Product Description

Chef James Martin offers simple-to-prepare recipes for classic British meals, from the humble pork pie to roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, battered cod and chips and steak and kidney pie. Also included are some of the best dishes we have adopted from overseas, such as chicken tikka masala and spaghetti bolognaise. The recipes are divided into eight chapters: all-day breakfasts; soups, tarts and terrines; roasts, pies and bakes; stews, pots and spicy foods; fish and seafood; extras; puds; and cakes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86669 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-14
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

Review
British food, yes. British dinners, yes again. But British cuisine, no. There is something about what we, the British, call British food that rests uneasily in a broader context of, for example, European cookery. As if roast beef and Yorkshire pudding give food a bad name. British food, orthodox opinion has it, is just an embarrassment to the rest of Europe. Even Americans laugh at British food. There can be no escaping the strong negative connotations of British heritage cookery, but James Martin here makes the most of some very simple dishes and recipes, not all of them British (there is more to British dinners than British food). Food nostalgia is popular and there is some evidence that traditional British food is fashionable, perhaps with a younger demographic.

About the Author
James Martin - regular presenter on Ready Steady Cook and Housecall, has his own series Delicious on UK Food and is author of Delicious and Eating in with James Martin. Jean Cazelle - successful food photographer, who is best known for his books with Raymond Blanc and his work in lifestyle magazines.

Customer Reviews

GREAT BRITISH DINNERS, GREAT BRITISH CHEF
tHIS BOOK IS A DELIGHT TO READ FROM START TO FINISH. THE RECIPES ARE EASY TO FOLLOW & AS ALWAYS WITH JAMES'S BOOKS HAVE HANDY HINTS & TIPS. ALSO FROM PURCHASING THIS BOOK I NOW HAVE THE CONFIDENANCE TO COOK A FULL ROAST DINNER, WHICH IS SOMETHING I WOULDNT HAVE DONE BEFORE , IT REALLY IS AS EASY AS JAMES SAYS.

A nice and simple cockery receipe guide
James Martin's Great British Dinners is a nice and simple cookery recipes guide, with the key main features which every cookery book should incorporate. It has an easy layout, simple step by step instructions of individual dishes, pictures of dishes and concise explanations of every dish. Technical jargon is kept to a minimal. The recipes are categories in terms of all day breakfasts, soups, roasts, pie & bakes, spicy foods, fish, vegetables, pudding and cakes. A variety of dishes you can cook and sample a taste of. A few good examples of traditional British dishes featured in the guide include pancakes, roast lambs, shepherd pie, macaroni cheese, fish pie, chocolate mouse and so on.

James Martin's Great British Dinners is ideal book for beginners or anyone who want to polish their cookery skills and learn the fine perfection of good cooking. It is a great way of trying out different recipes if you looking for variety and be more creative in your cooking.

What's great about garlic?!
A very odd and contradictory book - while the recipes are fairly well written, there is a lot of rubbish as well..."yes I know free-range and organic chicken tastes better, but my Grandma, Mum, and Auntie never used them so they have no place in this book" - an odd comment, but then the recipe (for Roast Chicken) uses a WHOLE bulb of garlic! I don't think his Grandma would have had much use for that either. There are also a number of recipes that sound tradtionally British but are lathered in garlic - a substance that is seemingly taking over the cookery world!!