• SashaJackson on April 07, 2017

  One of my favourite cook books. Do try her recipe for preserved lemon chicken tagine, yum...

• imaluckyducky on May 07, 2015

  Easily one of the most engaging cookbooks I've read and cooked from. She has a very strong voice, and it feels like she's talking directly to me over tea. Directions so far are clear, and results are tasty.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Moroccan chicken with tomatoes and saffron-honey jam

  • Jane on September 22, 2014

    Really easy weeknight dinner - and a good way of using up an excess of tomatoes since it needs 800g (1 and 3/4 pounds). My only issue was the time it took to reduce down the sauce to a jammy consistency. After 30 mins boiling (after the chicken was removed) it still wasn't jam-like though thick, so I stopped as I was hungry. When I use the leftovers tonight I will try reducing further to get the sauce "really jammy" as DH suggests.

  • Melyinoz on February 25, 2018

    This is very good and I would make it again. Be warned, it does take a while to reduce the sauce. I wasn't timing it, but I would say it took me about 50 minutes. I did the dishes and cooked rice while it reduced. Also, the sauce needed constant stirring to make sure it didn't stick to the pan and burn. The coriander and almonds are needed for freshness and crunch, don't skip them.

• B'stilla

  • e_ballad on January 19, 2017

    This was great, though I must make the disclaimer that I used a 1.5kg chook instead of the guinea fowl. I also had some warka pastry (randomly!), so I used this instead of the filo pastry. It did have a fair bit of faffing about, but this could absolutely be a midweek meal if you cooked the bird the day prior & reserved the stock. Once that's done, the rest is a doddle.

• Harissa-marinated lamb with spiced mashed vegetables and cinnamon onions

  • hillsboroks on July 06, 2014

    Last night I made Diana Henry's Harissa-Marinated Lamb with Spiced Mash and Cinnamon Onions from Crazy Water Pickled Lemons. It was fantastic! My husband's first word was "Wow!" and his second was "Outstanding!" I had to cheat on the marinade because we have no Middle Eastern grocery stores in my town and I couldn't find plain Harissa but I did find a package of Harissa simmer sauce which I used as the marinade and put a bit in the onions where Harissa was called for. We took the lamb chops right out of the marinade and put them on the grill for about 5 minutes per side. I also cut the cayenne in the mash in half to suit our taste but it was still zippy and oh so good. I would make this again any time. Also I had her three Yoghurt Mezze dips leftover from the night before and they were perfect as extra condiments for the finished lamb. Next time I will hunt down Harissa and make this with the "official" marinade.

  • Melanie on August 23, 2014

    Another big fan here! I was attracted to this recipe based on hillsborok's review, and it really is worth making this dish. I used store bought harissa and marinated lamb cutlets overnight (at this point I put some extras into the freezer to use a couple of weeks later, these were just as delicious). I substituted carrots for the parsnip in the mash, and milk for the cream, which tasted great. The onion really impressed me and it is definitely worth making this component, really full of flavour and I have already made them again to go with other dishes.

  • joneshayley on August 20, 2019

    Wonderful recipe, comforting but vaguely exotic. The onions particularly make this.

  • Countesschicklington on March 21, 2026

    This was gorgeous and unique. Based on prior reviews praising the onions, I more than doubled the quantity.. and we ate it all! The onions really perfect this dish! I think in future I will grill the lamb chops instead of frying, but this is a personal preference. Served with some sauteed bitter greens.

  • JimCampbell on March 24, 2026

    A 3.5 out of 5. After reading the review by @Countesschicklington and the other notes for the recipe we bought the cookbook. This is a flavorful dish. The potato and parsnip mash is a nice combination. We did add a little sugar to balance the bitterness from the parsnips. The cinnamon onions are amazing. We could put them on a number of things. Take note to go dark on the onions, The more caramelized the better. We had lamb chops recently, so we went with bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs marinated overnight. We used mild harissa. Grilled the chicken thighs, which added depth of flavor. Very good. We'll make the dish again. Note: this is on page 24 in our cookbook and is called mashed potatoes instead of mashed vegetables.

• Thyme, oregano and citrus roasted poussins

  • Gio on June 09, 2014

    Pg. 30. I used the alternative given, chicken. The recipe produced a juicy, tender, flavorful chicken, even the white meat was delectable. We absolutely loved it. The chicken was salted and air dried it in the fridge 5 hours (not in the recipe), taken out to prepare the marinade, then back into the fridge to marinate for another 5 hrs. It was roasted at 400F for 55 minutes. So perfect it definitely will have revisits.

• Lavender, orange and almond cake

  • caitmcg on May 25, 2014

    This is a wonderful cake, and has been very popular with those I've served it to. I have made a few alterations to the published recipe, and liked the results. The first time I erroneously used 9 Tbsp (4.5 oz) butter instead of 9 oz, and the texture is excellent, so I will continue to use only 9 Tbsp. I use 1/2 cup orange juice and 8 oz sugar rather than 9. Having tried both ricotta and Neufchatel cream cheese for the topping, I prefer the cream cheese, and use just 1 oz confectioners' sugar.

• Chocolate and rosemary sorbet

  • Frenchfoodie on July 05, 2020

    Amazing. Really simple but complex flavour more akin to choc- ginger.

• Greek herb pilaf with shrimp and feta

  • caitmcg on August 09, 2014

    A simple rice dish elevated by a copious amount of fresh parsley, dill, and mint. The flavorful rice, salty-creamy feta, and sweet sauteed shrimp marry to make a delicious dish. I did find the given proportion of rice to shrimp a little off; the rice is enough for more than four main-dish servings, but to accommodate four, I'd increase the shrimp to at least a pound.

  • Onedaysoon on September 11, 2022

    Nice and tasty - good family meal to use up a bunch of herbs.

• Pesto alla Trapanese

  • caitmcg on August 09, 2014

    A really nice Sicilian pesto perfect for summer, this has a somewhat complex flavor thanks to the addition of sun-dried tomatoes and fresh oregano, along with basil, garlic, fresh tomatoes, and pecorino. The recipe makes enough to dress a pound or more of pasta.

• Crazy water

  • mcvl on November 06, 2017

    I added two handfuls of spinach, good; I'd do it again. Also I don't de-seed the chiles and tomatoes. This is the food of the gods.

  • Maxineanna on January 22, 2023

    The cooking time was too long. The skin stuck to the pan. I won't bother again.

• Seared tuna with potato skordalia and caper vinaigrette

  • RosieB on May 30, 2015

    This was absolutely delicious! We had some freshly caught tuna and home grown potatoes to use up. Although made up of four separate components it was not a difficult dish to make and the results were stunning. The caper vinagrette set the dish off perfectly. This is a make again recipe.

• Catalan chicken with quince allioli

  • Omsafeeya on November 12, 2025

    The quince allioli is outstanding!

• Spaghetti with mollica and olio santo

  • Frogcake on May 01, 2019

    Oh my, this is so good and so easy. I love the holy oil on pizza too. In fact, it’s so multipurpose I recommend making half a litre at a time. And the mollica is equally delicious and multipurpose. I could not hold back on adding sage leaves to the breadcrumbs though. So much better, quicker (and cheaper) than take-out.

• Salad of Middle Eastern grilled chicken, bulgar wheat and pomegranates

  • caitmcg on May 25, 2014

    A truly wonderful dish, delicious warm, at room temperature, or chilled, and a perfect one-dish lunch or light dinner. Tons of flavor from the pom molasses, honey, and cumin marinade; the harissa and lime dressing; and the aromatics, herbs, and nuts in the salad. I used boneless chicken thighs in place of breasts, dried cranberries in place of pomegranate seeds (dried cherries would also work well), and halved the olive oil in each section to no detriment.

  • Frenchfoodie on February 19, 2017

    Brilliant recipe worth getting pomegranate molasses for alone. It is tasty, fresh, crunchy and moreish. I love this so much I cooked it for 50 guests at my wedding. I always use chicken thighs as I find them juicier and tastier than breasts. A winner.

• Bulgar and spinach pilaf with labneh and chili roast tomatoes

  • Pagey1 on June 25, 2016

    Great bulgar wheat (I used a coarse grain) recipe - takes about an hour and uses quite a few pots and pans so not a quick supper dish but good for a dinner party. The oven roasted tomatoes were delicious. Served with marinated lamb chops.

  • carlythecook on August 04, 2016

    This can be made over a couple of days. I often double or triple it. Possibly the best salad ever.

  • eclairea on September 03, 2025

    Lovely use of summer tomatoes. Lots of great textures and flavours, hope to serve this again with lamb like one commenter did!

• Raisin, almond and cucumber yogurt mezze

  • caitmcg on June 15, 2015

    Another flavorful and delicious twist on tzatziki or caçik, with chopped toasted almonds and raisins (I used golden) supplementing the cucumber, and fresh and subtly spicy notes from cilantro and harissa.

• Sour cherry, walnut and dill yogurt mezze

  • caitmcg on May 25, 2014

    A delightful variation on the typical cucumber tzatziki, with the walnuts, dried cherries, and dill adding texture and complexity. This has a chunky texture, making it a forkable accompaniment rather than dipping consistency.

  • Foodycat on August 15, 2018

    The walnuts and dried cherries add so much! Really delicious.

• Chicken marinated in yogurt with Georgian plum sauce

  • Barb_N on September 02, 2014

    I took what I wanted from this recipe- the yogurt marinated chicken. This is a great tenderizer and the pieces are always moist. I thought the spices could use some rounding out (only cinnamon and cayenne) so I subbed Lebanese Baharat which is cinnamony. The yogurt predominates, next time I will add a lot more spice.

  • TrishaCP on February 22, 2016

    I also made the yogurt-marinated chicken and served it with my own Georgian plum sauce (tkemali). I wasn't able to marinade the chicken the full time called for, but it still came out juicy with a nice kick (used the on-line recipe).

  • amholland on January 10, 2020

    The Georgian plum sauce recipe given in Salt Sugar Smoke is updated and, I think, improved.

  • peaceoutdesign on October 02, 2022

    The chicken was very tender, the sauce was okay and seems it needs a little more flavor.

• Socca with sardines, roast tomatoes and olive and parsley salad

  • doug798015 on May 11, 2026

    didn't love the socca, but this recipe was worth it for the salad alone

• Lamb pizza with preserved lemons

  • JJ2018 on April 23, 2019

    I didn’t make the flatbreads used a shop wrap for ease and added some crumbled feta. Also used leftover lamb finely diced - precooked the lamb with spices and the assembled on shop flatbread and gave 5 minutes or so in the oven. Lovely flavours would definitely like to try this with the more substantial flatbread

• Lamb and orange khoresh

  • e_ballad on July 16, 2017

    We really enjoyed this. Beautifully tender meat & great depth of flavour, this is a keeper. My carrots were more batons than matchsticks, which I think I'll repeat again, though I'd add them with 40 mins to go.

• Pickled lemons

  • etcjm on March 10, 2019

    Will tell you in a month when tasted, but look great and easy. Would make a nice gift.

• Preserved lemons

  • SashaJackson on April 07, 2017

    Fantastic method, yields great results that store for absolutely ages.

  • etcjm on March 10, 2019

    Waiting patiently to taste! Easy to do. I used a juicer for the lemons which has made the result cloudy. Will still taste the same I'm sure.

• Spiced chicken on melting onions with preserved lemon

  • caitmcg on May 25, 2014

    Diana Henry's twist on a typical tagine with preserved lemons and olives. This dish has real potential, though I did have a couple of issues with it. The marinade made from the flesh of preserved lemons and spices imparts great flavor. Baking the chicken atop the onion mixture both allows the skin to crisp and infuses the onions with the flavors of the chicken and marinade, and the onions do become deliciously sweet and tender. The main problem I had was that the recipe calls for far too much liquid; I cut back a bit, but the onions were still swimming, and I had to dish them out with a slotted spoon. I'd use no more than half what's called for in future. I also found the turmeric too prominent, and would reduce or skip it.

  • Barb_N on October 08, 2014

    This earned high praise from my husband. I loved the flavors but also had issues with this recipe. I had barely enough marinade (a paste really, even with additional lemon juice) to coat the chicken. After I browned the chicken, the marinade blackened in the pan before adding in the onions. Maybe I was impatient but my onions didn't 'melt' even after adding pan juices left from a different batch of chicken. I skipped the turmeric and saffron and didn't miss them.

  • Ehart624 on May 04, 2015

    Very good and quite easy. One quick comment about the ingredients listing on eatyourbooks. I'm pretty sure "whole cloves" means garlic cloves. NOT the little brown pointy things that you stick into ham. :) Although I have the US version of this book, and maybe the UK version includes cloves?

• Meringue and rose cake with summer berries

  • bluerroses on December 18, 2015

    A funny, fabulous, magical cake. Mine was a beautiful mess, but my guests tore through it.

• Tin and Thyme

  Full review

• Yum.Fi

  When it comes to the recipes themselves there is a pleasing selection that are well written & quite self-explanatory, so it is very frustrating that the overall layout of the book appears to infuriate

  Full review