Product Description

Sixty years ago food was in short supply and malnutrition rates were high. The Ministry of Food was set up to teach the public how to make the best use of the food available to them. Fast forward to the present day, where we have unlimited choices and plenty of food, yet we're living in a world of junk food, additives and preservatives. Our war is now against obesity, as most people have little or no idea about how to cook and what makes a balanced diet. We need to learn from the past. We need to look back at the way our grandmothers and great-grandmothers cooked – wholesome, tasty food that was simple and quick to prepare. If you're a complete beginner in the kitchen, Jamie's promise to you is that you'll be making some great dinners within hours of reading his book. A little knowledge and a few basic tools can go a long way, and this book is your first step . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-03
• Released on: 2008-10-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 360 pages

About the Author
Jamie Oliver started cooking at his parents' pub, The Cricketers, in Clavering, Essex, at the age of eight, and quickly developed a passion for cooking which continued through his training at the Neal Street restaurant and The River Cafe. In 2002 he founded Fifteen restaurant in London and the associated charity the Fifteen Foundation, which continues to train disadvantaged young people to become chefs. There are now three other Fifteen restaurants in the world. Jamie has also recently started up the Jamie's Italian chain of high street restaurants. In 2005 Jamie led a campaign to improve the quality of school dinners in the UK and through the Feed Me Better campaign caused the government to substantially change its policy towards school food. Jamie continues to write for publications in the UK and around the world. He lives in London and Essex with his wife, Jools, and their daughters, Poppy and Daisy.

Customer Reviews

Proper fuss free food.
I got this book with the aim of getting my 14 year old to cook, however my husband hasn't put it down yet and he has made nearly every recipe in the book. We needed to change the way we ate and this book has given loads of ways to do that. (In fact it was exactly the kick up the bum we needed to get away from ready made meals etc.)
Jamie, I want to thank you for writing this book!
Oh and I have given it away as a present... does that count for the pass it on???

Nice Idea, some of the recipes are very bland.
I enjoyed the TV programme and as I'm somewhat of a basic cook I decided to try the book. The book is well written and the recipes are very easy to follow, only problem is the taste! I've tried about six of the main courses and in there original state without adding extras, they're extremely bland. Would recommend "Can't Cook Want to Learn" if your a beginner and its much cheaper.

This is one I'll buy for friends
I hesitated for a while over buying this because I'm actually quite a decent cook and I own a lot of cook books already. I eventually bought it in the hopes that it would give me some good ideas for routine day to day meals and I was not disappointed. I particularly enjoyed the section on salads where the principle of salad construction and dressings are explained and the section on curries as these are something I've only bought as ready meals or take-aways before.

I'm definitely going to buy more copies of this book for friends who are less able cooks than I am as I'm confident they can pick up lots of basics from this.