Books : Rachel's Favourite Food at Home

Rating: - Excellent cookbook - recipes you can actually use
This was a Christmas present and I've already made about 5 recipes from it, all successfully. The risotto recipe was delicious and easy to make, as were the pasta and other recipes I tried. Some recipes are a twist on classic dishes, like the scrambled eggs with coriander and chili - really delicious! It's the first recipe book where I've used so many recipes. It is also the type of food you can cook when you get home from work or for kids, nothing overly complicated or fussy. Highly recommended.

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Rating: - Good simple food
I love watching Rachel Allen's recipe shows. Her delivery is friendly and helpful, she makes recipes seem easy and clear, and the end results look tempting and delicious.

I do like this reciped book and I enjoyed particularly, the snippets of additional commentary that are often missing in many other recipe books. They set the scene, explain the origin of recipes and generally, give a recipe book more character.

However, I would add, while the book is easy to follow and beautifully designed, remember it's about "home" recipes for friends and all the family. So many of the recipes are very straightforward - such as, baked potato, or runny egg and asparagus soliders. This is great for parents looking for healthy, quick and easy meals for all the family. Ideally, I'd have liked a few more of her more detailed recipes.

One other point that you might like to consider when deciding whether or not to buy the book: if, like me, you use recipe books as a spur-of-the-moment source of visual ideas for today's lunch, tea or dinner by flicking through the photos and recipe titles, keep in mind that quite a few recipes in this book don't have photos - instead there are whole-page photos of Rachel, of her husband, her kids and even her dog!

Admittedly, this adds to the charm and character of the book but in one or two of the few slightly more complex recipes included in the book, I would have preferred a photo of the prepared dish.

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Rating: - Brilliant
I received Favourite Food at Home and also Food for Friends as a Christmas present - and they are both brilliant; I look foward to cooking many things from both of them over the coming months.

The home-made Tomato Ketchup really is quite delicious, as is the Summer Fruits jam. I've also made the Onion (Marmalade in one book and Jam in the other) which was nice, but it's got another week to mature before I really give it a good taste.

The Summer Fruit parcels are truly devine.

Both books are really well and truly worth buying.

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Rating: - Family Values Highly in this Superb Book from Rachel
`In this cookbook to accompany her latest TV series, Rachel Allen once again offers the delicious, inspiring and easy-to-follow recipes for which she has become famous.
`Rachel's Favourite Food at Home' draws on international influences, classic regional fare and good old family favourites to provide creative options for every occasion, whether you're planning a simple family meal, hosting a festive dinner for the entire clan, squeezing in a sneaky, romantic meal for two, heading out for a glorious picnic, chilling out on the sofa with your favourite comfort food, or just spending time baking muffins with the kids.


224 pages, split over 10 Main chapters:-

Easy Family Food
Sweet Celebrations
Picnics and Days Out
Food for Children
Extended Family
Dining Alfresco
Home Cinema
Big Celebrations
Edible Gifts
Just Like Mum Used to Make

sandwiched between an introduction, a section entitled `Useful Extras', 10 pages of `staples' or `accompaniments' recipes , e.g. stock, roux, mayonnaise, rice and pastry.
Completed with a concise index.

Each chapter opens with family photographs and some text, e.g.:-
Easy Family Food
`I love family meals since this is when everyone gets to sit together and talk about what went on during the day. This type of food should be easy to prepare and quick to rustle up, or else made in advance earlier in the day. This is simple food that the whole family will enjoy and the recipes can be easily amended to suit everyone's taste.'

Each recipe is well laid out with a title, how many servings plus guidance on whether a starter, main, vegetarian etc, short heading, clear ingredient's list and method. Most, but not all the recipes, include a full colour photograph, sometimes of a 'stage of the recipe', or an `on-location' shot, rather than of a completed item.

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Rating: - her best one yet!
I have all of Rachel's cookbooks which I love and use on a regular basis. Her food is delicious and easy to prepare - particularly for those of us with busy lives. This is her first hardback (I think), which makes it a perfect gift. Plus, the photography really helps give more of a sense about Rachel and how she presents her food. As always, the food is outstanding and the recipes/chapters offer many delicious suggestions for a variety of situations. Equally useful for cooking for the family (including kids) or for friends.