Customer Reviews

Gordon Ramsay's Sunday Lunch: And Other Recipes From the F Word

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Ignore the title, these recipes are good for evening meals too.

I've been a big fan of Gordon for some time, watching his shows, reading his autobiography etc. This is the first of his cookbooks I have owned and I am very impressed.

The food is excellent, the suggested menus work well together (although I often interchange dishes). As well as themed 'lunches' there are also little asides e.g. 5 ways with carrots, and the spiced carrots with star anise has been a big hit with our guests. I've used Gordon's honey mustard marinade a lot, and the beef casserole with mustard mash potatoes has to be one of my favourites.

And as only a moderately experienced cook, I love the timelines for the themed lunches, i.e. what you can do the day before, what to do an hour ahead, what to do just before serving.

My favourite cookbook. Until, perhaps I buy another Ramsay cookbook.

I am a typical male, not a very good cook, but fortunately I know someone who is, my wife. So rather than buy the book for myself I saw it as a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone so to speak. A present for my wife with the added attraction of getting some of Gordon's meals thrown in, without having to pay restaurant prices.

By chef's own admission the food is simple, but innovative and exciting and I have been fortunate to enjoy several of the recipes already.

I admire Mr. Ramsay for trying to coax the British public into getting round the table together on a Sunday lunch time. Whether it will ever happen in our house where the members are usually scattered to the four corners of the property, doing their own thing. A tray on the knee, or even walking around with a plate in their hand, I have my doubts.

I do remember many years ago when I lived at home with my parents that Sunday lunch was a ritual that was virtually impossible to escape from. If you were not at the table, hands and face sparkling, you wouldn't hear the last of it until Monday morning.

However I digress, the book is a cook book. So is it any good. Well like the curates egg, it is good in parts. By that I mean, or so my wife tells me, that some of the recipes are excellent and some of them are OK and some of them she thinks she can do better herself, and who am I to argue.

If you enjoy the show "The F Word" I am sure that several recipes have caught your eye. Many of them are extremely simple but yield tremendous flavor. I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in going a step up in cooking. The instructions are very clear, and many of the recipes can even be looked up on Youtube if you ever get stuck. Ramsay balances flavors so well, and doesn't care for any gimmicky recipes like many other cookbooks offer. He is about food and flavor, and this book certainly delivers that.