Jamie at home : cook your way to the good life

This book combines three of my favorite things to do: Reading, cooking, and gardening. What I have tried:
Tray-baked meringue with pears, cream toasted hazelnuts and chocolate sauce on page 39. The picture on page 38 is actually what made me purchase the book ! Great dessert. Next time I will try

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strawberries instead of pears, or banana, or pineapple, blueberries. (April 26, 2008)

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Jamie Oliver's cookbooks are always a joy to read, full of great stories, wonderful recipes, and beautiful photos. This is no exception -- and it comes with the added benefit of seasonal recipes (even if Britain's seasonal offerings don't quite match those in the US) and delightful book design.

Another brilliant book by Jamie Oliver. And this time, as he confesses on the first page, Jamie has fallen in love with his garden, discovered a hidden passion for growing all things edible, and shares some of his new found gardening tips, as well as many new, mouth-watering recipes. The book takes

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you through his growing year, the photos show what's growing, what's cooking and some beautiful British countryside. Once again Jamie is trying to convince us all by example, that good food isn't hard to grow or to cook, and to have your own, home grown produce right at the back door, is just the incentive we all need to get cooking. We don't all have the resources of Jamie Oliver, but what I always get from his books, is the urge to 'have a go', tweak a recipe a little and have fun in my kitchen. Jamie says it very simply, - "It just never occurred to me that it might be as easy as taking some seeds out of a packet and popping them into the ground. But it is!" …….. haha, said with the true innocence of a new gardener :)

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Another "Go to" Favourite of mine love the seasonality of this book great recipes for mid week meals to entertaining the family!!

OK, I really like Jamie. I want to go back in time & hang out w/him before fame & all that. Tho I must admit, he doesn't look spoilt by the fame!
I've enjoyed his cook books, this is the first I've said: I must march out the & buy this!

and I will.

:)

Personally I didn't like this book, I wouldn't use it, but for those who are in to very natural foods with the explanations: all the different types of eggs & how they are produced; how to grow asparagus; how to grow rhubarb; how to barbecue; types of lamb; and or chilies & peppers....... This is a

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good book for you. In fact I view it more of a text book with recipes rather than a cookbook. It is 398 pages!

The pages are non-glossy paper; the photographs (although abundant) are neither always of the dishes nor are they very appetizing; the color of the pages varies as does the color of the font; the font is not always readable as the ingredients are in bold font, but the instructions are small non-bold font.

Contents: a nice little chat; spring; summer; autumn; winter; useful stuff; thanks; and index

Spring: asparagus / eggs / lamb / rhubarb

Summer: barbecue / cabbage family ' carrots & beets / climbing beans / zucchini / onions / peas & fava beans / pizza / potatoes / strawberries / summer salads / tomatoes

Autumn: chillies & peppers / feathered game / furred game / mushrooms / orchard fruit / pickles

Winter: leeks / pastry / squash / winter salads / winter veg

Useful stuff: my favorite seed & plant varieties / where to buy them / other good addresses & websites

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Inspired somewhat by the British show, The Good Life, Oliver not only provides recipes, but also gardening tips on how to grow your own fruits and veg. There are chapters on tomatoes, peas and beans, onions, and strawberries. There are sections about growing and cooking according to the seasons,

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and he addresses egg production, hunting, and fresh game such as pheasants and rabbit. While I won't be shooting my dinner anytime soon, I did make his version of tomato salad and Indian carrot salad. I've tried many of Oliver's recipes and have found them to be flavorful and easy.

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I must say that his 'voice' grates on my mental ears. 'Your mates will be so impressed when you say you made it yourself.' Yes, I do understand that he's trying to reach a different group of (non)readers and (non)cooks. but it grates on me. He's also too cheerful and enthusiastic about everything.

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'It's so easy!' A lot of his recipes depend on having a lot of 'mates' to eat it all up. What is a reasonable amount of effort for 6 or 8 just isn't for 2.

The growing instructions are fairly standard, and would probably work fine for anyone having lots of space and time (and strength). Again, they aren't aimed at me.

On the other hand, every now and then you turn the page and see just what you need for supper in a day or two. Like Italian ham and spinach (or chard) tart.

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