Notes about Recipes in this book

• Tarka dahl

  • redbirdo on January 18, 2017

    This was very easy and absolutely delicious, although I doctored the recipe a bit. I didn't use chilli, only used 40g butter, used ground cumin instead of seeds (added at the end), and mixed the garlic/butter into the dahl.

• Huevos rancheros

  • redjanet on April 29, 2012

    I'm trying to eat more healthily these days and found that this was a good recipe for a Sunday morning cooked breakfast. I substituted low calorie cooking spray for butter and left out the sugar and the results were still fresh-tasting and flavourful.

• Fusilli with tuna, capers and cream

  • redjanet on December 08, 2011

    This was very quick and easy to prepare within ten minutes, but I did find it overall a bit bland. It's a good store-cupboard recipe to have up your sleeve, though, so I think if I try it again I may add a squeeze of lemon juice and zest.

• Chicken and bacon pilaf

  • TLouise on June 28, 2021

    Very tasty easy to prepare rice dish. I swapped the cooked chicken for turkey as that was what I had on hand and it was very nice. Definitely make again

• Easy lemon cake

  • redbirdo on May 23, 2015

    When I made this it barely rose at all. I did think 1/2 tsp baking powder didn't seem much but I'll reserve judgement for now as I'm suspicious of the co-op flour I've been using - I've had failed muffins and pancakes with it as well. The cake still tasted delicious and was very easy to make, so I'll definitely try it again.

• Pan-fried chicken with watermelon and mint salsa

  • jammydodger on June 19, 2014

    The chicken wasn't quite cooked through after the 2 minutes on each side, but it does look thinner in the recipe. We added some Cajun seasoning, which went well with the watermelon salsa. Nice enough, although I'm not sure it's a go to recipe for us.

• Chicken noodle stir-fry

  • redjanet on December 06, 2011

    This had a nice, gentle flavour, though, as I used flat rice noodles, which took longer to cook and were still too al dente, it was quite messy to eat. Not completely Rachel Allen's fault, but still kind of put me off making it again.

• Banoffee pancakes

  • Melanie on August 30, 2014

    Easy to whip up and the results were pretty fluffy (for non buttermilk pancakes). We served these with the suggested bananas and caramel sauce (Dorie Greenspan's recipe as I had some leftover in the fridge to heat up) and skipped the ice cream / whipped cream.

• Chocolate mascarpone mousse

  • Nichill on March 29, 2015

    Available online at http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/648584

• Fish baked with potatoes

  • Foodelf on April 29, 2012

    I expected to really enjoy this - but found it very one-note and a touch boring. Perhaps I'll revisit it at a later date.

• Chicken, parsnip and potato bake

  • redjanet on March 04, 2012

    This was easy enough to put together, and nice enough, but a bit bland and not very special. A good way to use up some spare potatoes and parsnips though.

• Red lentil soup

  • Melanie on August 26, 2014

    Very quick and easy to make on a weeknight (tasty and healthy too!). I substituted two tinned tomatoes for one fresh one and just used water instead of stock. To increase the flavour I added slightly more lemon juice, ginger, parsley and chilli than the recipe calls for - this made for quite a tasty soup using basic ingredients. The key thing to be aware of was the quantity - recipe indicates this serves 4 however we only got 2.5 servings out of this when served as a main!

• Kale and bean stew

  • redbirdo on November 05, 2013

    Easy and delicious, even without the white wine. I felt the cooking times were a bit excessive (50 mins including prep), so I cut it down to about 30 mins altogether. Possibly the flavours would have been more developed if I'd followed the specified times but it tasted great to me and I rarely have an hour to cook on a weeknight! EDITED TO ADD: Made it again with the white wine - nowhere near as nice. Leave the wine out!

• Mediterranean pasta

  • redjanet on November 27, 2011

    Good, easy comfort food for a cold winter night. The chorizo gave this good flavour and the mozzarella added at the end gave it a comforting richness of texture.

• Chicken open-pot roast

  • Foodelf on April 29, 2012

    This was fantastic and couldn't be much easier. Delicious, rich & surprisingly complex ... this hit of Dijon mustard was wonderful and I admit, I was generous with it. I'll be making this often!

  • redbirdo on January 18, 2017

    Very easy and delicious. My son complained about the amount of lemon, but in future that can easily be left out for him as it's stirred in at the end. He's perpetually starving so he ate it anyway ;0)

• Beef pie

  • redbirdo on January 18, 2017

    Fabulous but takes a bit of time - I consider this a weekend recipe.

• Broccoli and oyster sauce

  • redjanet on January 18, 2014

    An easy, tasty way to serve broccoli. The soy sauce and oyster sauce might make it more appealing to those who are not overly fond of broccoli, though I did find the proportions slightly overpowering and made it the dish a bit too salty for my tastes.

• Sticky roast carrots in maple syrup

  • TLouise on January 27, 2021

    No need to par-boil and they were perfectly cooked in the specified timing. I would definitely make these again.