Customer Reviews

Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is my favorite of Jamie's cookbooks. For one thing, the photography is gorgeous: full page, full color images of jamie's garden and the sumptuous feasts it produces. Secondly, the book itself is beautifully printed on unusually grainy paper, giving it a high-quality, handmade feel. And finally, the recipes are great. You must try the roasted carrot and avocado salad! The book is organized by season, with various fruits and vegetables getting there own little chapters, including growing tips! Wonderful.

The previous reviewer who complained that there weren't enough vegetarian recipes must have had the wrong book. In fact, while there are plenty of recipes with meat and fish, there are many, many recipes which focus on fresh fruit and veg. I don't think you'll regret purchasing this book.

Fantastic book From Jamie Oliver!!!! I have been putting his organic farming lessons to good use and am proud to say that I have my first real garden! I love the way he is sooo passionate about his garden and even gives you the dirt on the secret love affair he is having with it behind his wife's back! haha :)

I see that another reviewer didn't like the dead rabbit picture or other game pictures in the book which is interesting because it shows just how far removed we are from the food that we eat. Jamie is trying to change this by getting you closer to what you are putting into your body by using the freshest of ingredients in a seasonal way (that includes fresh meat). The book itself is set up in seasons and has a wonderful variety of offerings for each. (However; if you did happed to catch the Jamie at Home show on the Food Network you will already have seen the majority of these recipes).
They are fantastic recipes though, and I do use them very often. Some cookbooks I buy and they quickly become dust collectors. This one however; is permanently open!

I do highly suggest this book to anyone who cares about good cooking in a fun way and wants to learn a trick or two about organic gardening. It really has helped me reconnect with food in a way that eludes most Americans today. And please...get over the rabbit pics, let me just clue you in to the fact that your fish and chicken don't actually hatch with little Styrofoam containers around them perfectly filleted and ready to cook! Buon Appetito

I just happened upon this book at the local grocery store but didn't hesitate to purchase it as I've always enjoyed Jamie Oliver's cookbooks. His writing has always been down to earth and he seems to 'relish' (pun intended!) any opportunity to educate the public about making healthy, delicious eating practical and realistic. He's forever 'encouraging' us to eat responsibly...with a healthy dose of common sense and absolute sincere appreciation for where our food comes from and in which form it takes on our plates. His humour and generous spirit shine through, as always.
As a gardener I especially appreciated the way he's chosen to write a very simple book that includes information on growing your own food, making ethical (without being too preachy!) food choices and most of all...simply and truly enjoying quality, delicious REAL food.
Good job, Jamie!

First: I never write product reviews. However, after eating delicious meal after delicious meal thanks to this cookbook, I just had to offer my accolades to the list. My husband and I love to cook. We love to try new recipes at least a couple of times each week. EVERY meal that we have tried from this book has been great. Mushroom risotto? Yum. Italian bread and cabbage soup? Amazing. Essex fried rabbit? Delicious. Indian carrot salad, steak and Guinness pie, rhubarb fool...aaahhh. These are just the recipes that I'm thinking of off of the top of my head -- I know I'm forgetting many other stellar ones that we've tried. This might be the best Christmas gift I've ever received. Also, the gorgeous photography and interesting discussions on gardening and sustainability make it an interesting read as well. I highly recommend this book.

I should start by saying I consider the author to be an excellent chef with fresh and natural food...I am a fan.

I also am grateful that he went deeper than simply listing recipes. He mentioned the best eggs to buy (organic) and what happens to both the eggs and chickens in factory situations and why the health of the chicken matters to taste. He adopted hens who were crippled from having to stand on a wire their whole lives without moving in a factory farm.

I love that he focuses on fresh ingredients from the garden.

Okay, so that said...

First, this is for someone with a massive garden. We have a huge one but each recipe calls for quite a list of fresh ingredients including all the spices. Either decide what you should leave out, figure in your head how much dried herbs to use, or hope that you grow tons of veggies and herbs or it will be costly in many cases.

Second, I simply found the dishes to be pretty unusual in many cases...

I'll get to that in a minute though. I have to say first that it was REALLY odd to have a baby lamb with a number spray painted on him being sold for slaughter at a market on the front of the lamb recipes. What?? I would like it if I thought that was delivering some kind of message, but I knew it wasn't since it was followed with the best ways to cook him. That was a bit unappetizing...even if I could find lamb in the grocery store, that picture would stop me in my tracks.

I'll overlook that and say the rest of the pictures are just gorgeous and he has an amazing garden...but back to the unusual tastes...

Here are some examples of recipes in the book...easily altered for veg people:

Incredible smashed peas and fava beans on toast
Really very delicious simple lamb tartare (Oh, God, raw lamb...oh it looked horrid)
Curried Cauliflower Fritters
Indian Carrot Salad
Crispy Zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and mint

While not all dishes were unusual, many others were simply recipes for plain grilled fish or grilled meat, a pizza, etc...

Too, there were so many photos and divider pages that this large cookbook actually held very few recipes in comparison to the size of the book.

I love all things veggie but I guess my garden is more limited than I thought prior to purchase.

That said, this is a GREAT chef. Although I wasn't a big fan of this cookbook and wound up just tearing out 4 recipes and giving the rest of the book away, I have most of his other books and I do like them.

Bottom line, decide if you feel adventurous, have a true farm garden or even don't mind a trip to a specialty market for some of the ingredients...if so, it's a good one and he inspires. If not, try some of his other works or flip through this one at a store for a good length of time prior to purchase.

Still, kudos on the chicken chapter. Most are uneducated on the inhumanity of regular farm raised hens and I applaud that education.

This is Jamie's best cookbook yet. This is the companian to his newest Food Network series by the same name. This great chef has a knack for combining unusual elements together and presents them in a wonderfully rustic and simple manner. For the home gardener, Jamie reveals his techniques to growing vegetables and fruits, putting the reader on a personal level with the chef. It reminds me of Irish super chef Denis Cotter, who also sees the importance of understanding the growing process.

Anyone can reproduce these recipes using Jamie's basic techniques. Its his ability to meld unique combinations together that makes him a genius. This is really a must-have for any serious foodie interested in gaining insight into the creative process behind some truly great-tasting dishes. Thanks, Jamie.

In Jamie At Home, Jamie Oliver has collected a wonderful selection of fun, tasty, easy-to-make recipes. If you get a chance to watch his Food Network show of the same name he usually bangs together two or three of the recipes per show, giving a good overview of his techniques. I've learned some simple time-saving shortcuts from him that make my experience in the kitchen even more enjoyable.

When I first came across Jamie Oliver's program on TV years ago, I was a bit put off by what I considered his overly enthusiastic manner. I continued to watch, however, and soon became a huge fan. This guy is one of the treasures of the cooking world.

I have all his books and use them all the time. This latest has lots of gardening tips, etc. in it that I don't need. The recipes are great and you can skip the parts about how to grow turnips. The recipe for baked fish with leeks and bacon alone is worth the price of the book, as is the spicy pork and chilli-pepper goulash and the potato and chorizo omelette with a kinda parsley salad. I've only tried one of the desserts - the rhubarb and sticky ginger crumble which is homey and delicious. His desserts are usually a high point for me in any of his books and this looks to be the same

I would recommend that you get all of his books. Immediately! Right this second!

As Jacques Pepin would say "Appy Coooking" with Jamie Oliver.

I loved the series and the cookbook is a great companion in the kitchen. Jamie Oliver has convinced me that we can make small differences to our habits when cooking that make big changes not only for our palettes but for our communities. I now will go the extra step to try to buy local when possible. I will search out available farmer's markets. I will speak with the grocer as to why there is not local produce. And then we have the actual taste of the recipes! So far, my particular favorites are the English Onion Soup with sage and Cheddar. This is a very basic recipe with the emphasis on the bountiful array of different onion species. This is the essence of Jamie's recipes, simple ingredients but perfectly put together making a memorable meal.

I have made several of the dishes in this cookbook and they have turned out very well. If you enjoy cooking with seasonal, fresh ingredients you will find it a valuable addition to your collection.