Simple

I have made 6 of the recipes in this book so far, and they have all been excellent. I really like Diana Henry's cookbooks, but they're a bit of a pain to deal with on a weeknight. This one is PERFECT. In particular, we've really liked the sausage recipes so far because they're so easy to make and fast. This is one of the cookbooks that's on my regular rotation.My favorites so far are:Carrot hummus, roast tomatoes, and harissa yogurt toastCumin-roast eggplants, chickpeas, walnuts and datesbaked sausages with apples, raisins, and hard ciderMoroccan-spiced chicken with dates and eggplant

I have scanned some of these reviews and comments and wanted to note that the title Simple is referring to the simplicity of the instructions. Diana Henrys recipes are by and large written for people with well stocked pantries and with excellent access to high quality produce and meat.Reading through the recipes I am struck by how short and yes, simple, the instructions are. A good majority of these recipes are one pot meals. Maybe some searing first before adding the rest of the ingredients into the same pot and popping it into the oven, but in my opinion these recipes ARE incredibly simple recipes packed with flavor from the use of wonderful ingredients.Sure, you might need to stock preserved lemons, harissa paste, white balsamic, anchovies, marsala, vermouth, apple brandy, sherry vinegar, 'nduja, pomegranate molasses, miso paste, sambal oelek for a few of the recipes, but, at the risk of inciting wrath, in order to cook from the majority of the most current recipe books, these are things that are essential to a well stocked pantry anyway. All of these items can be purchased online if they are not in your local store. If this is not for you, then maybe this book might not be a wise purchase unless you dont mind skipping those recipes. If you already own, or are interested in purchasing these ingredients and want a book which explores simple ways of using these ingredients brilliantly, then look no further, buy this book!I went hunting through the book for produce that might be difficult for some people to find, and there were only about 5-6 recipes which I thought might require substitution if you can't access the following: ie. watercress, ogen melon, purple basil, cavolo nero, daikon, fresh rose petals. However, all the other recipes in the book had what I would consider to be common produce that I expect would be readily available pretty much anywhere.A couple of recipes had protein that might not be easily available, notably, 'ndjua (I have purchased this online easily when I couldn't find it locally) Keta roe, smoked fish (quite possibly easy to find where you live, not so easy for me) and squab, but that's about it.In short, if you like very flavorful food cooked simply, using a well stocked pantry, then this book is for you. I have been thrilled with every dish of Diana Henrys that I have made so far, and I have recently purchased ALL of her books based on the excellence of the handful of recipes I have thus far tried.Last night I made peperoni gratinati al forno from Simple, using a plethora of multicolored peppers from our tiny garden. It was delicious and yes, was quick and simple! We had it with her Porc Au Four (which was wonderful) from her book Plenty.Tonight I am making her Roast Squash with Ricotta, Smoked Cheese and Sage,from Simple, to go with the leftover Porc Au Four. I just purchased some lovely asparagus so, in the next day or so, I plan to make her Fettuccini with Asparagus and Peas and Saffron from Simple. In the next week I also plan to make her Normandy Lamb (with dry cider and apple brandy) and White Beans with Garlic and Parsley from Cook Simple and also her Chicken with Tarragon and Dijon from A Bird in the Hand.Obviously I am cooking obsessively right now from Diana Henrys books. I honestly haven't found another chef whose recipes are this delicious, this simple, this focused on great produce and perfectly married flavors for, well, forever! And I have hundreds, and hundreds of recipe books from all the greats, which I use for almost every meal.While I am at it, if you haven't made Henry's Chicken with Lavender Honey and Peaches from her book A Bird in the Hand then you simply must! You can thank me later :)

The cooking techniques in the book are indeed not difficult, per the title. The ingredients may be more accessible in the author's home town, but in mine, they're expensive and hard to find. Some would have to be Internet orders. I've been cooking fairly seriously for over fifty years, but a few of the ingredients in this cookbook are things I've never heard of.This is not everyday food--it's excellent food for guests, prepared without a great deal of trouble. But if you're looking for recipes to make for ordinary dinners, this probably isn't the cookbook for you.

A must buy for creative but simple dinners. I have made two recipes so far and they were both amazing. You will want this book and you will want to eat this food.

If you're looking for easy recipes with good ingredients, and you like putting a little time into planning your meals, this is a fantastic cookbook. I have had the book for a week or so, and i have planned my menus around the recipes in this book. All of the recipes I have tried have been delicious and yes, they were simple and effortless. The flavors are unique. The dishes plate beautifully.If you're expecting pantry staples cookbook, however, this may not be it, depending on what is in your pantry. As I mentioned a couple times, the recipes do require a bit of care and planning. Ms. Henry does a great job discussing resources as well as substitutions. I haven't had any issues finding ingredients around my town.This cookbook is for those who like to enjoy the challenge and process of cooking, but appreciate the beauty of simplicity as well. It was exactly what I hoped it would be.I did find that a couple of recipes are missing measurements in the Kindle edition. For instance it will say "1 heavy cream". Hopefully someone can edit this soon!

There aren’t enough words to say how much I appreciate and enjoy this cookbook + recipes. My husband keeps remarking I have become an incredible cook but it’s all Diana Henry. Simply one of the best.

Depending on your cooking skills, experience, and pantry contents, you might find the title of this cookbook misleading. Note that Amazon carries many of the unusual ingredients required (e.g. Sumac, pomegranate molasses). I have also found that skipped ingredients and substitutions don't detract from the meal. Some very tasty and creative recipes.

Delicious, inspiring recipes. The variety of recipes is excellent. Quick meals or more complex meals....there is plenty to choose from. Love the fusion of tastes.

Ok... Perhaps if you're already a fairly accomplished cook, with access to a wide range of international ingredients, maybe you'd agree with the title of this book.Personally, as someone who just 'gets by' but was looking to improve and vary my menu in a 'simple' way, this book almost makes me feel like a primary school kid who's accidentally stumbled into a post-grad tutorial on Ancient Babylonian.This is a big book. I've found maybe a half-dozen recipes that I'll actually be able to use (admittedly, they're good ones). However, the vast majority of these recipes call for ingredients that... well... not only are they NOT available anywhere in my part of the world, but also I've never even HEARD of many of them until flicking through this book.So, yes, if you have access to these arcane alchemical substances, maybe you'll love this book and want to give it a five-star review. But if you're more of a 'dabbler' and living outside the big cities where you might be able to buy this stuff, I think you'll find this book anything but 'simple.'

I have had this book since it was published but I have never actually used it.This is a cookbook for the rich or those that like booze. Full of hard to obtain ingredients and certainly not suitable for children. The usual ‘ buy organic and free range’ preachiness .Very expensive recipes. The usual from Diana Henry ( who wont even reply if you ask her a question on social media, unless you’re a chef/ food writer)

I like Diana Henry’s approach to food and cookery writing. She has passion about what she prepares and eats and it comes across in her writing. I prefer cookery books as paper copies, but picked this up as a 99p ebook. It works well on iPad and Fire with plenty of colour and hyperlinks, so it’s user friendly and easy to navigate.The thinking behind this book is to inspire some really tasty meals that are easy to prepare and won’t break the bank. But these are midweek meals with a difference; they use ingredient inspired by all sorts of flavours but fuss free. Griddled chicken and thyme, Moroccan chicken with dates and aubergine. These recipes are inspirational but don’t require out of the ordinary ingredients and they’re not difficult to prepare. I love this book and recommend it to anyone with even the remotest interest in food and cooking.

This book has transformed my cooking. I’ve always been a keen cook & have shelves of cookery books but this is a cut above them all. Everything I’ve cooked has been stunningly good. Inspiring recipes & flavours & easy to do - thank you Diana, this is pure gold!

Finally had time yesterday to sit and read this beautiful book cover to cover. I want to make pretty much everything in it. I love both the food and the way she writes - adding useful tips specific to cooking methods that you don’t necessarily get elsewhere. And a real mix of recipes from light to carby, from vegan (just swap out dairy) to carnivore, and from breakfast to dinner. They’re not complex recipes and you can always take the ideas and simplify if you need to. I use books like this to reignite my own cooking imagination and this one set it ablaze.