Cook, Eat, Repeat: Ingredients, Recipes and Stories

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Interestingly, she repeats a story I’ve heard from the many therapists I am related to, the story of the woman who cut the ends off her roasts. That’s where Lawson’s personality and passion comes out the most, with her suggestions and substitutions, and it’s the most fascinating and fun parts of this book.

I prefer the format of previous cookbooks where she gives a page or so of thoughts about a recipe and then moves on. Eats shoots, leaves and anchovies: In the Corfu Trilogy, Gerald Durrell notes that his mother never read fiction - only cookery books. I'm a pretty mediocre cook myself, so I approach her cooking books more for her writing, not so much her recipes.

Dedicated chapters include 'A is for Anchovy' (a celebration of the bacon of the sea), 'Rhubarb' , 'A Loving Defence of Brown Food' , a suitably expansive chapter devoted to family dinners, plus inspiration for vegan feasts and solo suppers. This book, though I appreciate her reflections particularly during a time of uncertainty - what will eating in community look like after lockdown, what will holidays look like - and this book released in the UK in 2020. Some of the recipes seem recycled ideas or borrowing from others (which is fine)- marzipan loaf, the banana and tahini bread, the NYT loaf, another lemon and almond cake- and overall an esoteric collection of ingredients that normally I would default as an 'Ottolenghi' move: marrowbone, celeriac, a lot of chestnuts. Food, for me, is a constant pleasure: I like to think greedily about it, reflect deeply on it, learn from it; it provides comfort, inspiration, meaning and beauty .

She makes a simple slice of sourdough topped with butter and an anchovy sound like a luxury (which it is if you take the time to notice every sensation). She even tried some gluten free recipes and actually found she liked them better than her traditional way. Nigella is like your culinary big sister - organised, a bit bossy, but she gets results and likes a slug of Campari so all’s well.Within these chapters are recipes for all seasons and tastes: Burnt Onion and Aubergine Dip; Butternut with Chilli, Ginger and Beetroot Yoghurt Sauce; Brown Butter Colcannon; Spaghetti with Chard and Anchovies; Beef Cheeks with Port and Chestnuts; Oxtail Bourguignon; and Wide Noodles with Lamb in Aromatic Broth, to name a few. Some cool recipes in this one but, really, I'm just not that into Nigella that I want to read her every thought on things. There is plenty of culture and inheritance in this book, but it is also notable for its highly flavoured and culturally diverse ingredients. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.