enjoy it all on its own. The other components just enhanced the experience. This would be a great soup to soothe a cold I bet!! We served the sliced pork alongside so folks could add it at will. The pork was outstanding in the soup. It melted in our mouths. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/879967#7753348

• Char siu - marinade 1

  • Breadcrumbs on January 16, 2014

    p. 399 - To quote Nigella who quoted a Dr. Jonathan Miller….this dish is “not quite char siu, its just char siu-ish” Regardless of it’s authenticity, we’d call it delicious. Super quick and easy to put together as well. A simple marinade is mixed together and the meat is covered and refrigerated overnight. The next evening the meat is placed in a roasting pan and baked for approx 45 mins, while basting from time to time. The meat is tender and juicy with a lovely ring of the mahogany glaze of the marinade around the edges. mr bc loved it straight up atop some steamed brown rice. I sliced mine and served it atop Nigella’s Aromatic Chili Beef Noodle Soup as she suggests. This was a big hit either way. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/879967#7753342

• Lentil and chestnut soup

  • Breadcrumbs on January 16, 2014

    p. 64 (Canadian Ed.) I’ve eaten a lot of soup over time but never in my soup travels have I come across this combination of ingredients. This soup sounded festive to me as well so when I saw how quick and easy it was to prepare (the secret is in the use of canned or bagged in my case, chestnuts). This is totally do-able on a weeknight, especially if you use a food processor to mince your veggies. I used my Bamix hand blender to puree the soup so my texture was a little coarser than that you’d get in the blender but we liked it nonetheless. I topped my soup w the suggested drizzle of cream and some minced chives and parsley. deThe soup is sweet and nutty however the flavours of the vegetables, particularly the celery and carrot were still discernable. We enjoyed this very much

• Moules marinière

  • Breadcrumbs on December 02, 2012

    p. 126 - Nigella’s take on a classic dish turns out a quick and tasty dinner. Here’s how it comes together. Mussels are cleaned and de-bearded. A pan is warmed over medium heat. Butter, a little chopped parsley, minced shallots and garlic are added to the pan and allowed to cook until the garlicky aromas waft through the air. At this point, white wine is added to cook for a minute or two. NL said to put the lid on and lower the heat at this point but I honestly couldn’t be bothered for such a short time. Mussels are then added the lid is placed atop and the mussels cook from 3 – 5 mins until done. Mussels are divided amongst plates and topped with the pan juices and a sprinkling of fresh parsley. I served these with some warm, crusty sourdough bread for dunking. While this wasn’t the best version of the dish I’ve ever made, it certainly was quite good and especially good given how quickly it came together. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/879968#7746134

  • Astrid5555 on October 06, 2018

    Was lucky enough to find some bouchon mussels and with all the hype about Nigella Lawson‘s How to Eat 20th anniversary I turned to my old copy and found this recipe. Very quick to make and delicious. Served with some French baguette.

• Ratatouille

  • TippyCanoe on July 12, 2014

    This recipe is one that I have used for years and I prefer it to all others that I have made. Lawson's secret is a good dash of ground coriander at the end. Somehow that really makes it perfect. Her proportions are good and her instructions are clear.

• Beef stew with anchovies and thyme

  • TrishaCP on February 12, 2022

    This is probably one of the best stews that I have made. Delicious.

  • Astrid5555 on January 22, 2017

    Husband called this best stew ever, and I tend to agree. We did not even wait for another day to reheat but ate it all on the day I cooked it. I can only imagine how delicious this might taste the day after. On a side note, no one tasted the anchovies and they added a great umami note to this stew.

  • aargle on May 19, 2020

    I made this stew for the first time the other night as I was searching for a new stew recipe - absolutely delicious, the anchovies just add a lovely flavour combined with the masala. I would love to make the horseradish sauce but fresh horseradish is impossible to source in my area. I served it with mashed potato and steamed beans. It was demolished in one sitting.

  • FJT on December 13, 2011

    Sumptuous stew. I've made this many, many times. Great for entertaining - I make it a few days in advance so the flavours can develop. This is an absolute favourite and no-one ever guesses that there are anchovies in the sauce!!

  • marmite on October 30, 2013

    Very good and nice with the horseradish sauce as recommended by Nigella. Can see it becoming a firm favourite.

  • joneshayley on August 28, 2018

    This is a beautiful stew. My husband and family love it, it’s deep and savoury, rich and delicious. The anchovies add a wonderful umami, and are undetectable once the stew is cooked. Serve with dumplings or mash.

  • raybun on February 27, 2017

    Thanks for the reminder about this recipe Astrid5555 as I'd all but forgotten about it. I rarely turn to How to Eat, probably due to the lack of photos. There are lots of gems in there... A delicious stew, served with new potatoes but mash is probably better as there is lots of yummy sauce that needs soaking up. Obviously I didn't mention the presence of the anchovies and everyone loved it!

  • Ro_ on April 05, 2020

    I tried making it in the pressure cooker, aiming for 1 hour instead of 3, but after 45 mins I could smell burning and sure enough there was a lot of black at the bottom of the pan. I transferred to a casserole dish, added (even more) wine and water and cooked on a low heat for another 45m or so. This was very nice, but it was a shame that my cooking method didn't quite work. As suggested I served with horseradish sauce and chopped cornichons which definitely lifted the whole thing up and added a lovely zinginess.

  • angrygreycat on September 25, 2022

    This is my go-to beef stew. A family favorite. Made it last night as we had a nice cool Autumn day.

  • catmummery on December 31, 2021

    delicious - a classic stew with deep, savoury flavour. Cook for as long as possible, the longer the better and the next day is Amazing!

• Cottage pie and shepherd's pie with uncooked meat

  • micheleK on November 20, 2010

    Different flavor from my mother's.

• Half-coq au vin

  • Astrid5555 on December 11, 2016

    Wow, so delicious! Was lucky enough to find 2 small organic roosters for this recipe which I used instead of chicken thighs. The meat was incredibly tender and fell off the bones, great sauce. Served with papardelle pasta.

  • OuiChef on December 16, 2016

    Page No: 442/443 (1999 version)

• Noodles with spring onions, shitake mushrooms and mangetouts

  • Astrid5555 on April 04, 2020

    I cooked this already three times in the past few weeks. The first time made as written, only substituted rice noodles for egg noodles, the next time used whatever vegetables needed using up. Perfect substitute for Asian take-away noodles, big hit with both (!) kids, very quick to make!

• Beef and beans with pasta

  • lilham on March 12, 2021

    This is from the chapter on feeding babies and small children. My 6 year old said yum when she saw this on the table. Both the 6 and 9 year olds loved this very much. If you have small children that like pasta, you need to try this.

• Bakewell tart with fresh raspberries

  • lilham on May 22, 2015

    Lovely. Nigella is right this is so much better than the shop bought version. I used frozen raspberries without defrosting first.

• Aubergine moussaka

  • lilham on November 19, 2015

    This has been a staple in my house for many years now. I like to serve this with crumbled feta, with garlic pitta bread on the side. I usually make double to save a portion in the freezer.

  • BigOrangeTiger on October 03, 2014

    easy and delicious (although I left out the spices as I'm not a fan). I'll definitely make this again.

• Apple and walnut crumble

  • peacheater on December 01, 2017

    This is delicious and so easy! It's become a go-to dessert whenever good apples are in season. I like that you basically only need the apples - everything else is stuff you'll have around anyway (well besides the marsala, but anyone who's a fan of Nigella's recipes will have that anyway - she's really partial to the stuff!)

• Almond and orange blossom cake

  • FJT on September 13, 2015

    This came together really easily. Used gluten-free flour instead of regular and this worked well (very small amount which no doubt helped). As per instructions I made this a few days before eating it and I paired it with the recipe for strawberries in balsamic vinegar in the same book - the combination was excellent

• Venison in white wine

  • FJT on September 17, 2021

    Really enjoyed this. Made with a white Burgundy and veal stock. My stew almost dried out in the oven as I was unexpectedly called away and it was left for longer than it should have been; however extra veal stock saved the day. The venison was melt in the mouth tender. Served with mash and peas.

• Fresh horseradish sauce with chives

  • FJT on February 09, 2016

    Agree totally with marmite - this sauce is very good and went beautifully with the beef stew, but you could easily get away with making half the recipe and still have too much!

  • marmite on October 30, 2013

    Made it to go with the stew as recommended by Nigella & it went very well. Found quantity excessive though.

• Pavlova

  • FJT on March 19, 2022

    This recipe works really well and is very easy. This time I made 6 mini pavlovas and baked for just 30 mins - if I wanted individual portions again I would split the mixture into 8 as the 'mini' pavlovas were slightly on the large side!

• Roast duck breasts with honey and orange

  • FJT on April 13, 2020

    This was lovely. Used seville marmalade instead of orange juice (she says seville oranges are ideal for this and the previous duck recipe used marmalade rather than juice) and just a touch of honey as the marmalade had more than enough sugar.

• Bean and pasta soup

  • FJT on October 20, 2022

    Lovely, filling soup. Made this because I had some small pasta shapes to use up and I threw in all the vegetables lurking in the fridge. Would happily make again.

• Strawberries in dark syrup

  • FJT on September 13, 2015

    A lovely way to eat strawberries - I paired this with the Almond and orange blossom cake recipe from the same book. Worked perfectly!

• Pistachio crescents

  • niamhbcn on January 15, 2023

    Delicious, egg-free biscuits that everyone liked but several people thought contained peanuts rather than pistachios (despite being green!). Chilling the dough slightly helps get a better shape on the crescent.

• Pea risotto

  • mondraussie on March 31, 2019

    Added asparagus and tarragon.

  • ithyt on November 18, 2015

    3.12 Substituted other veges for peas - yummy.

  • Melyinoz on January 22, 2022

    The cupboard was bare, but I had frozen peas and the other ingredients to make this. It’s really tasty and a great recipe to have in my back pocket when I haven’t been shopping.

• Petits pois à la française

  • KarinaFrancis on August 29, 2021

    This was pretty good and really simple to make. I like the use of spring onions in this recipe

• Pea, mint and avocado salad

  • KarinaFrancis on September 08, 2021

    Super simple and really yummy. I only marinaded the peas for 1/2 hour (recipe reading failure) and it seemed to be enough, any longer and they would lose a lot of colour. Yes, I used frozen peas

  • MsMonsoon on May 12, 2022

    This was a hit. East to make and delicious. I didn’t even have the endive but will try for next time.

• Thick miso dressing for beans

  • KarinaFrancis on January 28, 2015

    Not a winner. Not sure what the problem was, but will explore other ways to use up a container of miso that is taking up fridge real estate

• Sticky chocolate pudding

  • BigOrangeTiger on October 03, 2014

    I don't know what I did wrong - maybe cooked it too long? But this did NOT taste good.

• Chicken and chick pea tagine

  • knittingfrog on September 29, 2014

    A lit bland for me...needs more spice for the amount of meat...also need to decrese oil amount...use a non stick pan and use chicken rendered fat to cook the rest!

• Victoria sponge

  • sarac on June 04, 2021

    This is one of my standard quick cake recipes, best fresh, especially with good summer fruit. The simple batter is put together in a food processor. It is tasty and has a nice crumb but is not a super light sponge.

  • joneshayley on August 27, 2018

    Nigella uses 25 g of cornflour in place of 25g of self raising flour- this gives a light soft fluffy sponge that I haven’t achieved otherwise. Perfect Victoria sandwich ??

• Exceptional salmon

  • Zosia on March 26, 2018

    Delicious and quite effortless. I used rosemary infused bacon which was particularly good in this dish.

• Salmon baked in foil

  • Zosia on January 24, 2016

    More technique than recipe, this timing didn't work for me. My salmon needed an additional 4 minutes per 500g at a slightly higher temperature until barely cooked with a 15 minute rest to finish it.

• Lamb and bean braise

  • Zosia on January 09, 2014

    Lamb, vegetables and beans slowly cooked in red wine - delicious but definitely not a weeknight meal (as suggested in the recipe). I used lamb shoulder chops and white kidney beans in place of lamb neck and cannellini beans. Serves 3-4.

• Coca-cola braised and glazed ham

  • Zosia on April 15, 2015

    Easy and delicious! I didn't have a pot large enough to contain the 4kg ham I bought so oven-braised it in a large roasting pan with the lid on. I skipped the mustard topping but once the ham was done, I removed the lid, basted with the juices and roasted it a bit more to create a sticky glazed finish.

  • Foodycat on January 03, 2019

    Really delicious. While she says not to use diet cola, I used a reduced sugar one that doesn't have any artificial sweeteners in it, and it was just as delicious - plus the cooking liquor was less sweet and much nicer for making bean soup. I made the glaze, but would do one without breadcrumbs next time.

• The tenderest chicken

  • Zosia on November 19, 2014

    One of my favourite ways to cook chicken pieces and it works equally well for a whole spatchcocked chicken as I discovered recently. I've left the chicken in the marinade for as long as 24 hours with no ill effects and as little as 4 hours which is enough time for the buttermilk to work its magic but not enough time for the flavours to penetrate.

• Golden root-vegetable couscous

  • Zosia on November 17, 2013

    Tasty vegetarian stew with Moroccan-inspired flavourings. The vegetable combination was a little sweet so I doubled the tomatoes. Couscous was light and very fluffy but only 500g was needed for 8 people.

  • Soosie on March 13, 2017

    Absolutely delicious. I added dried cranberries because I didn't have sultanas and it was a great swap. The only root veggies I had were a swede and a couple of carrots. Still wonderful. I had a jar of dukkah hanging about the kitchen, so added it with the pine nuts to the couscous. Didn't find it at all sweet. Would make this cheap and cheerful dish again.

• Escalopes of salmon with warm balsamic vinaigrette

  • Zosia on September 12, 2018

    My fillets were on the thick side so I followed the alternative cooking instructions of pan frying the salmon (which I then finished in the oven) then making the dressing directly in the hot pan. Easy and liked by all.

  • pattyatbryce on October 25, 2020

    Such a basic recipe - almost a non-recipe. But, I've never thought of a balsamic finish on fish. So yummy!

• Gingered chicken salad

  • Applepie24 on May 28, 2014

    Nigella suggests 'an orientalish style dressing' using soy, sesame oil and rice vinegar.

• A summer lemon meringue pie

  • Cobden on November 18, 2014

    Page 283

• Char siu - marinade 2

  • Kingvanessa on May 06, 2015

    Yummy.

• Beetroot soup

  • ithyt on November 18, 2015

    4.12 Doubled & made for lunch - R loved aged 9 months :) Quite different - would be yummy starter.

• The world's best chocolate ice-cream

  • ithyt on November 18, 2015

    3.12 Yum - sugar part a bit tricky - divine tastes like frozen chocolate mousse. Gorgeous dark colour.

• Sausages and mash with red wine, cumin and onion gravy

  • ithyt on November 18, 2015

    3.12 Season well - gravy yum, Present. Awesome rainy night dinner. Would dble gravy for anymore than 6 sausages.

• Lacquered quail

  • TereTere on February 27, 2016

    Very easy, tasty and simple.

• Steak and kidney pie

  • LBen on December 28, 2016

    page 246

• Rice pudding

  • MsMonsoon on March 25, 2021

    Bakes in the oven 2.5 hours but very, very easy and minimal ingredients. Result is not the prettiest but it's comforting and a way to make an easy dessert without flour, eggs, etc. I had it with Lyle's golden syrup as Nigella prefers. She also says jam is traditional. Recipe only uses 4 tbsp of rice. I'd probably double the recipe next time. Maybe reduce the butter slightly.

• Christmas Queen of puddings

  • anya_sf on March 19, 2021

    I scaled this down slightly for 4 eggs and it fit nicely in a 9.5" pie plate. I'd never made Queen of Puddings before and quite enjoyed this version, although I think I'd like a different jam even more. The custard was barely sweet so the meringue, which I normally find too sweet, balanced it nicely. The custard was super easy to make - no danger of scrambled eggs.

• Chocolate raspberry pudding cake

  • anya_sf on May 30, 2021

    Like JJ2018, I also made 1/2 recipe, using extra thawed, frozen raspberries. In a 7" springform, which seemed like the right size, it took closer to 50 minutes to bake. As stated in the head note, this is like a dense chocolate mousse cake, not the saucy kind of pudding cake. We had it a few hours after baking and it was rich and delicious, great with whipped cream to add some lightness. Half the recipe served 6.

  • JJ2018 on October 13, 2019

    This was absolutely delicious - a really lovely dessert I will definitely make again. I halved the recipe and baked in a 6 inch tin - this made only slightly too much mix. Next time I would bake the extra separately in a ramekin rather than over fill. Used frozen raspberries and added extra. My daughter loved it

• Chicken with spring onion, chilli and Greek yoghurt

  • Ro_ on July 29, 2021

    Nice not amazing.

  • catmummery on December 31, 2021

    I disagree - I think this is delicious, lots of flavour, yet really simple

• Beef stroganoff

  • Ro_ on February 07, 2023

    Nice but not great. I wanted more flavour. It was quick and simple to make though.

• Mushroom ragoût

  • Ro_ on April 07, 2020

    This was an unusual but nice recipe. I added some bacon lardons and tomato paste, since I had both that needed using up. The overall result was a nice rich mushroom ragout, with the mushrooms still holding their shape well. I served this with pasta and a green salad.

• Tabbouleh

  • Ro_ on April 12, 2020

    A nice, simple tabbouleh recipe. I used finegrained couscous and cooked it according to packet instructions (basically just 5 minutes soaking in just-boiled water). Ended up having to make this dish in a hurry so didn't bother skinning and deseeding the tomatoes, it was fine. The herby, lemony flavours were lovely. Would make again. Oh, and I used a large shallot instead of spring onions/red onion.

• Hummus with seared lamb and toasted pine nuts

  • Ro_ on April 17, 2020

    This was so good. I had to use half canned chickpeas and half dried as I didn't have enough of the latter, but this was definitely one of the best hummus recipes I have tried, regardless. The Greek yoghurt helped give it a really creamy texture. Instead of shredding the lamb and serving it on top of the hummus, I served it on the side, it was still a great combination. I made flatbreads from a Sophie Thompson recipe to go with this, which was the perfect accompaniment.

• Little gems with green goddess dressing

  • Ro_ on April 23, 2020

    A nice, crunchy salad with a creamy dressing. I made it as I had loads of tarragon to use up. Would make again, my family really loved it.

• Mushrooms crostini

  • Ro_ on February 28, 2021

    These were nice, and definitely definitely need to be served warm/hot, as they weren't nearly as nice after sitting out for an hour and having cooled down. I blitzed the mushroom mix in the food processor as suggested to make it more spreadable. Could potentially be nice with some cream cheese added too.

• Greek lamb stew

  • Ro_ on March 06, 2023

    I made a much smaller quantity, using just 500g lamb shoulder and scaling everything down accordingly. Overall this was a sort of "nice but not great" dish, it was kind of like a bolognese but with lamb and feta, and didnt really wow me or think "I must make it again". Needs plenty of seasoning, there's not actually that much feta in there if you stick to the amount in the recipe.

• Cream of chicken soup

  • Ro_ on January 24, 2023

    The ingredients are simple, the method is not the simplest thing ever for a weekday soup (involves two pans, various steps and sieving) but the results were great. Really tasty soup that was exactly what I had hoped for. The ingredients made enough for two medium bowls.

• Steak au poivre

  • Ro_ on May 05, 2021

    Nice recipe, I really liked the sauce. However I think that crusting a steak in peppercorns is just not my favourite way to eat steak.

• Home carpaccio of beef

  • Ro_ on September 12, 2020

    This gave me nice carpaccio - I particularly liked the ground pepper crust. However, I still think I prefer my carpaccio cut from a bavette rather than a beef fillet - I find it more flavourful somehow.

• Marsala muscovado custard with muskily spiced prunes

  • etcjm on March 27, 2019

    I make the prune element, a favourite of my dad's. Lovely with Greek yogurt and great to have in the fridge.

• Warm cannellini or borlotti beans with garlic and sage

  • angrygreycat on January 13, 2023

    Made this for dinner this week. I liked it with sausage and bitter green salad. Simple and basically hands off.

• Marinated, grilled chicken breasts

  • angrygreycat on July 12, 2018

    Good super easy chicken prep.

• Blueberry crumble

  • angrygreycat on August 10, 2019

    Simple way to use fresh blueberries, not too sweet so it really highlights the taste of the blueberry.

• Rhubarb crumble

  • Florafauna on August 30, 2020

    Great idea to add orange zest to the fruit! Yummy

• Lemon linguine

  • ALawson25 on June 04, 2022

    https://www.nigella.com/recipes/lemon-linguine

• Passion fruit fool

  • Pimlicocook on May 13, 2022

    Wow… this is scrumptious. Lighter than expected as the cream goes a long way, and the passion fruit flavour really coming through. Perfect dessert for easy entertaining. Will make again… and again.

• Shortbread

  • Alyssam on December 24, 2021

    The easiest way to make shortbread! You don’t need to worry about overworking the dough as it is made in a food processor. I sprinkled my shortbread with a decent amount of caster sugar before I placed them in the oven and they came out perfectly crumbly and sweet.