At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking Hardcover – 21 Sept. 2017

Reading At My Table, I feel like Nigella has returned to a place which she has not seen since Nigella Bites (or perhaps Feast), in that the book truely explores traditional and homely food, the type of food which you can expect to find around a dinner table. Although, like Simply Nigella, At My Table brings in new ways of using ingredients to make traditional foods exciting. Gone are the fashionable food 'fads' of Kitchen and Express, and I feel that she is finally, and truely, cooking both for us readers and for herself.I can remember first picking up Simply Nigella and thinking it was one of her weakest publications, with many unusual recipes. Since then I have came to think of Simply Nigella as her attempts to experiment with new food ideas, to not only bring new ways of using ingredients to our attention but perhaps so she herself could rediscover the joys of the kitchen. At My Table only makes me think this more!The recipes are similar to the food found in Nigella Bites, both in ideas and in the ease of cooking. Recipes which stand out to me include her new take on Sticky Toffee Pudding, Slow Roast Pork Shoulder, Roast Poussins (as I am obsessed with meat-cinnamon food combinations at the moment), Pear & Passionfruit Chutney, Corainder & Jalapeno Salsa, Spiced Almonds, Butternut & Sweet Potato Curry and, the recipe which starts the book, Turkish Eggs. Recipes themselves are clear, and with Nigella's usual charm, each featuring step-by-step instruction, make ahead/store/freeze notes, and each recipe features an introduction.I must praise the first review for featuring an in depth analysis of the book and a recipe list. The review, however, complains that the book lacks pictures of Nigella, but I think this brings more of a focus to the food itself, and so it seems fitting for a book similar to her early work (How to Eat features no pictures whatsoever). Of course, it also follows the style of Simply Nigella, so seems, at the same time, "new."If I had a complaint about the book, it would be that it is not a particularly large offering, but still not small. Also, as most of the recipes are the type to quickly enter your daily food routines, none of the space seems wasted in the book.This will definitely be my new go-to cookbook!

This is a very simple cookbook full of really lovely ideas for home cooking. It is full of many recipes and all very much doable by practically anyone. This is not challenging or groundbreaking, but I use it for midweek meals in which I feel like making something a bit more interesting. It is practical in the sense if you want people to come over she has a whole section on how to make the recipes ahead. I don't mind having a cookbook for simpler occasions, however, if you want something widely different and exotic this book is not it.I have made the apple pork chops with slaw- which I loved. It filled my house with a lovely smell of allspice. I have also made the emergency brownies- which is perfect for my husband and I when I feel like cooking a full 3 course meal on the weekends.I have also made the turbot with peas and cider- now did I make a variation of this before-yes but this recipe gave me ways of elevating a meal I would have already made.I have to admit as well it is a joy to read. I love her style of writing.

...that being the final sentence from the short & sweet, back cover quote of Nigella’s new book.📝 ‘A celebration of home cooking in over a hundred recipes: inspiring, achievable and always delicious.’✯ AT MY TABLE✯ 'FIRST EDITION with TERRACOTTA EDGES'✯ NIGELLA LAWSON✯ CHATTO & WINDUS✯ SEPTEMBER 2017‘Happiness is best shared'After another gap of nearly 2 years, Nigella is back with this new publication.Published to coincide with the TV series of the same name, this is an elegantly produced book ‘in memory of Ed Victor’.Although I am generally impressed with the content overall, to me, it lacks a certain special ingredient...Nigella herself.Don’t get me wrong; the typical NL banter is there, the passion is there, the omnipresent encouragement is there. There is a good cross-section of recipes for all seasons; well laid out for the best part with little white space and the book is jam-packed with incredible colourful illustrations from the seriously talented JONATHAN LOVEKIN that show what you are aiming for on the plate.These sometimes spill off the page or across a complete, double-page spread for maximum impact!BUT...although Nigella appears simply in BLACK & WHITE (© David Ellis) on the front cover, this, strangely, is the one and only shot of the lady in the whole book.Gone is the scattering of full-colour shots of Nigella at home, i.e. the double-page spreads that opened the chapters of  Simply Nigella .In fact, there are no chapters at all!In fairness, Nigella defends the format of  At My Table  in her intro, and I do get it...to a point, but I so miss that old-fashioned familiarity that rings out in the TV shows.However, a cookery book is a different thing to different people.Choosing & successfully working a recipe is the important thing, after all.Mini-whinge over.ooOooFrom the 6-page introduction:📝 ‘This book, like all the books I’ve written and all the cookery books I’ve read, is not just a manual, but a collection of stories and a container of memories. But then, any recipe every written, any meal ever eaten, is a story, the story of home cooking, which, in turn, is about who we are, where we’ve come from and the lives that we’ve lived, and what we say to each other – all those assertions of love, friendship, hospitality, hope – when we invite people to sit at our table and eat the food we’ve made for them...’The chunky hardback measures in around 19.25 cm x 24.75 cm x 2.5 cm.The front cover colour scheme is in two shades of TERRACOTTA, for the lightly textured floral band down the right hand side, the same pattern that is on the back cover.The 288 quality, matte-finish pages are edged in a similar shade, which is a nice extra touch (for the first edition run).The main title, ‘AT MY TABLE’ is in the darker shade on the front. ‘NIGELLA LAWSON’ is in WHITE lettering that follows through to the spine, along with the title, which is also lightly textured.The inner cover pages are in a DUCK-EGG BLUE shade which matches the TV advertising sticker (BBC) on the front cover of mine and...the usual handy addition...the ribbon to keep your place is SILVER-GREY coloured.After the dedication, the ‘CONTENTS’, i.e. the FULL LIST OF RECIPES spans 2 pages (3rd image refers) as currently shown in the ‘LOOK INSIDE’ facility above. After the aforementioned introduction and without further ado, it is straight into the recipes, which are laid out in a DARK ORANGE & GREY theme that could, arguably, benefit from being a bit bolder for the main text areas.The recipes have a capitalised title, relevant opening narrative, the list/s of ingredients and, perhaps, a serving note, sometimes the size of cookware required, along with a numbered, step-by-step method.Most have a ‘MAKE AHEAD/STORE’ note that refers to the section at the back, which runs from page 274-280, and finishes with a note re recipes containing raw or lightly cooked eggs.Spanning various levels of ability & offering something for everyone, in my opinion, the selection of recipes is a combination of some new & some ‘tweaked’, such as the mouth-watering ‘LAMB SHANKS WITH DATES AND POMEGRANATE MOLASSES’, from pages 174-176, which truly lives up to the opening paragraph:📝 ‘Rich, sumptuous and celebratory, this is a real feast of a stew. The dark treacliness of the dates melts into what becomes a deep, intense gravy, but they don’t overwhelm it with sweetness; the heady sourness of pomegranate molasses keeps it all in fragrant check...’...and this warming dish can be stretched from 6 to 10 servings, if required.More intriguing titles include ‘SUBVERTING THE SPIRALIZER’, on pages 100/101, otherwise known as ‘Very Fine Shoestring Fries’, an innovative twist for a gadget Nigella is clearly not so keen on:‘If you are one of the fad-resistant few who have either never bought a spiralizer or don't even know what one is, turn the page now. Don't give it another thought. But, mindful of the several tonnes of spiralizers lying dormant in kitchen cupboards up and down the length of the country, I have found a new use for them.While you will never find me making zoodles or courgetti or allowing any other vegetable to masquerade as pasta, I can say this for my spiralizer: it does make very fine shoestring fries.’Some recipes handily use leftovers, e.g. ‘POTATO WAFFLES FROM LEFTOVER GARLIC AND PARMESAN MASH’, pages 70/1.A couple of short recipes share the page; some are single page, most are over two-page spreads including colour illustration/s, but some span more...such as ‘ROAST DUCK WITH ORANGE, SOY AND GINGER’, pages 154-157.The awesome illustrations really stand out; sometimes they are over the page with e.g. the irresistible ‘PASSIONFRUIT ICE-CREAM CAKE WITH COCONUT-CARAMEL SAUCE’, pages 224-227, which reassuringly opens:📝 ‘A dream to eat and a doddle to make. Ever since my first pavlova, I’ve been utterly sold on the combination ~ smooth, chewy, sour-sweet and fragrant ~ of cream, meringue and passionfruit. And to turn these ingredients into a coolly elegant ice-cream cake, you need to do nothing more than stir them all together and leave to set in the freezer overnight; a no-cook, no-churn, no-stress affair.’Inspiration from others is acknowledged, e.g.:From ‘DIRTY LEMON MARTINI’, page 272:📝 ‘I have always wanted to be the sort of person who drinks a dirty martini, but I just can’t do it. I’m a strictly straight-up-with-a-twist woman. This is my take on it, then, though inspiration comes, originally, from  Sabrina Ghayour’s ‘sirocco’ ...’Nigella doesn’t mince words, at times:📝 ‘There is a vociferous anti-sprout brigade, but I have no time for their Brussels-bashing bigotry...’...heading up the recipe for 'BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH PRESERVED LEMONS AND POMEGRANATE', on page 76, with a stunning shot of the finished dish on the right-hand page (last image refers), which just might change some of those negative feelings on the vegetable.At the back of the book is an alphabetical index with key ingredients in bolder print, pages 281-286, with the handy inclusion of a legend:~ VEGETARIAN~ VEGAN~ DAIRY-FREE~ GLUTEN-FREEThis, I find, is also useful to check for the use of a key ingredient in the fridge, pantry or a leftover, for example: what to do with my opened Marsala, and 2 ideas are there:✤ ‘CHICKEN FRICASSÉE WITH MARSALA, CHESTNUTS AND THYME’, pages 150/151or✤ ‘CHICKEN WITH RED GRAPES AND MARSALA’, pages 136/137A little taste of the other recipes contained within:※ EGG TORTILLA PIE※ BLACK PUDDING HASH WITH FRIED EGG※ GOLDEN EGG CURRY※ CHILLI CHEESE GARLIC BREAD※ CATALAN TOASTS※ BEEF AND AUBERGINE FATTEH※ GEMELLI WITH ANCHOVIES, TOMATO AND MASCARPONE※ MUSSELS WITH PASTA AND TOMATOES※ RADIATORI (PASTA) WITH SAUSAGE AND SAFFRON※ MUNG BEAN DAL※ CARROTS AND FENNEL WITH HARISSA※ ROAST RED CHICORY※ BUTTERNUT AND SWEET POTATO CURRY※ SMASHED CHICKPEAS WITH GARLIC, LEMON AND CHILLI※ MOROCCAN VEGETABLE POT※ COUSCOUS WITH PINE NUTS AND DILL※ QUINOA SALAD※ BEETROOT AND GOAT’S CHEESE SALAD※ CORIANDER AND JALAPENO SALSA※ WHITE MISO HUMMUS※ PEAR AND PASSIONFRUIT CHUTNEY※ GOLDEN GARLIC MAYONNAISE※ FLASH-FRIED SQUID※ HAKE WITH BACON, PEAS AND CIDER※ SALT AND VINEGAR POTATOES※ ROAST LOIN OF SALMON※ COCONUT SHRIMP※ LIME AND CORIANDER CHICKEN※ INDIAN-SPICED CHICKEN AND POTATO TRAYBAKE※ CHICKEN BARLEY※ CELLOPHANE ROLLS※ SLOW ROAST 5-SPICE LAMB※ CUMBERLAND GRAVY※ LAMB KOFTA WITH GARLIC SAUCE※ BULGAR WHEAT WITH FLAKED ALMONDS AND NIGELLA SEEDS※ APPLE PORK CHOPS WITH SAUERKRAUT SLAW※ CUMBERLAND SAUSAGE WITH APPLES AND ONIONS※ ROAST TOPSIDE WITH CARAMELISED ONIONS※ RUMP STEAKS WITH ANCHOVY CREAM SAUCE※ QUEEN OF PUDDINGS※ WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE※ ROSE AND PEPPER PAVLOVA※ CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL MOUSSE※ GINGER WINE SYLLABUB※ STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING※ BUTTERSCOTCH POTS※ EMERGENCY BROWNIES※ LEMON TENDERCAKE WITH BLUEBERRY COMPOTE※ VANILLA LAYER CAKE WITH ERMINE ICING※ GINGER AND WALNUT CARROT CAKE※ RASPBERRY-FLECKED SOUR CREAM CAKE※ SUNKEN CHOCOLATE AMARETTO CAKE WITH CRUMBLED AMARETTI CREAM※ COCONUT (SNOWBALL) CAKE※ FORGOTTEN COOKIES※ NEGRONI SBAGLIATOAcknowledgments complete the publication that ends where it begins:📝 '...But my deepest gratitude is to my beloved friend and literary agent, Ed Victor.This book’s dedication originally read “To Ed Victor, without whom”......Now I have to change it, heartbreakingly, so that it is dedicated to his memory.’[20 images attached ~ © NIGELLA LAWSON/JONATHAN LOVEKIN/CHATTO & WINDUS/2017]

The delightful prose, the unalloyed pleasure in good food, good company and happy times are all here. Nigella is a most encouraging, unpretentious cook. She offers up recipes that delight in the voice of one who appreciates that, in the end, it's just a bite to share with those we love. And sometimes, it's just for us alone.

Me ha encantado, recetas fáciles, con poco esfuerzo, un resultado estupendo! Escrito de forma simpática y graciosa como el resto de sus libros. Lo recomiendo 100%.

great

She is amazing. And recipes too.

Great recipes, inspiring ideas to help make cooking a joy not a chore. If the kitchen is a happy place for you you will definitely love this book.

Tolle neue Rezepte.Die Bilder lassen einem schon das Wasser im Mund zusammenlaufen. Die Rezepte sind wie immer ausgefallen und köstlich, lassen sich aber ohne großen Aufwand umzusetzen. Bei mir weckt das Kochbuch Lust auf 's ausprobieren und genießen.