Notes about Recipes in this book

• Burnt lemons

  • Ganga108 on August 21, 2022

    Easy. Delish.

• A quick pancetta and bean soup with spaghetti

  • Lepa on March 07, 2022

    This was really disappointing. The tomatoes never broke down (I would recommend using crushed instead of diced if you make this) and the soup felt like a thin broth with random chewy bits. The pancetta, in particular, ended up tasting chewy because it had been simmered and that seemed to make it tough.

• A spicy red lentil soup

  • Ganga108 on August 31, 2022

    Red lentil soups abound, but this recipe happened to be the one that stood out when I was looking for a quick lunch dish. True to Slater's style, this is an easy dish to put together and cooks in 25 mins. It has Indian flavours reminiscent of Rasam, without being classic Indian. Loved it.

  • FJT on September 27, 2022

    Nice soup with just the right amount of spice.

• Pea and parsley soup

  • Indio32 on October 24, 2021

    Was OK but nothing to write home about. Used a homemade chicken stock and frozen petits pois as fresh aren't in season. Will be having it for lunch tomorrow so will see if it improves with age.

• Cauliflower soup

  • elana.lepkowski on December 30, 2023

    Can run an immersion blender through the soup for a smooth and chunky consistency.

  • Eater1547 on January 24, 2024

    We love this soup. It’s a staple now. We add baby carrots at the end. Kids love this soup.

• A soup of bread and cheese

  • gamulholland on June 11, 2023

    This was delicious and rich, perfect for a cold night— and very, very cheesy. There were strings of melted cheddar in the soup as we were eating it— like French onion soup. We toasted the bread first, and I’m glad we did— it made a crunchy counterpoint to the soup.

• Green olive and thyme focaccia

  • sharifah on August 03, 2025

    Very easy recipe to follow. Minimal kneading, and the dough was very easy to work with. Delicious and looks pretty good too! We loved it!

• Blackcurrant focaccia

  • danibattle on September 08, 2022

    Wonderful. I made two small trays of this, one to freeze. Defrosted and gently warmed and served with a very ripe brie it was a lovely addition to a celebration table. Beautiful and tasty!

• Baked onions, Taleggio sauce

  • Hansyhobs on February 27, 2023

    I had some leftover taleggio so decided to make this to go alongside roast chicken. Delicious and very easy to do alongside a roast.

• Potato wedges with burrata

  • Ganga108 on August 30, 2022

    Nigel Slater's food is always suitable for weeknight dishes as well. This one it terrific, and I happened to have everything in the pantry and fridge. Who doesn't like baked wedges?? So good. I can also imagine all sorts of variations on this recipe. Cumin and pepper wedges. Kasundi instead of the salsa. Even a nice, Italian mixture of tomatoes, garlic, olives, eggplants or zucchini, cooked down and cooled to room temp, instead of the salsa.

• Roast parsnips and carrots with soy and honey

  • boncie on January 29, 2023

    I made double the recipe but I should not have doubled the amount of red pepper flakes, it was way too hot for me, although my son liked it! Otherwise, really nice flavour!

• Baked aubergines with gochujang and tomatoes

  • Ganga108 on March 24, 2023

    I love the way Nigel's recipes always feels like he looks around the kitchen and says "So, I have a couple of cans of lentils, ditto for tomatoes. There's an eggplant from the garden. Oh, and some gochujang in the fridge. What can I make? Now let me write that down for my next book." This really is a lovely dish, very home-y, and quite versatile. Tonight I made it with black urad dal and I used chipotle instead of gochujang. It was delicious. The eggplant is soft and creamy, and the heat level was just right. It made quite a lot. I served with a slice of Danish feta and a sweet Indian eggplant chutney. I know - eggplant on eggplant - but it worked! The sweetness of the chutney complimented the lentils perfectly. [***UPDATE***: I had divided the mixture into two small baking dishes - it was even better 2 nights later when we had the 2nd one. So the mix can be made ahead of time and baked with the topping when required. Yum.]

• Sweet potato and lentil 'shepherd's' pie

  • zjchristensen on January 19, 2023

    Not my favourite - Texture was a bit too homogenous, I’d prefer something like puy lentils for a bit more bite and probably a different set of spices.

• Broccoli, pumpkin seeds and breadcrumbs

  • carolyn_bhwd0z on May 31, 2026

    Don’t add too much liquid when puree and better to steam broccoli

• Cauliflower and orecchiette

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on January 10, 2022

    Easy, not very special, kids loved it.

• Courgettes with pea sauce

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on January 10, 2022

    Not hard to make, pretty green side dish and tastes good.

• Pappardelle with mushrooms and harissa

  • Astrid5555 on November 29, 2021

    Delicious, quick and easy home-office lunch pasta!

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on January 07, 2022

    Delicious and easy, must admit I added two tablespoons of crème fraiche to make it a little less spicy for the kids.

• Pasta, pesto and peas

  • Jane on January 14, 2022

    This a good standby supper for me as I always have the ingredients in stock (cubes of pesto in the freezer from summer basil surplus). It's not very exciting but for a quick store-cupboard meal it is quite acceptable. Next time I will try it with a smaller pasta such as fusilli or gemelli.

• A salad of lentils and red peppers

  • Nancy402 on January 30, 2024

    Very nice flavours. Ran out of time to peel and chop the peppers but they were delicious in quarters on top of the lentils. Added a splash of red wine vinegar to the lentils after they cooked but while still warm, which perked things up.

• Chicken thighs, lemon and basil

  • Suthie103 on June 25, 2023

    Very tasty

  • Detheria on February 06, 2025

    This is so superbly simple we have it very often when we need something very easy and tasty.

• Braised chicken with leeks, orzo, peas and parsley

  • Jane on January 25, 2022

    I loved this. Very straightforward to make, definitely a weeknight dinner and the results were so good. I used gf orzo to accommodate my gf son and my thighs were skin-off but none of that mattered. Onto my favorites list.

  • Hansyhobs on March 04, 2022

    Very similar to the Nigella recipe. Should have used a bigger pot as I went to a lot of effort to get the chicken skin crispy and then everything kinda sunk in the pot and lost the crisp. Still very tasty and would do again

  • Detheria on February 13, 2025

    I had made homemade stock for the first time and used if for this recipe and it really was so lovely. Chicken was so tender and delicious, the orzo was silky and it was all really easy. I didn't manage to get a crispy skin but I chalk that up to my own incompetence, it was still very tasty.

• Chicken breasts with mustard and Marsala

  • LizCo on April 21, 2023

    Had no cornichons. It was still delicious.

• Sautéed chicken salad with cider and watercress

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on July 29, 2022

    Made this for a week night supper, unfortunately there was no water cress. Stil this came together very well, was easy to make and we thought it was very good. Definitely making it again.

• Grilled sausages, herbed chickpea mash

  • eatdrinkstagger on July 16, 2022

    use two chickpea cans per person?

• Beetroot and lamb patties

  • Nancy402 on January 08, 2024

    These were very light and tasty, They held together well with the added egg, as suggested. Chilled patties for the recommended hour before cooking them. Used couscous as I didn’t have bulgar. Worked well. Made 16 patties, stretching the lamb to quite a few servings.

• A thin, simple cheese and onion tart

  • Pimlicocook on November 13, 2021

    Made this again for the first time in maybe a decade, or longer. Curiously, there’s no mention of seasoning anywhere in the recipe, which may be right for the rich, soothing flavours, though I preferred a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper at the end. Crisp salad on the side works well.

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on January 10, 2022

    Agree with Pimlicocook, addition of pepper is a good idea. Perfect comfort food.

• Pasta with spicy sausage, basil and mustard

  • Pimlicocook on November 13, 2021

    Nigel’s most popular pasta recipe, apparently - comfort food at its best. I liked it well enough, but it might be a bit too creamy to be a favourite - and as someone who doesn’t eat much meat, I was grateful to have broccoli on the side.

  • Lepa on January 12, 2022

    This is easy and pretty addictive. I bought the wrong kind of sausage and had a very had time getting the skin off so I'll buy another kind next time but I know there will be a next time!

• Oat, nut and seed flapjacks

  • Wazzockbeak on December 18, 2021

    This is my favourite flapjack recipe ever and I have tried lots!

• Coq au Riesling

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on January 10, 2022

    This recipe had no mentioning of time! At least, it says a minute after addition of cream. However we reduced the liquid pretty much to a third, it was delicous. Nice and creamy and comforting.

  • Tashb on November 09, 2022

    This was the first recipe I ever made from Nigel Slater from his previous cookbook; and it's such a winner. We've made this repeatedly - delicious with fresh ciabatta out the oven!

• Roast lamb with za'atar and broad bean freekeh

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on January 10, 2022

    Tasteful and a very nice combination with the couscous.

• My very good chocolate brownie recipe

  • IvyManning on February 15, 2022

    Too rich and sweet for us.

  • Eater1547 on January 24, 2024

    We loved this!!! Almost as good as the professional baker’s down the street. It’s all about the cocoa you use.

• A fudgy lemon cheesecake

  • FJT on February 20, 2022

    Yum! Very nice, rich cheesecake.

  • Whatiatefortea on January 07, 2026

    Never positive homemade cheesecake is worth the effort, but this was very good. Served with tinned mandarins for my husband.

• Chicken and leek pie

  • Hansyhobs on May 08, 2022

    Nice chicken pie and the pastry turned out well but I personally prefer my own take on a chicken and leek pie

  • FJT on October 07, 2023

    We enjoyed this. I followed the recipe for the filling only and made gluten-free short crust pastry recipe for the pie lid.

• A big pie for a winter's day

  • ozfoodie on June 17, 2022

    Used a combination of parsnips and white potato for the topping. A pleasant meal that lacked a bit of flavour oomph in my opinion. Definitely need to season well! Served 10 for us.

  • Detheria on February 06, 2025

    Definitely add more salt than he calls for - i added some with the tomatoes then tasted and added more when the stock went in. Turned out delicious, took some time though!

• Sausages and sauce

  • Daniela164 on July 29, 2022

    Lindi made this with very good Italian sausages from the butcher. Simple, but totally delicious

• The light, creamy, black-capped 'Basque' cheesecake

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on August 21, 2022

    Everybody at the party loved this cheesecake. It looks pretty and the texture is perfect.

  • FJT on February 14, 2024

    So, so good! Couldn't believe that it was going to fit in the tin or solidify (it was very liquid) but the end result was a delightfully light and tasty cheesecake. Will definitely repeat.

• Damson ice cream

  • Ganga108 on January 07, 2023

    This is the first recipe I am making from this very special book this year, even tho it also appears in at least another of his other books (Tender Vol 2). I made it using tinned alphonso mango puree instead of the plums, omitted the sugar and added the juice of half a lemon. There is a heatwave here and it is divine eating on this 39C day.

• Lemon ice cream

  • Ganga108 on January 16, 2023

    I can't rave about this ice cream enough! Delicious in yet another heatwave here. I used a mix of store-bought custard (left over from xmas) and yoghurt for the yoghurt component. For the lemon juice I blended up juice of 1 lemon, some whole cumquats, lemon and lime zest, mint, makrut lime leaves, lemon verbena leaves - until the leaves were very fine. I also added a slug of dry vermouth to keep the ice cream a little softer. This is one of our favourites from now on.

• Courgettes and orecchiette

  • Astrid5555 on February 04, 2023

    Had some zucchini lingering in the fridge and did not expect much from this dish. However, much more than the sum of its parts, really delicious and weeknight friendly.

• James's chocolate and dulce de leche puddings

  • Pimlicocook on April 02, 2023

    First problem: please note that this recipe is for FOUR people, not TWO as stated in the recipe (disappointing to waste ingredients). Second problem: when I mixed my dulce de leche into the chocolate, the the mixture became extremely thick and it was impossible to fold into the egg and sugar with just a few strokes, as the recipe states. I am not sure why this happened: I used homemade dulce de leche, which perhaps was thicker than the bought sort, or perhaps I left the chocolate melting for too long - or not long enough? I mixed and mixed and mixed until it finally looked incorporated and put it in the oven with extremely low expectations. Nevertheless, I got crusty tops and gooey, mousse-like interiors - and of course it tasted lovely. I don't know what they would have been like had I not had all these issues, but at least the recipe is unexpectedly forgiving.

• Smoked mackerel pie

  • Eater1547 on January 24, 2024

    This fish pie is outstanding. It’s my daughter’s favorite recipe I’ve ever made. We were suspect of fish pie, but I always like to try an unexpected recipe. This one surprised us so much. 10/10. The flavors are amazing. I cut the leeks and prepared my mis en place the day before to make quick work of making dinner. I used packaged puff pastry (Dalfour). We drew a fish on top for extra excitement. My husband doesn’t like fish but he LOVED this.

• Apricot and lemon curd cake

  • Nancy402 on January 30, 2024

    As stated, this is a bit of a project, but was worth the effort- and the prep dishes! Made the curd with Meyer lemons and it was lovely. The finished cake was very moist, and almost marbled. Delicious too. Very glad to have the treasure of some leftover curd…

• James's fideuà - a feast of fish

  • Hansyhobs on August 11, 2024

    Really tasty and easy to make. I only used clams as I had loads so extra seafood would have been too much. I used fideua pasta.

• The Béarnaise

  • Nichill on October 30, 2025

    Nice, straightforward sauce method. Resulting sauce is plain yellow with no green chopped tarragon in. The method helps you to keep the sauce cool. This was too cool in my case, and it hadn’t thickened by the time I had added all the butter, so I needed to heat it further to thicken. Worked perfectly, and no problem to keep it warm-but-not-too-warm while the steak cooked.

• Grilled scallops, basil butter

  • pinkpaisleyxx on January 16, 2026

    Quick, easy and delicious (with green beans & fried diced potatoes).

• Spiced plum crumble

  • Whatiatefortea on May 04, 2026

    Added rhubarb as well as plums as we had some given. Delicious as usual. Love the spiced topping.