Rating: 
Summary: beatiful and helpful
Review: every single recipe has an explanation including ideas and thoughts. how great is that? that's the best and most unique characteristic of this book.also, i substituted rice milk in place of "milk milk" for the american pancakes and the carrot cake cupcakes. do NOT do this; it was NO good. so, follow nigella's recipes to the T and you'll be dandy.
Rating:
Summary: terrific recipes and a fun read
Review: This cookbook has many good recipes, lots of friendly Nigella-chatter, and beautiful photographs of almost every dish. Sections are organized as Cakes, Cookies, Pies (savory and sweet), Desserts, Chocolate, Children, Christmas, Breads and Preserves, and one can also find recipes by name or ingredient in the index. No nutritional information is given. I've tried six recipes so far and have many more earmarked. Of the six I've made, five were quite successful and one was fine but unexciting. The burnt-butter brown-sugar cupcakes are fabulous; the brownies are perfect examples of the dense, gooey style; the gingerbread with lemon icing and the cranberry upside-down cake were both delicious; and the white bread was a very good big rustic loaf. The author generously acknowledges her sources in the text and in the bibliography and acknowledgements sections. So far I've thoroughly enjoyed this personality cookbook, really like the recipes I've tried so far, and look forward to trying many more.
Rating:
Summary: Never used a book more
Review: The absolute perfect book for the creative baker. Nigella gives ideas for different variations and always identifies which areas of the recipe can be played with and which can't. There is so much stuff jam-packed in this book that I can't see myself ever getting tired of it.
Embarrassingly enough, I couldn't find anything that I didn't want to try, so I just started at the beginning. The Easy Almond Cake was a favorite at my house, as well as the Victoria Sponge Cake (both the zucchini and the fruit version). I can't wait to try the Lavender Cupcakes.
The quality of the book itself is unsurpassable. I love the glossy pages and the beautiful photographs. Nigella always seems to take such personal care in her work, that it's like having a friend in the kitchen with you. The only problem I have with this book is that it doesn't fit into my cheap cookbook holder.
If, like me, you can't decide which you'd rather do more, eat one of Nigella's cakes, or hang out with Nigella herself - yet you balk at some of her entrees (I initially had Nigella Bites but exchanged it for this one) - this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Love this one!
Review: Like so many food lovers, I love Nigella's shows and books, and this is my favorite of hers after Forever Summer. However, this book has gotten quite a bit of flack for inacuracies in measurements and sometimes people complain about certain recipes lacking sweetness.
Believe me, you can chalk the latter complaint up to cultural differences! I have lived in Europe for several years and Americans tend to use A LOT more sugar in their desserts than Europeans. If this is the case with you, go ahead and put in some extra sugar. I, myself, have been quite satisfied with all of the recipes I've tried.
I love the Lemon Syrup Loaf Cake (so simple), the Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake, Fairy Cakes and Lily's Scones. And let's not forget the savory recipes here. The Pizza Rustica is fantastic, as is the Spinach and Sausage Pie.
I love the book but it is truly baffling that it costs the same amount as her next book, Nigella Bites. This one has a greater number of recipes and the recipes are way more interesting than NB. If you like to bake, buy this one and your friends will never leave you alone!
Rating:
Summary: An absolute must, even if you think you're inept in baking
Review: I bought this book, along with How to eat which is also brilliant, after watching Nigella Bites. And all I can say is for someone who loves good food but didn't even own a mixing bowl (of course now I have the works!) before, this book is a godsent. I have made the pavlova, several choc pudding/cakes and even the tarte tatin which to me was always gourmet chef land with a surprisingly high succes rate! Her recipes are easy to follow, fun to read and most of all, inspires you to get into that kitchen and start baking. I've even started to bake my own danish pastries, which in my pre-domestic goddess days would be unthinkable!! though I must warn you, I went through 6 sticks of butter in one weekend of domestic goddess-frenzied baking (bacon pie, steamed syrup pudding, roast chicken with stuffing, etc and tarte tatin, and yes, my husband thought I had gone mad too!) So if you're trying to lose weight don't even think of opening those pages, just looking at the luscious photos will add calories! otherwise this and 'How to Eat' are the only two cookbooks you will ever need ... until the new 'Nigella Bites' is published of course.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This a truly wonderful cookbook. And the first that I've ever wanted to own. For a person with as yet very (very) rudimentary cooking skills I felt not a trace of intimidation after looking over numerous recipes. Finally, interesting and yummy sounding food that I just may be able to make without wasting ingredients! And no matter who you are intending to entice with any of Lawson's recipes they will no doubt be welcome and greatly appreciated. Not to mention gone as soon as it is placed in front of them! (There really is something for everyone here.) The few baking excursions I have taken since I found this book came out surprisingly well and with little effort. I've still to try some (okay most) of the harder recipes, but the success I have had so far is encouraging indeed. As much as I enjoyed the food, I also enjoyed reading Lawson's remarks about each entry. Her voice is engaging and she truly gives you a great sense as to where each recipe is coming from. I never thought I would want to read a cookbook, but there you have it--I've already been through *How To Be a Domestic Goddess* twice. I can't speak for Lawson's other books, but if you do like to bake (or would like to learn) this is a very good place to start.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining to read and great recipes and ideas
Review: I have really enjoyed this book. Since buying it about 6 months ago I've baked many of the recipes (more than I previously would have ever thought I would). Nigella shines when it comes to description. This book has lots of pictures, which many people seem to expect in a cookbook. How to Eat has no pictures and it is equally as great as Goddess. The good stuff comes out in Nigella's passionate writing style (with or without the pics). Enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: A Domestic Goddess in the Making
Review: I received this book as a Christmas present one year ago, because I had recently begun to develop an interest in cooking. I am a college student with little "true" cooking experience, however I found this book to be fairly easy to follow and have had a lot of success with the recipes I have tried so far. I would describe this book as "beginner gourmet" in that some of the recipes are a bit fancy and require longer preparation time, yet others are easier and simpler to make. Today I made the London cheesecake, which turned out to be incredible. I have made the Espresso cupcakes several times of which they have always turned out really well. The Molten Chocolate Babycakes was the very first recipe I made from this book, which was also very good (highly recommend for chocolate lovers). I had a bit of difficulty with the cheese blintzes because they were pretty tedious for an inexperienced cook to make; however for a first try they did turn out pretty good. In the future I would love to make the peanut butter/chocolate squares, the rocky road and the easy almond cake. This book contains several full color photographs of the recipes, which helps me know what the recipes are supposed to look like. The book is well organized into sections such as; chocolate, children (contains simpler recipes such as cupcakes, birthday cake, the rocky road, etc...)cakes, cookies scones and muffins, bread, Christmas, etc... The only complaint that I have regards the accessability to some of the ingredients in some of the more complicated (yet very appealing) recipes. For example, I would love to attempt the Torta Alla Gianduia (the photo is a definite seller), however it calls for Nutella, a rich chocolate hazelnut spread of which I do not know where to find it. I must also mention that while this book focuses on deserts, it is not soley exclusive to them. There are recipes for bagels, pizza, jam and bread. Some of the recipes do not sound very appealing to me such as Figs in Rum Syrup, Muscat Jelly (of which I don't know what muscat is), pickled plums, Gin and Tonic Gelatin Mold, and mincemeat pie, but this is purely opinion. Overall I rate this book as excellent, especially for those of you wishing to learn more about cooking, as well as experienced chefs. I think this book is a happy medium for people at all levels and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: My favourite domestic goddess
Review: i enjoy her recipes and notes. I would like her to do some more photos.
Rating:
Summary: beautiful cookbook with recipes from decent to decadent
Review: I've had a year to work with this cookbook, and there's still several recipes I haven't gotten to. That being said, there's not a single recipe in this book that doesn't make me go, "wow, I must make that." The pictures are mouth-watering, her friendly writing style is inviting, and the recipes themselves are usually pretty good. I find that with many cookbooks I need to play around with amounts and types of ingredients - and when you're cooking from this book, it's best to use the highest quality stuff you can get your hands on for the best results (that much I found out when I had to use some lower quality butter and flour, and my muffins didn't turn out as well). If you like to play with your food, or rather, play with the making of food, this book is a great guide. You can dive in to these easy recipes and have a ball. Nothing is particularly complicated, and most of the recipes turn out to be decadent and wonderful. I especially liked the muffin recipes, and the rosebud madeleines. The snickerdoodles didn't turn out well at all, but it could be a simple preference. At any rate, you won't be disappointed in this book, as it's beautiful and useful, and just thumbing through its pages can make you feel like you're a domestic goddess.
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