Plenty Hardcover – October 18, 2010

Great recipes and nice layout. I have only made one or two dishes, but I have over 100 recent cookbooks....I give the older ones away. I really like the variety and the ingredients are ready available at most main town grocery stores.There are some odd ball stuff that only a really experienced cook would make, but it's nice to have a variety for the novice and the experienced. And, if you have some odd ball something you don't know what to do with before it goes bad, this has something to make.Layout is really nice and lots of pictures. Wish I could recommend some dishes but I'm in the process of moving:)This would be a great gift purchase for a friend/family not opposed to meat/chicken or fish....but plenty of veggies and dessert options. The book is pretty extensive.....perhaps check out from your local library since not many books these days on Amazon has the "peak inside" option with the index

I'd like to give it 10 stars, because it has encouraged my husband to cook! Her collection of recipes are eclectic and affordable without diminishing flavour. I love her vegetable section - tasty and not fattening with lots of cheese and cream. At the last minute, I tried one of her beef stew recipes and had all of the ingredients in my cupboard! Therefore, not expensive and excellent. My husband still talks about that beef with oranges and olives. It is a step above any of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks. Great for beginner as well as intermediate cooks. The quality and size of the book are perfect and says: grab me and use me! I own over 300 cookbooks, and this one has been placed in my "use a lot" shelf. This English cookbook will compliment any cookbook collection with lots of sweet and fat American ones. Diana is the "practical" Alice Waters. Her flavors will impress on a budget!

This has quickly become my go-to cook book and I find myself wishing other books in my collection were structured similarly. The author has done a great job providing variations on her main recipes. For the novice cook, this will help readers learn how to tweak basic recipes when ingredient substitutions are necessary or if the mood strikes. For the more advanced cook, it provides that extra push to get you thinking "what if..." when planning meals. Bonus: This cookbook uses relatively basic ingredients that many people will already have in their pantries, none of them expensive.

Diana Henry continues to write interesting and stimulating cookbooks, I am a great fan, whether it be gastro pub food, "food to warm the soul" (Roast Figs, Sugar Snow) or "Enchanting dishes from the Middle East. Mediterranean and North Africa (Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons). This book follows proudly in their footsteps although this time she aims for good uncomplicated food for the sustainable kitchen.To address this problem she emphasizes cooking seasonally and celebrating leftovers, using sustainable fish as well as using economical but delicious cuts of meat. On occasions she allays the fears of the timid cook, often frightened by a long list of ingredients, by pointing out the cooking techniques are not complex. Interesting substitutions, such as the use of breadcrumbs for grated parmesan even consider our health!I cannot comment on every dish in the book because I am apt to dip into cookbooks for dishes that sound interesting, but the cassoulet, for example, although taking longer to cook than the recipe specified was delicious.The chapters deal with the roast and using leftovers (including variations); vegetables; dried foods (such as lentils, beans and chickpeas); grains (such as rice, quinoa,couscous and barley); fish (including shellfish); cheaper cuts of meat (including lamb shoulder and breast, pork cheeks and shoulder, braising beef, skirt steak and oxtail); soups; the use of wild foods; and desserts using fruits. Thus it may appear to be like someone turning the clock back to an age in which wastefulness was frowned upon and people learned to make the most of what was available. This book, however, does not turn the clock back to bland dishes. Rather, consideration is given to taste and the use of cooking techniques from many parts of the world. All in all very much a cookbook for our present day and one to which people starting to cook as well as more experienced cooks should give serious consideration.

I originally picked this book up at the library and immediately fell in love. The recipes in it range from deceptively simple to delightfully complex. The beer and lamb chili is by far one of my favorites, and there are plenty of veggie only options to choose from too. We found most of the recipes to be rather affordable too, with easy substitutions for the more expensive ingredients. It's not going to be for everyone, but this cookbook has found a home in our regular weeknight dinner plans.

I checked this book out from the local library and was very impressed. There are so many great recipes and flavor combinations. The author also does a good job using ingredients that are easy to find or are already in a well stocked kitchen. This book has quite a few meat recipes, so it's not as useful for a vegetarian like myself. But I did buy this as a gift for my mom for Christmas and was able to steal a few recipes out of it for myself. Overall a great book to any home chef's collection.

This was a gift for a vegetarian who actually requested it...although it's not strictly vegetarian. They loved it and have used it many times. Very happy with it and it's a beautiful book. I highly recommend it.

What can I say. I am a Diana Henry fan. Love her books.

I adore Diana Henry’s style and attitude! Just love holding the book and sipping in haven’t done anything fro it yet working through get simple book at present