Nigella Bites [Hardcover]

Her devotees will be relieved to learn that, in Nigella Bites, the goddess returns among us, her attributes unmodified: the cashmere twinsets, the hair, the postmodern penchant for trailer trash, the eerily intense gaze, the Kim Novak eyebrows, all are present in this lavishly illustrated accompaniment to the TV series. To these may now be added the Playboy-bunny T-shirt and the lilac pashmina worn recklessly and negligently at the barbecue. So much for the essentials, now what about the food?

The Nigella formula of fashion-flouting comfort food with knobs on is now pretty firmly established, so it will come as no surprise to find here American Pancakes with Wafer-Bacon and Maple Syrup, Chicken Soup with Kniedlach, Italian Sausages with Lentils, Whitebait or Chocolate Fudge Cake; yet there is room too for more sophisticated fare such as Thai Yellow Pumpkin and Seafood Curry, Bitter Orange Ice-Cream and Bagna Cauda. The chapter titles give as good an indication of the approach as one might want: they include All-Day Breakfast, Comfort Food, TV Dinners, Rainy Day and Trashy. Trashy (and one feels this chapter will in many ways give the most pleasure) offers a modified version of the now-notorious Ham in Coca-Cola from How to Eat, deep-fried Bounty bars in batter and the calorifically devastating Elvis Presley's Fried Peanut-Butter and Banana Sandwich.

This exemplifies the Lawson approach, teasing but serious, liberating too. It would be fair to say that there is probably nothing in this luscious and clever book that you wouldn't find a pleasure to cook and eat at home. --Robin Davidson

The ravishing, mouthwatering TV tie-in book by the new goddess of the kitchen and the silver screen - the book of Channel 4's new 10-part series of 'Nigella Bites', starting 16 May 2001.

Nigella is now not only the best and most glamorous young home cook in Britain, and a great cookery writer, she's also become a household name. Her first short series on Channel 4 had over 2 million viewers and propelled her from success into stardom. How to Eat sold spectacularly on the back of the first unheralded 5-part series. Nigella Bites is a must-have for every viewer and all her fans. Some recipes are based on her popular Vogue columns, others are new and different, and all are characteristic of Nigella and the ethos of the TV series - uncomplicated, original, fresh, and perfect for the way we live today. They're easy to produce after a busy day at the office, fun to linger over at weekends or to make with the kids, delectable to read about, dreamy to look at and delicious to eat. They include Late Breakfasts, Party Food, TV Dinners, Trailer Trash , Big Lunches, Indoor Picnics, and other delights. Nigella wants her readers and her viewers to enjoy eating and cooking. With her, how could anyone resist! (20001211)