• lorloff on August 29, 2010

  Food-Herb pairing affinities p 43-44

• MelMM on August 04, 2010

  A joy to read, and a joy to cook from.

• kleins99 on January 15, 2010

  I love the loose nature of this book, that the recipes inspire, are simple, but mostly it makes me take things less seriously, knowing, if I follow my appetite, it will taste extraordinary. Not just to me, but to those around me. I love the way Slater doesn't just offer a recipe for steamed mussels, but offers 6 or 7 ideas for flavor profiles that work with steaming mussels.

• Jane on March 19, 2009

  Great general cookbook. Everything works and most recipes are ideal for every-night dinners.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Lamb steaks with sherry vinegar

  • saladdays on March 10, 2026

    I'm often on the look out for ideas for simple pan sauces to make with a steak. This one works well, with a mellow flavour and not as acidic as using red wine.

• A really good, and very easy white loaf

  • ithyt on September 01, 2015

    5.12 Great side bread - would be awesome with soup. Try to make into two loaves - this one is huge. Can be made in the morning and served for lunch easily.

• Pasta with hot pepper and tomato sauce

  • Zosia on September 09, 2014

    I used the roasted tomato sauce and crushed dried chillies to make this flavourful dish. Perfect for a busy weeknight.

• A gutsy, piquant sauce to serve alongside grilled lamb, chicken or fish

  • ellee on June 08, 2011

    This has to be tasted to be believed, it is gorgeous! And don't be put off by the anchovy, I have fed this to professed anchovy haters and not heard a MURMUR of protest.

• A clear, savory broth

  • k.a.g on June 19, 2013

    This is a simple, no fuss recipe for a basic chicken broth (or what I'd call a stock). Very easy to put together, and then an excellent basis for anything requiring chicken stock - such as any of the noodle dishes discussed by Slater elsewhere in the book. I usually make this with a small organic chicken (e.g. 1.2kg) and remove it after 1 hour but let the rest keep simmering for a further hour - the meat is perfect for sandwiches or to add to a chicken soup proper. I also add a carrot - this is mentioned in the head notes for the recipe but for some reason omitted in the recipe itself.

  • eliza on March 08, 2017

    A really good basic stock recipe. I often make it in the slow cooker. I use chicken wings or backs to enrich it.

• A smooth and creamy pâté

  • ithyt on September 01, 2015

    1.15 Go heavy with the salt. Next time try adding some of the extra flavours.

• A green peppercorn pâté

  • Arden16 on September 10, 2020

    We found the peppercorns masked the flavour of chicken livers so not an improvement on the basic recipe.

• A fast, warming bowl of soup for tonight, tomorrow, for now

  • eliza on February 14, 2016

    Great template for an Asian style soup. I add various ingredients including onion, garlic, curry paste, ginger, tomatoes, soba noodles, various greens etc depending on what I have from the garden. So easy.

• A main-course soup for a winter's day

  • FJT on January 05, 2017

    Just what we wanted to eat on a cold, snowy day. I used some cooked cranberry beans that I had in the freezer so this came together really quickly. Instead of water I used homemade chicken stock. Very tasty.

• An earthy, meal-in-a-bowl-type soup

  • ellee on June 08, 2011

    Doesn't look great in the bowl (all that spinach) but is super tasty.

• A quick, soothing weekday cheese and pasta supper

  • milgwimper on July 02, 2014

    It was really good. We added peas, when we have cauliflower so the pasta isn't all white. In later variations we roasted broccoli or cauliflower.

  • ithyt on September 01, 2015

    10.12 Yum yum yum. H loved. Easy peasy. Used larger bacon (not streaky) and a whole pack of pasta - feeds more than two.

  • FJT on March 27, 2018

    Great comfort food and so quick and easy.

• Clean-tasting greens

  • ithyt on September 01, 2015

    9.14 Scrummy, quick & easy.

• A creamy, unctuous potato dish (Gratin dauphinoise)

  • ithyt on September 01, 2015

    3.13 Great potato side for anything - serv.

• A creamy smoked fish and potato supper

  • rainbowmaker on August 15, 2011

    Didn't have any cream to hand so I used a tin of condensed mushroom soup and then made it up to 500ml with semi-skimmed milk. Oh, and I used half potato and half sweet potato.

• A spicy vegetable stir-fry

  • bethihearyoucalling on July 31, 2013

    A good template. The shiitake were delicious.

  • ithyt on September 01, 2015

    4.15 Blanched broc and carrot then followed recipe. Scrummy flavours great.

  • lorloff on December 18, 2020

    This was a delicious vegetable stir fry with chinese greens. I had fresh shiitakes from the farmers market and used authentic chinese Shao Shang wine without salt and it was delicious. I used mother-in-laws Korean chili paste for the chili sauce. Will make again a great recipe. Only change would to reduce the corn starch to about ½ what is shown in the picture in the book. Highly recommended recipe. With a large amount of bok choy I poached the bok Choi First see EVERY GRAIN OF RICE Dunlap p. 180

• A hot, fragrant, lively curry

  • Jane on August 25, 2019

    Nigel does love his expressive recipe titles doesn’t he? On first tasting I wouldn’t say I found this very hot, fragrant or lively. I needed to add a lot of salt (not listed as an ingredient), more fish sauce (quantities for this were not listed) and more lime before it was acceptable. I did have some extra vegetables (zucchini and yellow squash) but still I felt the curry was not as flavorful as I like.

• An onion and Camembert tart

  • Shepherdabi on July 25, 2025

    Very good. Cooked the onions in the butter on a shallow Le Creuset dish in the oven. About an hour or so at 160C Fan oven.

• A tomato and basil tart

  • Shepherdabi on October 01, 2022

    Used mix of homegrown cherry, baby plum and small tomatoes which were sliced or halved. Added roasted sliced yellow pepper, and some anchovies. Grated gruyère cheese on it as we had some. Would have used mozzarella if we'd had some. Brushed the edge with milk. Cooked in 15 mins. Very nice.

• A red onion and Parmesan tart

  • Lovestocook on July 13, 2015

    Only 4 ingredients and some slow cooking (the onions) gives a very easy and tasty end result. Also love the sound of some of Nigel's suggested variations

• Chickpea mash

  • wester on September 23, 2017

    Simple and good. I add quite a bit of oil as otherwise I find it a bit dry.

• A thirty-minute fish supper

  • ithyt on September 01, 2015

    5.12 Yum, tasty & easy.

• A fishcake to console

  • FJT on November 18, 2020

    Great comfort food. I added mashed anchovy fillets to the fishcakes and capers rather than tarragon to the sauce. Very tasty.

• Canned-fish fishcakes

  • eliza on July 10, 2016

    The basic recipe is equal weights fish (I used canned salmon) and mashed potato, salt and pepper, coat with flour and pan fry in a little oil. A very good fish cake. I didn't make the sauce but had them with some homemade tartar sauce.

• A fresh-tasting and really quite spicy fish curry

  • FJT on April 09, 2023

    I didn't realise until after I made this that I had already made and commented on one of the variations of the recipe. The curry sauce is delicious and we really enjoyed the resulting monkfish curry but, as I said for the variation (fish and mushroom curry), this has an awful lot of liquid and had to be served in soup bowls. Had I realised and read my other comment in advance I would have cut the liquid in half - you really don't need to drown the fish!

• Fish and mushroom curry

  • FJT on December 27, 2015

    This is a lovely curry. I used ancho chilli powder for the mild chilli powder and used ground coriander instead of garam masala (one of the recipe suggestions). The flavour was really good - nicely warming on a cold, wet day. Be warned, this recipe creates more of a soup than a curry with sauce; definitely couldn't have served it in anything other than a bowl. We loved it and I will probably add this to my regular rotation of weeknight meals.

• A big chop for one (and two, and three, and a party)

  • FJT on April 06, 2017

    My husband isn't really a pork chop fan, but he will eat them prepared this way. Lots of flavour, minimum effort.

  • Zosia on March 10, 2018

    More of a technique than a recipe but one that works well.

• Chicken fillets with tarragon sauce

  • adrienneyoung on March 24, 2014

    White vermouth or sherry. See also Larousse "sauce a l'estragon". A good, fast midweek dinner if you make a side of green beans and another of boiled new potatoes.

  • peacheater on February 06, 2026

    This was delicious and super easy. Next time would butterfly the chicken breasts or use chicken tenders.

• A pork roast

  • Jane on May 11, 2011

    This was really easy, suitable for a weeknight dinner as well as a Sunday roast. I did the bay leaf and garlic marinade though he suggests other alternatives. Make sure to allow an hour for marinading on top of of the 1.5 hours for roasting plus resting time. I put the pork on the oven shelf as he suggested with the fat dripping into the pan of potatoes below though this meant when I removed the potatoes to turn them, the fat dripped onto the oven floor (lots of black smoke) so make sure to put another pan in when you take the potatoes out.

• Really juicy, spicy meatballs

  • ithyt on September 01, 2015

    8.15 Yummy & Tasty.

  • wester on March 02, 2021

    These were good and simple to make. I fried them for 5 minutes in the air fryer at 200C. I added a splash of fish sauce as well, and it worked well.

• A sausage and mash supper

  • MelMM on August 04, 2010

    An outstanding version of a classic supper.

  • Zosia on May 22, 2014

    Rich but very tasty. Roasting the sausages in the gravy kept them moist and added huge flavour - but also quite a bit of salt - to the sauce. Will season the gravy a little more judiciously before baking next time.

  • ithyt on September 01, 2015

    One of my favourite sausage and mash recipes.

  • Kag2020 on March 08, 2023

    Delicious. Next time I will cut the onions smaller than suggested and use a light broth (I used a rather rich beef broth and I think it was too heavy). The Dijon mustard was a great touch.

• A summer pudding

  • wester on October 03, 2017

    I made this with a frozen forest fruits mix, and light brown bread. I didn't remove the crust. I eyeballed the amounts, and Nigel's comments really helped to get the right balance. The children loved it. "The best dessert ever."

• A thin, crisp fruit tart

  • debbates on February 04, 2026

    Simple, easy , delicious. I added cinnamon and 1 T of brown sugar, sprinkled on the pastry before the apples. I followed the large vs individual pastry instructions.