• FeastsandFestivals on June 22, 2012

  it is very beautiful and very much a personal memoir, somehow though I never seem to cook from it....

• becmorris on June 10, 2012

  This book changed my life. It is beautiful.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Moussaka

  • Tommelise on September 20, 2011

    This is my favorite recipe for moussaka so far. The spicing is quite subtle, but I think it works very well.

  • Applepie24 on February 15, 2015

    You will also need white wine, and enough store cupboard ingredients to make a bechemel sauce. The tomato sauce is passata. Dried oregano rather than fresh. You will need kitchen paper. Recipe takes a while - at least 90 min.

• Ludi's chicken

  • TrishaCP on February 02, 2015

    This was a perfectly fine roast chicken dish with lemon and oregano, but it didn't quite reach the heights promised in the recipe notes. I used chicken pieces and a combination of potatoes and turnips since that is what I had on hand. if using pieces, definitely cut the potatoes much smaller so they are finished by the time the chicken is ready.

  • Jejune on November 04, 2013

    The most fantastic roast chicken I have ever had. A firm family favourite!!

  • dawnelizabethtaylor on November 20, 2014

    it was fine... bit oily, no gravy therefore no marinade flavour. probably won't use this recipe again...

  • emma_clare on June 19, 2020

    I have made this many times. it's very little work, and tasty results. However I find the timings a bit hit or miss and it varies a lot depending on what kind of pan you use - too shallow and you will get no sauce/possible burn, too deep and it will be swimming in sauce and the potatoes a bit on the boiled side. I haven't really perfected it yet, but I keep coming back to this recipe because it always tastes good, and there's something very comforting about it.

  • catmummery on December 31, 2021

    i've cooked this regularly and love the way the potatoes get soft and melty with chickeny juices. I agree you need the right pan and aim for one where the potatoes sit mainly under the chicken, so become fondant rather than roasted. The timings are to be taken with a pinch of salt and cannot let it dry out so often add more fluid.

• Finnish meatballs with allspice, sour cream, and lingonberries

  • TrishaCP on March 17, 2014

    The allspice was really lovely here and the meatballs were light and fluffy. I really enjoyed these with lingonberry jam on the side.

• Yogurt and semolina syrup cake with rose water

  • TrishaCP on July 15, 2013

    The best version of a semolina and syrup cake that I have tried to date. Not only moist, this cake also has a really good rise and crumb. The rosewater is subtle and accented beautifully if you serve the cake with fresh raspberries.

• Tava (Cypriot baked lamb and potatoes with cumin and tomatoes)

  • micheleK on December 29, 2010

    Delicious. Lamb is tender, and tasty.

  • redbirdo on October 20, 2013

    This exceeded all my expectations. I used young mutton (as recommended by the butcher) and the result was thoroughly delicious. On top of that the recipe is almost laughably easy to make - chop a few things up and throw everything in a pot. What more could you ask for? I adjusted the timings a bit for cooking in the aga - anything going into the simmering oven needs to be piping hot first, so I put it in the roasting oven for 1/2hr, 2-3hrs in the simmering oven and 15mins uncovered in the roasting oven.

  • Hungry_Bek on April 21, 2021

    This is so very easy to make, and seriously good comfort food. Pop it in the oven and forget it, and a fairly 'forgiving' recipe, you really could add all kinds of things, depending on what you have to hand. This will go into rotation for sure.

• Stuffed eggplants

  • debkellie on October 16, 2023

    A very ample serving: half an eggplant per person is more than enough! Easy recipe, and a tasty enough weeknight supper with a green salad . Don't know I'd bother boiling the eggplant boats next time: they're in the oven long enough to cook through - they lost shape & texture, which I put down to the pre-boil. I also topped with additional Parmesan to gratinate.

• Cinnamon and cardamom buns

  • Melanie on September 27, 2013

    Tasted great - definitely a recipe worth repeating for a breakfast / brunch or to serve as a not too sweet dessert. Really easy and fun to make and came out of the oven looking pretty good too. Allow sufficient time to make these - dough needs to rise / rest etc. I substituted 2 x7g dry yeast sachets. Keep an eye on the clock, they take about 15-20min in the oven.

• Filo with poached pears and rose petals, pistachio praline, and vanilla ice cream

  • Melanie on September 27, 2013

    Amazing - tastes and looks gorgeous. I used dried rosebuds instead and removed before serving. The poached pears are great by themselves too for a simpler dessert.

• Fried haloumi cheese

  • Melanie on September 27, 2013

    Simple and delicious. No more to say really...

• Lachmajou

  • Melanie on September 27, 2013

    Yum! I made these with a pita bread base instead. The lamb / tomato mixture is delicious.

• Carrot cake

  • VineTomato on April 11, 2020

    I've made this cake four or five times, and twice in the past couple of weeks. It is really straightforward which is a win for me as firstly I'm a terrible baker, and secondly I hate baking. The former influenced by the latter, rather than the other way around :) It is light and fluffy which is nice and all but I was after some much more dense - so I used a whole bag of carrots 700g and doubled the walnuts on the second run and it came out lovely. I skipped the icing (both times) and replaced with cream cheese whipped with vanilla and maple syrup - healthier and I think yummier - like a cross between a carrot and cheese cake.

• Spinach pilaf

  • joneshayley on June 03, 2018

    Very bland, even with lemon juice. The rice took much longer to cook than recipe stated.

• Chicken with cilantro and spinach rice

  • Zosia on September 25, 2014

    This was a really tasty dish but I had a few problems with the method. The chicken was first fried and then braised but didn't really benefit from either: crisp skin became soggy and the meat didn't pick up the flavour of the braising liquid. I slipped it under the broiler to re-crisp while the rice cooked. Also, I didn't need the additional 2 cups of water for the rice; the remaining braising liquid was enough to cook it perfectly. I would make this again because the rice was so delicious but next time I would either just roast the chicken, or skin it and cook it with the rice.

• Beef casserole with carrots, onions, and cream

  • dawnelizabethtaylor on February 18, 2015

    Originally I had this marked as a 'favourite' - but, having made three times - I've decided that's it! It was so lacking in flavour - the stock really was bland so that when making the 'sauce' I had to add so much seasoning and the sauce isn't so special... Really I think I could have served a better menu with my 'topside beef'. An easy recipe - yes - I cooked mine in the slow cooker. Full of flavour - definitely not!

• Baked amaretti and vin santo plums with mascarpone cream

  • dawnelizabethtaylor on November 20, 2014

    enjoyable but too sweet; will taste and reduce next time...

• Baked chocolate puddings

  • dawnelizabethtaylor on November 20, 2014

    easy to do and good - warm from oven or chilled - if you like choc puds (my family do!)

• Linguini with asparagus and shrimp

  • dawnelizabethtaylor on November 20, 2014

    cooked diced aubergine then courgettes and added with asparagus. used local 'light' red wine and added cooked 'undefrosted' Greenland prawns - for speed. tasty.

• Spaghettini with peppercorns, anchovies, and lemon

  • dawnelizabethtaylor on November 20, 2014

    tasty due to lemon but peppercorns tasted 'antiseptic'... so, won't use the remaining peppercorns in brine again - and won't make this recipe.

• Pasta with sardines and fennel

  • dawnelizabethtaylor on November 20, 2014

    we didn't enjoy this recipe - plates left 1/2 full! won't make again.

• Jam and cream shortcake

  • Nikapai on March 03, 2018

    Quite a firm cake, and needs the cream as it has quite a dry crumb. Really delicious though, and pretty filling!

• Baked lima/butter beans, onions, tomatoes, and parsley

  • Hungry_Bek on April 21, 2021

    This was delicious. I made a big batch, froze half and used the other half for work lunch. Very tasty, and adaptable. You could use any white bean.

• Pineapple, cinnamon, and allspice cake

  • Shelmar on September 06, 2019

    Good, interesting flavors, more effort than results merited, cook 5 minutes less.

• Prego rolls

  • Shelmar on September 06, 2019

    Very good. Pound meat, reduce marinade in skillet more.

• Ricotta tart with a chocolate crust

  • Shelmar on September 06, 2019

    Very good, nice orange flavor.

• Summer pudding

  • Shelmar on September 06, 2019

    Tasty but a physical disaster. The recipe requires an exact bowl and plate. Meanwhile, the mascarpone cream with berries alone is worthy of becoming a standard.

• Zabaglione semifreddo

  • Shelmar on September 06, 2019

    Yummy, but too much knee-throbbing whisking of the custard. I'd pay for Marco's (a local restaurant) to make for me.

• Shrimp/prawns with lemon, peri-peri, garlic and feta

  • catmummery on December 31, 2021

    one of my regular go to supper dishes - super quick, absolutely delicious; self making rich, tangy sauce with prawns. great with peas and rice

• Gourmet.com

  ...we were first seduced by the sheer artistry of the book, but a closer read, followed by weeks of testing the very personal collection of recipes, proved that this memoir is a true gift.

  Full review

• House Beautiful

  An interview with Tessa Kiros about the cookbook.

  Full review