Jamie At Home - recommend/not?

[Winged one]

Morning peeps,

The Book Club have laid their wares in our coffee room and there are 2 interesting cookbooks there (actually there are 5 books I'd consider - will deffo get the kids baking book and debating the merits of 2 others).

Anyway, one of these is the new Jamie Oliver At Home book - where he raves about his veg garden and does seasonal recipes.

The other is by an Irish cook - Rachel Allen - who tends to do nice, fairly interesting but relatively unfussy things (OH and I were debating the merits of her over Nigella the other night, and Rachel won hands down).

I had already been thinking about getting Rachel's book anyway, but is Jamie's book worth considering? Has anyone got it, tried the recipes, pondered his gardening advice? (I spotted the mirth over his advice about potatoes recently, but didn't see anyone talking about the book itself).

Wings

[scared55]

I'd best say nothing, given my opinion of Jamie Oliver!

KK

[ratglass]

Hi Winged one

I have the book simply because we use his first book so much. As far as the gardening advice goes-don't bother, however the recipes are pretty good theres half a dozen which we have used over and over again. Lots of pretty pictures but not much writing really!! Hope this helps.

Ratglass

[Seahorse]

I had a look through it in WH Smith the other day. I agree that it's not worth it for the gardening advice but otherwsie it depends whether you're into his style of presentation. Most of the recipes looked nice enough but all the text is very 'matey' - much as he speaks - which isn't for me, I'm afraid!

Claire

[veg4681]

I had a look through it in WH Smith the other day. I agree that it's not worth it for the gardening advice but otherwsie it depends whether you're into his style of presentation. Most of the recipes looked nice enough but all the text is very 'matey' - much as he speaks - which isn't for me, I'm afraid!

Claire

We have one going for £10 for a hardback (normal retail £25!!!) through the nursery's 'book people ltd' sale. I was debating over whether to get one or not because of the gardening advice for each vegetable type seeing as I don't currently own any vegetable garden book...getting adequate help from Net and Grapevine . But maybe I won't, as you say it's not really a good book for gardening advice. For food recipes, I just check the recipes on the Net too and already got cookery books here and there, need we need more!

[Winged one]

OK, I think I'll get Rachel Allen, the kids baking book and perhaps the book about the rainbow - leaving Jamie for this time anyway. I'm only a so-so fan of his cooking, and if his gardening advice ain't up to much, then I think I'll get the book of recipes I'd prefer.

Thanks all.

[Curvy Vixen]

I passed on it from our book club last week....I think mostly because so many of his recipes are called names like 'Really Fabarooney Tasty Pheasant' and 'Yummy Scrummy Potatoes!' It really annoys me

Rachel Allen I love though...straight forward recipes that you'll use again and again.

I can also highly recommend the James Martin Dessert Book (from Sweet Baby James show) and the Ballymaloe Bread Book by Tim Allen if they come up...

[OverWyreGrower]

I can also highly recommend the James Martin Dessert Book (from Sweet Baby James show)

Yes, this book is fabulous! Makes you drool just reading it and looking at the pics!

[HeyWayne]

We have all the Jamie books - but we love his style of cooking, and straightforward no-nonsense approach. I don't think I've had a duff recipe from him yet...

If you like him and his cooking, then go for it (however we were bought our copy as a present recently).

Millions of people buy Delia's books, but I just can't get on with them myself. Each to their own.

Personally I won't be using the book for gardening advice - that'd be like using my phone to listen to music...

[sewer rat]

Wasn't a big fan of Jamies until Jamie at Home hit the small screen. I don't even have to watch it to know what he was cooking in any particular week. I just wait and see what my customers ask for. So I am now a confirmed Jamie fan, along with HFW, whose stance on fresh produce and ethical treatment of farm animals I have long been a supporter of.

[Flummery]

I went right of HFW when I saw the programme - a number of years ago - where he make rook pie by killing a VAST number of rook squabs just to take the 2 bits of breast muscle form each and disposing of the rest. He can't do that and proclaim he treats anything ethically - Ratbag!
However, if Jamie is keeping our Rat in sales,more power to his outspoken elbow!

[Polly Fouracre]

I went right of HFW when I saw the programme - a number of years ago - where he make rook pie by killing a VAST number of rook squabs just to take the 2 bits of breast muscle form each and disposing of the rest. He can't do that and proclaim he treats anything ethically - Ratbag!
However, if Jamie is keeping our Rat in sales,more power to his outspoken elbow!

Rooks are culled anyway as they are a big a pest as rabbits so you may as well use them.Only the breasts are used as the rest is bitter.

[Flummery]

There's a rookery just 50 yards from me. I love them. They play in the air and shout joyfully. If people ate I tiny bit of me I'd be bitter too!

[scared55]

I'm with you, Flummery. We, the dominant species, having taken over or destroyed the habitat of just about every creature on the planet and confined even the largest to smallish areas promptly regard as a pest anything that doesn't fit with what we want.
That every species is a part of the food chain is not in dispute, but the food chain is about survival. So-called delicacies don't come into it.
If any creature needs its numbers controlling it is we humans - the worst parasite on the planet!

KK

[Polly Fouracre]

I'm with you, Flummery. We, the dominant species, having taken over or destroyed the habitat of just about every creature on the planet and confined even the largest to smallish areas promptly regard as a pest anything that doesn't fit with what we want.
That every species is a part of the food chain is not in dispute, but the food chain is about survival. So-called delicacies don't come into it.
If any creature needs its numbers controlling it is we humans - the worst parasite on the planet!

KK

Sorry,sorry,but rabbits play prettily too and pigeons and the cats that c**p on our gardens.If you were a farmer and saw the wheat you,d sown eaten up by rooks and no bread for the hungry humans you would shoot them too.
Mice play dearly,sweet little things,and rats piddling all over foodstuffs and leaving disease in it's wake.
Yes, life is survival,but for all we human's do rooks,rabbits,pigeons,rats,etc.live on.
If we didn't keep them under control,just as any other predator, struggling to survive, only one species would still be on this planet and that would p robably(I think)be rats!
Comments(not arguments,please)on a postcard or to this thread.