Product Description

Nigella is now not only the best and most glamorous young home cook in Britain, and a great cookery writer, she's also become a household name. Her first short series on Channel 4 had over 2 million viewers and propelled her from success into stardom. How to Eat sold spectacularly on the back of the first unheralded 5-part series. Nigella Bites is a must-have for every viewer and all her fans. Some recipes are based on her popular Vogue columns, others are new and different, and all are characteristic of Nigella and the ethos of the TV series - uncomplicated, original, fresh, and perfect for the way we live today. They're easy to produce after a busy day at the office, fun to linger over at weekends or to make with the kids, delectable to read about, dreamy to look at and delicious to eat. They include Late Breakfasts, Party Food, TV Dinners, Trailer Trash , Big Lunches, Indoor Picnics, and other delights. Nigella wants her readers and her viewers to enjoy eating and cooking. With her, how could anyone resist!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3706 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 260 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Her devotees will be relieved to learn that, in Nigella Bites, the goddess returns among us, her attributes unmodified: the cashmere twinsets, the hair, the postmodern penchant for trailer trash, the eerily intense gaze, the Kim Novak eyebrows, all are present in this lavishly illustrated accompaniment to the TV series. To these may now be added the Playboy-bunny T-shirt and the lilac pashmina worn recklessly and negligently at the barbecue. So much for the essentials, now what about the food?

The Nigella formula of fashion-flouting comfort food with knobs on is now pretty firmly established, so it will come as no surprise to find here American Pancakes with Wafer-Bacon and Maple Syrup, Chicken Soup with Kniedlach, Italian Sausages with Lentils, Whitebait or Chocolate Fudge Cake; yet there is room too for more sophisticated fare such as Thai Yellow Pumpkin and Seafood Curry, Bitter Orange Ice-Cream and Bagna Cauda. The chapter titles give as good an indication of the approach as one might want: they include All-Day Breakfast, Comfort Food, TV Dinners, Rainy Day and Trashy. Trashy (and one feels this chapter will in many ways give the most pleasure) offers a modified version of the now-notorious Ham in Coca-Cola from How to Eat, deep-fried Bounty bars in batter and the calorifically devastating Elvis Presley's Fried Peanut-Butter and Banana Sandwich.

This exemplifies the Lawson approach, teasing but serious, liberating too. It would be fair to say that there is probably nothing in this luscious and clever book that you wouldn't find a pleasure to cook and eat at home. --Robin Davidson

Customer Reviews

not just a pretty face!
I felt I had to write a review of this book purely because of others opinions; from many reviews I got the feeling that people thought the book contained too many pictures of Nigella, I wasn't put off by these comments, although I kept them in mind and decided to purchase the book anyway. And I am so glad that I followed my instincts and other fair reviews of the book. There are a minimal amount of photos of Nigella, and besides why not? it is after all her book! On the actual recipe content; I find Nigella's recipes interesting and easy to follow. Obviously some are not everyday foods and is exactly why they are included in themes within the book; 'Comfort food' 'Trashy' 'Rainy days' which I find makes the book even more endearing. A good buy with some fantastic puddings (although I am partial to like these recipes more than the others in the book!) unless you're overly picky!

Stretchy waistbands are a must!
I love this book, it fits in so well with the recipes I am used to cooking from; old family recipes measured in bizzarely unique units of '2 mugfuls of flour - use blue mug with broken handle'.

It's like having someone there cooking with you, which makes the whole process of choosing what to cook and actually preparing it a much more relaxed affair, as you can be confident that you're not in for any nasty surprises. If you still think you might be a bit nervous cooking, for instance, 'ham in coca-cola' for the first time, just mix up a jugful of Nigella's Bloody Mary and it wont seem half as bad!

Nigella, if you're reading this (as you claim to be a late-night Amazon addict) then I just want to say a big THANKYOU - especially for the choc fudge cake.... and the orange muffins.... and the chicken soup.... oooooh, and the salt and pepper squid - amazing!

Great Food, Great Fun
This is the first of Ms Lawson's books that I encountered and I absolutely loved her style of writing. Its all so realistic..."you can make this dish by doing this, this and this but if its all too much trouble just pop the lot in a blender and blitz." Her pancakes are a regular feature at breakfast in our house as are most of the cakes and biscuits. I think one of the most enjoyable aspects of this book is that you can sit down and read it at any time, not just when you are looking for inspiration!