Notes about Recipes in this book

• Chicken baked with sweet potato, smoked paprika, olives and pickled lemons

  • Jane on February 23, 2017

    This was a great dinner. Very easy to put together and manageable on a weeknight. The smoked paprika gives a lovely depth of flavor and the pops from preserved lemon, black olives and parsley and mint keep it interesting.

  • TrishaCP on December 14, 2014

    This is just delicious and completely easy to pull together. I used whole chicken joints (leg and thigh) from my CSA, so had to bake for an additional 20 minutes, but the potatoes still held together quite well (since they were in big chunks). I used a mix of sweet and spicy pimenton, and reduced the amount to 1 heaping teaspoon each since I had half the chicken- it was still plenty. Don't forget the olives- I used oil cured and they were scrumptious.

  • Foodycat on June 12, 2018

    I've made the other recipe on this page (chicken baked with red onions, potatoes and rosemary) many times but for some reason had never tried this. It's excellent. A couple of minutes putting together a marinade and then very simple to bake. I sometimes find sweet potato recipes too sweet and cloying, but the salt and acid from the olives and preserved lemon, and the fresh burst from the parsley and mint at the end are very well balanced.

  • clarejackson on April 28, 2020

    Delicious. Went down well with all the family. Easy to make and took about an hour because I hadn’t preheated the oven.

  • katy1729 on September 05, 2019

    3 September 2019: a real winner! Will definitely make again - I think it will become part of my regular repertoire. Very easy but full of flavour. I used a mixture of Charlotte and sweet potatoes, and also added some peppers. Used skinless, boneless chicken thighs. Mis-read the recipe and ended up adding more preserved lemon than suggested but it was fine. Would also add more olives next time too. Re-heated the leftovers for a second meal which worked well in a lidded casserole in the oven.

• Baked cod with a zesty crust

  • Jane on March 10, 2017

    Something wasn't quite right about this. Either there was too much oil or my bread was too fresh as the crust was very moist and never crusted up before the fish was cooked. It tasted good though. If I make it again I will use staler bread so the oil gets absorbed more or use less oil.

  • lilham on May 29, 2013

    So easy and delicious. I served it with a avocado, broad bean and quinoa salad from Ottolenghi's Plenty. The two really complimented each other.

  • Kitchenangel on October 15, 2015

    This is delicious and makes a change from the breaded fish I would normally do. I used Haddock as it's more popular here in Scotland.

  • LizzieLozza on August 20, 2017

    Same non-crustiness that Jane below mentions, I used fresh bread too so will try something else next time, though that's not say I didn't like the soft coating. Served with freezer sweet potato fries and peas - VERY EASY and children liked it. Winner.

  • WasagaGirl on December 02, 2018

    Absolutely delicious - fresh with the flavour of lemon and parmesan. Loved it!

• Rhubarb cake

  • Jane on May 18, 2019

    A lovely and quick cake. I didn't have enough rhubarb so made up the difference with plums. They were a bit under-ripe but it didn't seem to matter in the finished cake.

  • TrishaCP on May 03, 2016

    A great choice for when you are pressed for time. My rhubarb was frozen and only partially thawed, so it took an extra 25 minutes to bake.

  • lilham on June 10, 2015

    One of the best fruit cake recipes around. Henry suggested stoned fruits and pears as alternatives. I have made it with rhubarb and loved it. Today I tried it with nectarines, using only 2.5 tbsp of sugar to toss with the fruit (instead of 5 tbsp). I didn't peel the nectarines and the skin went very soft so didn't detract at all. The nectarines were so soft and sweet. I liked it better than with rhubarb. The best cake I've had for a long time.

  • eeeve on April 09, 2017

    This is indeed a really nice cake! Very moist from the huge amount of rhubarb used. I love how some of the pieces sink deep into the cake to keep it moist, and some others sit on top to make it look lovely. I found it a bit difficult to get out of my cake tin, as the cake is so soft.

  • Kitchenangel on October 15, 2015

    This cake is delightful. I used tinned pears and my food processor and had this cake in the oven in the time it took to boil pasta for my main course. This is the perfect standby pud for those unexpected guests!

  • raybun on May 13, 2017

    I used my last precious bag of rhubarb from last summer to make this as the new harvest is about to arrive. A great cake for teatime on this Mothers Day weekend, lovely and moist. I added some lemon zest to the batter too.

• Middle Eastern lentils and peppers

  • westminstr on October 23, 2017

    I had made this previously a few years back. Just made it again, this time in the instant pot! Very successful, tasty dish (kids didn't like, but it was a great lunch dish.)

  • lilham on September 18, 2013

    Simple and tasty. Very baby/toddler friendly too. I mixed the lentils with coucous and my 2yo wolfed it down.

  • Nichill on October 06, 2018

    Took this to a family buffet meal, where it went down well with children, vegetarians and meat eaters. I lacked leeks, so used onions and a banana shallot to provide the allium flavour. Leeks would be quicker. Will definitely be making this again.

• Griddled chicken with thyme and sea salt

  • westminstr on August 29, 2014

    Departed from the recipe by cooking on outdoor grill, simple and delicious! Everyone gobbled it up. Used skin on bone in thighs.

• Pomegranate and honey glazed chops with radish and cucumber tzatziki

  • westminstr on August 29, 2014

    This had potential, was certainly very easy, but the chops didn't have enough kapow for me. Perhaps because of a lack of salt in the marinade? I did like the way the chops and tzatziki worked together. Tried again 6/2/2015. This time added salt to the marinade and omitted the honey, added extra pom mol to compensate. I still didn't love the flavor but again we liked the tzatziki. I think I'll move on to another marinade recipe but will continue to make the salad.

• Baked salmon with mustard and honey

  • Cati on December 02, 2014

    Very simple and quick, and I found it absolutely delicious but my daughter was taken aback with the sweetness on the fish. I will be making again for myself and leaving her fillet plain.

  • TrishaCP on October 31, 2021

    So easy and good. I used a Dijon mustard with herbs since that is what I had on hand.

  • lilham on December 25, 2020

    I found this searching on EYB for a simple recipe to cook the salmon in the fridge. It is a very good recipe. Tasty and simple.

  • Pamsy on March 29, 2018

    Quick and easy, this was really tasty which is surprising from someone who doesn't like honey or mustard! Served with steamed broccoli - (good) and Cracked Potato Salad - (not good) by Mindy Fox from The Perfectly Tossed Salad.

• Honey and mustard glazed sausages

  • Cati on January 29, 2017

    This recipe page 48 uses 12 sausages coated with a mix of 1 1/2 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard and 2 tablesponns of honey and baked 25 minutes. In comparison a similar titled recipe in her new book Simply, uses 8 sausages with a mix of 2 tablespoons of grain mustard and 6 tablespoons of honey. Baked 25 minutes. So the amount of honey has been tripled for less sausages.

• Ginger, orange and honey roast parsnips

  • TippyCanoe on February 06, 2019

    Delicious. Will make again.

  • KateW on December 30, 2015

    Good balance of flavours, but reduced the amount of honey to half amount suggested, prefer it less sweet

  • Pamsy on March 27, 2019

    Easy and delicious, very tasty and no need to parboil the parsnips. Used red onions and halved the honey. As I was worried about the honey burning, I added it 15 mins before the end of cooking.

• Maple and mustard glazed sausages

  • TrishaCP on January 10, 2015

    Not bad but not great. I liked the technique of roasting the sausages but the whole grain mustard I used (per the recipe) had many many seeds and didn't adhere to the meat- it ended up on the bottom of the pan. I assume the issue with the mustard prevented the promised sticky glaze to the sausages, because mine didn't have any. Anyone giving this a go should definitely consider using Dijon mustard instead.

• Pork chops with plums and Chinese spices

  • TrishaCP on August 07, 2014

    This tasted fine, but probably is not a repeater. I used a combination of plums and pluots, and I liked the pluots better (my plums were very ripe, and you don't want ripe fruit with this recipe). I also reduced the amount of honey called for to 3 tablespoons out of fear it would be too sweet otherwise, and I am glad that I did. Finally, the ginger to me in ground form was pretty non-existent- I would use fresh instead.

• Italian pork chops with fennel seeds

  • TrishaCP on January 10, 2015

    A simple and versatile recipe that packs a lot of flavor with few ingredients.

  • chawkins on February 22, 2022

    Very simple and easy recipe that produced very flavorful pork chops

• Spaghetti with parsley, chilli and garlic

  • TrishaCP on December 20, 2016

    This saved dinner tonight as I forgot to defrost the chicken. It was good, but I probably would only make this again in a pinch when low on provisions. Too many other ways to serve pasta out there!

  • Pamsy on October 27, 2020

    The quantity of spaghetti in this recipe serves 2 NOT 4 as stated. I didn't add the lemon and used a diced red chilli instead of dried flakes. This is a good staple for a quick simple dinner. Tasty and easy.

• Baked sausages with leeks, apples and cider

  • TrishaCP on December 18, 2021

    Easy to make and delicious. I used bratwurst as my sausage (what I had) and Dijon instead of whole grain mustard.

  • Rinshin on January 29, 2020

    Easy to make with comforting taste you expect from this style of baked sausage dish. Not sure this will be repeated without some changes. Photo added.

  • raybun on January 11, 2017

    So easy to make with such fabulous results! In my opinion this dish is the definition of comfort food. Everyone polished their plates and asked for it to be made again, soon. Served with creamy mashed potato. Note that the online link differs slightly to the one in the book. It omits the leeks, but adds thyme & bayleaves so I adapted my version to use these three ingredients but omitted the sugar, and replaced it with grain mustard as per the book's instructions.

• Pork chops Lyonnaise

  • TrishaCP on May 03, 2016

    Flavorful, but watch the cook time. My chops were on the thinner side, and the cook time called for resulted in well-done chops.

• North African spiced poussins

  • TrishaCP on March 23, 2016

    I used dark meat bone-in chicken thighs and legs instead of poussins. This was really simple and flavorful.

  • NikkiPixie on May 24, 2021

    Amazing.... I did the poussins, which were incredibly tender, but standard thighs etc would work too. I found 40 min at 180 degC was perfect.

• Pacific lime chicken

  • TrishaCP on February 19, 2021

    This has been on my to make list forever. Unfortunately, it was just ok. Diana Henry has several more delicious chicken recipes.

  • lilham on May 29, 2013

    A total winner. Great serve with plain rice and sautéed greens. I reduced the marinade by half. The original recipe specifies a very large amount of marinade. I put the chicken into the roasting pan without the marinade and simply baste it with the chicken juices. I heat the reserved marinade in a small saucepan, and use it to flavour the plain boiled rice.

  • FJT on April 20, 2019

    Fine, but nothing special.

  • Kitchenangel on August 12, 2014

    Been cooking this for the last 7 years at least. Even the children love it!!!

  • e_ballad on July 18, 2020

    I’m with @FJT on this one. It makes a lot of marinade, which gets largely discarded. I’d be tempted to reduce the marinade quantity by 1/4 at least.

• Greek baked chicken in yogurt

  • TrishaCP on April 06, 2017

    This was a rare miss for me from Diana Henry, and I wish I had seen the note below before I made this. I had the same issue with the custard becoming separate and dense, which tasted good anyway and didn't bother me so much, except that I had to pour off about 1 1/2 cups of liquid from the bottom of the dish (the custard was basically floating on top of it). It was very strange. I had huge chicken breasts, but even they were overdone in the baking time called for (I should have known better).

  • BasicStock on March 22, 2017

    This recipe came out differently than I had anticipated. The custard became a separate and rather dense entity, rather than a silky cocoon around the chicken breasts. This may be caused by what our Canadian dairies call greek yogurt as compared to the English version. Ms. Henry seems to have a real calling for poultry, so I am going to try some of her other recipes.

• All-in-one chocolate cake

  • lilham on January 24, 2015

    A delicious chocolate cake. Put everything in a food processor, mix and bake for 30 minutes. Perfect for baking with my preschooler.

• Strawberry and passion-fruit mess

  • lilham on June 21, 2015

    A lovely twist to the classic Eton mess. I love the addition of passion fruit. Henry suggested 7 tbsp of sugar, I used 6 and still found it a bit on the sweet side. ( I forgot to take into account the meringues when tasting). I would go down to 4 next time.

• Plum and hazelnut cake

  • lilham on July 27, 2023

    Found this recipe when looking for ideas for using the plums from our plum tree. My children love cake and this one fits my need perfectly. A simple, moist and delicious cake. I’m sure I will l repeat again next year with our glut of plums.

• Warm potatoes and beans with avocado

  • lilham on July 08, 2013

    I break up the potatoes with a potato masher as per the instruction in Potatoes with Olives and Lemon from the same book.

• Potatoes with olives and lemon

  • lilham on July 08, 2013

    I loved the suggestion to break up the new potatoes slightly with a potato masher. What a huge difference does it make. The increased surface area means the potatoes soak up more dressing, and it's so much more flavourful.

• Penne with roasted onions, Gorgonzola and walnuts

  • lilham on May 29, 2013

    I found this a bit bland but my husband likes it. It will taste better if I double the roasted onions. I won't make this again.

• Pappardelle with Ligurian walnut sauce

  • lilham on November 24, 2014

    I served this with a haloumi and tomato salad as a simple dinner. This was fast to put together and tasted very good. It was creamy as you could guess from the amount of double cream in the recipe. My 3yo loved this a lot and the adults approved too.

• Fettuccine with goat-cheese pesto and roast tomatoes

  • lilham on May 29, 2013

    A nice variation on the standard basil pesto.

• Salmon ceviche with avocado and mango

  • lilham on July 08, 2013

    Such a simple and easy summer dinner. And full of flavour too. I served it with the warm potatoes and beans with avocado.

  • saarwouters on March 10, 2019

    We loved this! Indeed very simple and still very special. The flavours go together really well. We added a bit more lime juice than the recipe calls for.

• Warm chicken, roast pepper, chickpea and preserved lemon salad

  • lilham on August 20, 2013

    Another winner from Ms Henry. A very simple one dish meal with very little actual cooking. I have made a few minor changes to make this a one-dish meal on its own. I doubled the red pepper and the chickpeas to make it more substantial. I made 1.5 times the sauce to compensate. Since I'm already using the oven to cook the pepper, I put the chicken in the oven too instead of cooking on a griddle pan.

• Chicken baked with red onions, potatoes and rosemary

  • saladdays on September 15, 2013

    An easily prepared one dish meal using chicken thighs, the skin crisps up well and the roast potatoes are enhanced by the rosemary. Good rustic cooking.

  • Foodycat on July 09, 2014

    I call this "Jude's thighs" for the person who first introduced me to it. You'd think the balsamic would make it taste vinegary, but it doesn't - just sticky and delicious.

  • Frogcake on March 23, 2017

    I made the version with smoked paprika, olives and pickled lemons. Delicious! I used chicken breasts and two chopped pickled lemons. As well, just by chance, my chicken marinated for three days. A very simple recipe for a week night! Will be making this one again.

• Seared tuna with warm beans and salsa verde

  • FJT on February 23, 2021

    Fast, easy, delicious and fairly healthy.

• Italian sausages with purple-sprouting broccoli, chilli and penne

  • FJT on April 05, 2023

    Delicious! Made with fresh chilli instead of chilli flakes. Will definitely make again.

  • Leo on April 22, 2020

    I have cooked this following the recipe exactly many times but today I had to make do with what I had. It is usually very good and the same method made the best of leeks, green beans and spinach.

• Trofie with bacon, peas, ricotta and mint

  • FJT on April 27, 2018

    A very easy and satisfying dish that would have been better had I been able to find proper ricotta rather than a very processed “creme de ricotta”. Will repeat when we finally get home and I can shop for decent cheese.

  • stepharama1 on January 11, 2022

    Perfect winter pasta dish! I made it with home-made ricotta and D'Artagnan bacon and added shallot and baby spinach. Rich, quick and delicious.

• Vanilla-baked apricots

  • FJT on June 15, 2023

    Delicious! I used Noilly Prat instead of white wine.

• Turkish baked aubergines with chilli, feta and mint

  • sharifah on March 28, 2016

    This was easy and delicious! Lovely flavours which goes well with the Mechoui-style roast lamb in the same book.

• Mechoui-style lamb

  • sharifah on March 28, 2016

    Excellent flavours for roast lamb. I didn't manage to marinate the lamb overnight, only half a day. Still lovely.

• Smothered pork chops with mustard and thyme butter

  • chawkins on April 24, 2018

    This was okay. There were not enough liquid left for a sauce, the potato absorbed it all. The mustard-thyme butter added richness and an interesting note to the pork chop.

  • Foodycat on September 03, 2019

    I didn't do the mustard butter, but the pork chops were very tender and the potato slices beautifully fondanty. There was a scant spoonful of gravy left for each portion.

  • Indio32 on September 02, 2020

    Really liked this. Noted the other comments regarding lack of a sauce so added more cider. Will definitely be making this again. N.B I didn't do the mustard butter but will next time.

• Johanna's Swedish apple pie

  • k.a.g on June 07, 2013

    This recipe is a real winner - one where the end result (a beautiful warm, comforting baked dessert) far exceeds the effort required! It's something you can - really and truly - make at the last minute if friends turn up for dinner unexpectedly. Beautiful with pouring cream or home made custard.

• Merguez sausages with roast peppers and cucumber tzatziki

  • Leo on April 28, 2022

    Made this with chorizo by mistake. This was a really simple and tasty dinner with the yogurt sauce and some homemade flat breads. Seasoning depends on the sausages used. I did add some chilli. Will definitely make again.

  • stepharama1 on June 29, 2022

    We couldn't stop eating this! It was a delicious, no-fuss meal. I added some garlic and cilantro.

• Arroz con pollo y chorizo

  • Kitchenangel on August 12, 2014

    Love, love, love this!. As with many of her recipes I do lower oil content to what I would use normally. This has been a fixture on our menu for 6 years and recently, my young (fussy) kids have eaten it!!

  • Daniela164 on December 22, 2019

    Very enjoyable dish. Added frozen peas with the rice to increase the proportion of vegetables.

• Roast Catalan chicken

  • Kitchenangel on August 27, 2014

    Lovely dish. Had completely overlooked it for many years, in favour of pacific lime chicken. Served with Patatas bravas. Yum

• Argentinian chimichuri

  • Rradishes on March 23, 2022

    This was great, fresh parsley, oregano and red wine vinegar are main flavors, the rest can be customized.

• Roast cod with anchovies and bean puree

  • Foodycat on July 22, 2021

    I cooked the fish in a cast iron skillet on the barbecue, and served it with the radicchio and red onion dish from Diana's A Change of Appetite. Really good together.

• Harissa-marinated lamb with chickpea purée

  • Foodycat on November 19, 2018

    I used lamb cutlets and grilled them on the barbecue after marinating for about 24 hours. Really delicious. Our harissa paste isn't particularly firey, just gave a really good flavour. The chickpea puree is excellent, a nice change from hummus without the tahini.

• Roast autumn vegetables

  • Foodycat on December 21, 2018

    Simple and very good. It's surprising how much flavour a splash of balsamic gives roast veg.

• Tagliatelle with hot-smoked salmon, sour cream and vodka

  • Foodycat on March 14, 2020

    Very simple and tasty. I added a clove of garlic, and just made the sauce in the pasta pot while the tagliatelle was draining. I didn't have quite enough sour cream so went a bit heavier on the vodka.

  • Pamsy on February 04, 2019

    Quick and easy pasta dish. I added the juice and grated rind of a lemon which made for a less rich sauce. The sauce is too thick so I added a couple of ladles of the pasta cooking water. Used double cream this time but previously have used sour cream.

• Vegetables with bagna cauda

  • Foodycat on December 01, 2014

    Just gives the recipe for the bagna cauda sauce, not too much detail on suggestions for the accompanying vegetables. Very nice as a light vegetable-centric supper though.

• Pork, cheese and Marsala

  • MmeFleiss on July 05, 2017

    Amazingly simple but company-worthy dish.

• Agnello con patate arraganate

  • LizzieLozza on July 16, 2017

    Potatoes with cheese burnt if left for 1hr at 200C....add a bit later in cooking time and cut smaller.

• Roast Mediterranean vegetables with anchovy pesto

  • LizzieLozza on July 23, 2017

    Used half pine nuts and half walnuts

• Mangoes with ginger, mint and lemon grass

  • LizzieLozza on August 30, 2021

    Served with coconut chips and coconut non-dairy ice cream

• Summer berry brûlée

  • Lepa on June 01, 2022

    This is a simple and delicious dessert, consisting of berries topped with a mixture of whipped cream and yogurt. Instead of broiling the sugar on top I used a torch. I used strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. We all enjoyed this but the kids complained about the burnt sugar (I think this is the best part!) I might use less sugar on top next time. This is huge and easy serves 6-8 people.

• Courgettes with ricotta, mint and basil

  • saarwouters on March 10, 2019

    Lovely side dish. It does take some time to bake all the corgettes, but worth the effort. It layers nicely and looks beautiful. Served it with steak.

• Turkish chicken with oranges and warm spices

  • e_ballad on February 01, 2018

    Wow. This was terrible. The short cooking time failed to temper the bitterness from the orange zest which is intended to be eaten. I was the only one in our family to finish my portion & I would consider myself to have a fairly high “bitter” threshold.

• Spanish chicken with sherry and pine nuts

  • e_ballad on July 25, 2019

    Very simple to prepare for a midweek meal. It is quite a rich dish, so steamed veg were a good side rather than the suggested roast potatoes.

• Smoked mackerel, potato and beetroot salad

  • gaylegayle1 on August 29, 2023

    I really struggled to find this in my book and the page number has not been referenced here. The index in the book itself did not help - it really is not the best index in the world! It is page 102 if of interest to anyone...

• Indian leg of lamb

  • Pamsy on March 07, 2021

    What a disappointment! Lamb is my favourite meat for a roast and I'd wanted to try this for ages. The flavour of the marinade was okay but it did nothing for the lamb. The recipe says the marinade becomes the sauce and to heat gently in a saucepan, not to boil the marinade as it would curdle! However, whilst it was roasting in the oven, the temperature was hot and the marinade curdled at that stage. That was recovered by blitzing in the food processor, but a major error in the recipe writing. A rare Diana Henry fail.

• Fish baked with fennel, potatoes and vine tomatoes

  • Pamsy on January 14, 2023

    Used haddock loin but any chunky white fish would be suitable. Needs a fair amount of olive oil and pitted black olives are a good addition. Best of all, it's a one pot fish dish!

• Sicilian sweet-and-sour tuna

  • Pamsy on May 07, 2020

    This was different and unusual, haven't come across sweet & sour tuna before. I added a yellow pepper and subbed black olives as opposed to green. Quick and easy and very tasty. Would be good for entertaining as you could have the veg part ready and reheat, whilst quickly pan frying the tuna.

• Chilled rice pudding with pomegranate and blood-orange sauce

  • Pamsy on March 10, 2023

    This has got to be one of the best rice puddings I've ever made. Initially, boiling the rice in water was a new method for me, not sure if that's what made the difference but will definitely do that in future. Half the recipe gave enough for 4 portions. I didn't make the sauce and my pomegranate was off, so topped with jaffa and blood orange segments which was so refreshing.

• Hedgerow crumble

  • BasicStock on March 22, 2017

    A really good crisp recipe and I'll be making it my go to crisp recipe mostly because of the name and the addition of the blackberries which give it that name. I've always picked blackberries but have recently been blown away by the size of the commercially frozen blackberries we have available.

• Thai-spiced pork chops with lime dipping sauce

  • Kduncan on January 18, 2021

    This was a pretty simple recipe. My biggest problem was how fish-saucy it tasted, to me, I couldn't taste anything else. Though I am not a huge fan of fish sauce (though my SO is). Probably would not make again, but this is due to a personal preference not from the recipe being bad.

• Vietnamese peanut sauce (Nuoc leo)

  • Laurel21 on July 09, 2021

    I substituted the red chili for the green jalapeno chili. I liked it but I would remove the sugar I would put only 1 teaspoon on it. I served it over sauteed beef and white rice.