Rating: 
Summary: Excellent recipes and engaging prose
Review: Though the recipes can be quite English (steamed puddings and the like), there are several that I can't wait to try. Most are a bit fancier than the predictable cookies, bars, and cakes in similar cookbooks. Not a whole lot more effort, though, and in most cases she encourages shortcuts. Very entertaining and a lovely cookbook all around.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun but be wary
Review: Just wanted to add my 2 cents to the other reviews here by showing which recipes worked for me and which didn't. I had great luck with: butterscotch layer cake, rhubarb grunt, scones, rosemary loaf cake, baklava muffins, lemon syrup loaf, red currant clafouti.
Not so great luck with: Granny Boyd's cookies--I think the shortbready texture is correct, but Nigella must be using a different type (or amount) of cocoa--you can't taste chocolate at all w/just 2 tablespoons. Supper Onion Pie just wasn't so hot when I tried it.
Mixed: damp lemon-almond cake--it IS very buttery. I found after it sat a day or 2 it tasted great--but it was way too buttery when it was still warm.
chocolate loaf cake--I was a little ho-hum on this one. Overall, this cookbook is great to read and to look at. Some of the recipes are great, and not all are difficult or time-consuming--I'm not sure why the one reviewer has such a bee in his/her bonnet about the "superwoman" aspect. Duh, she doesn't SUGGEST you rush home from work and bake one of these things EVERY NIGHT. Personally I find the author's approach very refreshing; she's upfront in each recipe about how hard or time-consuming it is, and some are very easy--the rhubarb grunt is so easy and SO good, and the same goes for Lily's scones. However, I'm very annoyed that the publisher wasn't more careful with the American edition in testing recipes--I do think that amounts and types of ingredients are off in some cases. Argh!
Rating: 
Summary: great read and delicious recipes!
Review: When I buy a cookbook the first thing I do when I get home is sit down and read it word for word, just like a regular book. This book kept me entertained for hours on end and it still does when I decide to read it again. Nigella is very gifted and really knows how to write. Luckily, not only is it a good read, but it contains fantastic recipes as well. It is a large book, and I haven't tried near all the ones I've wanted to, but I've tried 5 and they have all turned out beautifully.
Rating:
Summary: I like it better...
Review: This book is better than this latest book she wrote.
Rating:
Summary: Nigella is artistry
Review: In food, and in words. If you enjoy cooking, this book is a complete culinary experience. There are recipies in this book that you will find nowhere else, and if you have a taste for british cuisine, her recipies are the best. Whether you actually cook from this book, or simply read through it, you will enjoy Nigella.
Rating:
Summary: A 4.7 on a scale of 1 to 5-a beautiful, thoughtful cookbook
Review: How many times can you say that a cookbook is thoughtful? Yet, Nigella Lawson injects so much insight and thinking into her writing about the art of baking. This book is as much a treat to read as her delicacies are to eat.
Lawson's recipes are straightforward and relatively simple (she warns you when there is work). I would heed other reviewers' cautions about keeping an eye on the fats-clearly, she does not worry about cholestrol. However, all of the recipes that I have tried (about 10-15) worked beautifully both when I modified the fats and when I didn't.
I would recommend this book for the beginner who wants to try baking and the more experienced cook who wants to think about it. I would not recommend this book for anyone looking for ways to cut calories out of his or her diet!
Rating:
Summary: Great writing, slightly unreliable recipes
Review: I love Nigella Lawson's writing, and her cookbooks are beautiful, but beware the amounts of ingredients, especially of butter and oils. Maybe the translations of ingredients for the American edition are at fault, but in most of the recipes I've tried so far, there was entirely too much butter -- so much that I found that the taste and scent of other ingredients such as almonds and lemons were almost totally drowned out. I have gone back and halved the amount of butter called for in many recipes, and the cakes, etc., have come out much better. I have also halved the number of eggs and experienced better results. I am not into low-fat baking recipes, but the fat content in many of these is so high it is almost ridiculous, and, without question, unnecessary. Definitely buy the book because it really is wonderful reading, but be careful and trust your instincts when it comes to amounts of ingredients. This is not a good book for beginner cooks: you really need to know your way around baking in order to fix up the recipes for good results. If you do have experience, however, it is a delight for good baking and cooking ideas. I have all of Nigella Lawson's books and do love them.
Rating:
Summary: Yummy
Review: Lawson has written this book, which is as much a food narrative as it is a cookbook, to encourage others to take joy and pleasure in food preparation. She would like to see cooking, especially baking, become pleasurable rather than a chore. I liked the narrative in this book....it certainly makes the cookbook more personal and interesting. Instead of endless pages of ingredients and recipes, Lawson "talks" to her readers. She defines comfort cooking as "feeling good, wafting along in the sweet, warm-smelling air, unwinding, no longer being just an office creature". I can't wait to try the Zucchini Cake, the Sponge Drops (which she calls saucer cakes), the Pistachio Macaroons, and some of the trifles. (I will be cautious, however, based on some of the comments made here. Too many people have written about "bad" recipes to not take their warnings into consideration.)
Rating:
Summary: baking is good therapy :)
Review: I love this book. I am a big fan of Nigella's books, and although I am not really a "baker" - more of a home gourmet cook- I have really got an affectionate place in my heart for baking. This book is great, because when I have the urge to bake, or I need to bake something quick to take over to someone's house, or I want an intricate recipe to spend the afternoon making - this book satisfies my every mood. The easy almond cake is just that, and was so worth buying a springform pan for - looks as impressive as heck and is so quick ;) . Tonight I came home and forty five minutes later I had wonderful rose scented madeleines that were already cooked! What I like about Nigella Lawson is that she understands that so many people have busy lifestyles and that if every recipe that we see for baking is intricate and complicated and time consuming that we just won't do it - we will get too discouraged. There are simple, classic and delicious baked goods that one can make well and make often, and there are some spectacular recipes when you want to pull out all the stops. Oh, and since I didn't really mention it, there are plenty of savory baked goods in this book, as well as some lovely baked things for children. I just haven't made these ones - yet...
Buy it, don't be scared, baking is fun, and yes, it can be truly therapeutic (especially yeasty breads and things you can pound)
Rating:
Summary: Defending the Domestic Goddess
Review: I bought this book after seeing Nigella on tv. I read some of the reviews listed here and frankly, the people who claim their recipes did not turn out, something must have gone wrong - because every recipe I have made has turned out perfect and delicious and wonderful. I made the 'Chocolate Chestnut Cake', which was perfect. A light and wonderful cake, with a unique texture and not overly sweet taste. I have also made the 'Carrot Cake cupcakes' Which was a hit at the party I attended. Moist and flavorful - it was the only dessert at the party to completely disappear! The snickerdoodles were different from the American version, but simply delicious anyway. And her frostings and cake adornment suggestions are wonderful. She's not afraid to share short cuts and tips to make your life easier. She usually tells you exactly what she does and then tells you several things you could do if you don't want to do it her way. She is a wonderful cook and this book showcases some simple, and delicious recipes as well as her delightful sense of humor! I Highly recommend this book!
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