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A review by jlevans
Simply Nigella by Nigella Lawson
5.0
For more reviews, check out: http://jamiewritesthings.blogspot.com
Quite simply, my favourite cookbook.
Why? Well, as a lover of cooking and eating myself, there isn't really anyone who comes close to Nigella when I need to experience, through word or television, the passion, the excitement emulated, in waves, like (mind the shameless simile, please) an eagerly opened hot oven. This book has it all.
It drips with the humour, the sass and the intelligence we've all come to associate with the Domestic Goddess. But, where this book differs, is that like the pale, white and pink nursery innocence of the cover, it's fresh. It feels new. The recipes aren't rehashes. They're genuine, well thought out forages into novel and exciting ways of cooking. And I'm not talking about turning your kitchen into a gastro-pub: this is Nigella, after all, who makes no excuses for being lazy (which I am forever thankful for). I'm talking about zingy takes on traditional fare. Fancy some cookies? Why not try a spoon-ready, cookie dough ramekin, fresh from the oven, all gooey and chewy?
Not only are the recipes new, though. Nigella herself; her writing, the insights into her personal life, all seem revamped. It's as if we're having a stove-side natter with the cook, and she's telling us how she's finally, finally found her place in life. Her new home, her family, her friends. Her new kitchen is referenced a few times throughout, and I do truly believe that cooking and eating helped her through her darkest times. And she shares this with us, her eager readers. It is a beautiful pleasure to behold.
If you're not into food or cooking then I assume you probably won't want to read this, but I assure you, you should. I read every Nigella book from cover to cover not just because of her recipes, but because they are genuinely good reads that let us snuggle in closer to her with every subsequent publication. I'm vaguely remembering something Nigella once said, something about never needing to write an autobiography, because her cookbooks serve the same purpose. This is true. So, so true.
5 stars, of course.
Quite simply, my favourite cookbook.
Why? Well, as a lover of cooking and eating myself, there isn't really anyone who comes close to Nigella when I need to experience, through word or television, the passion, the excitement emulated, in waves, like (mind the shameless simile, please) an eagerly opened hot oven. This book has it all.
It drips with the humour, the sass and the intelligence we've all come to associate with the Domestic Goddess. But, where this book differs, is that like the pale, white and pink nursery innocence of the cover, it's fresh. It feels new. The recipes aren't rehashes. They're genuine, well thought out forages into novel and exciting ways of cooking. And I'm not talking about turning your kitchen into a gastro-pub: this is Nigella, after all, who makes no excuses for being lazy (which I am forever thankful for). I'm talking about zingy takes on traditional fare. Fancy some cookies? Why not try a spoon-ready, cookie dough ramekin, fresh from the oven, all gooey and chewy?
Not only are the recipes new, though. Nigella herself; her writing, the insights into her personal life, all seem revamped. It's as if we're having a stove-side natter with the cook, and she's telling us how she's finally, finally found her place in life. Her new home, her family, her friends. Her new kitchen is referenced a few times throughout, and I do truly believe that cooking and eating helped her through her darkest times. And she shares this with us, her eager readers. It is a beautiful pleasure to behold.
If you're not into food or cooking then I assume you probably won't want to read this, but I assure you, you should. I read every Nigella book from cover to cover not just because of her recipes, but because they are genuinely good reads that let us snuggle in closer to her with every subsequent publication. I'm vaguely remembering something Nigella once said, something about never needing to write an autobiography, because her cookbooks serve the same purpose. This is true. So, so true.
5 stars, of course.