Nigella Lawson’s Cookery Books

Nigella Lawson, the daughter of politician Nigel Lawson, is one of the most famous chefs to come out of the UK in recent years. Nigella has loved to cook from a young age, and was also trained as a journalist and food critic, so making a move into writing cookery books was one which was fairly natural.

Nigella the Writer

Nigella’s first entry into the field was the cookbook called How to Eat which sold over 300,000 copies. The follow-up is perhaps Nigella’s most famous cook-book to date – How to Be a Domestic Goddess.  This book also sold well -180,000 copies within the first few months and won Nigella the Author of the Year Award at the British Book Awards.
It was these first two cookery books which then launched Nigella’s career into TV, with her series Nigella Bites first screening in the UK on Channel 4 in 2000. From this series there was born yet another cookbook, this one named after the series – simply Nigella Bites.
Nigella’s popularity continued to grow, both in the UK and also abroad, and in 2006 her new show Nigella Feasts debuted in the US. This subsequently was contracted to be shown across numerous other countries, a sign of Nigella’s increasing popularity and a signal that there may be yet more  to come.
Sure enough, a Christmas special entitled Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen led to a new BBC series called Nigella Express, a series which then, in turn, lead to another published cookery book.

What’s in Nigella Lawson’s Cook Books?

One of the main reasons that Nigella Lawson’s cookery books are so popular is that they take a practical approach that is much more suitable for the modern lifestyle, while still maintaining the same principles as more traditional cook-books. For example in Nigella’s Christmas there are a whole host of recipes which are designed to make your Christmas celebrations elegant but easy. There are heaps of great dishes in the cookbook including simple edible Christmas tree decorations, several recipes for fabulous Christmas cakes and puddings. And to top it all off, Nigella even shows you how to make a turkey with all the trimmings which will almost certainly prove to be a hit..
Nigella Express, as the name suggests, is aimed specifically at those who haven’t got a great deal of time on their hands to cook. As well as a whole host of recipes, Nigella takes you through the absolute essentials that all kitchen cupboards should have to save you time in the long run. There are also lots of tips to help you cut a few corners in the kitchen without compromising quality.

Nigella Lawson’s Published Cookery Books

If Nigella Lawson’s style of cooking sounds up your street, you should check out some of her cookbooks. This is a list of all the cookery books which Nigella has currently got in print:

• How to Eat: Pleasures and Principles of Good Food
• How to Be a Domestic Goddess
• Nigella Bites
• Forever Summer with Nigella
• Feast: Food to Celebrate Life
• Nigella Christmas
• Nigella Express

Gordon Ramsay – Cookery Book: Cooking for Friends

Gordon Ramsay’s popularity has absolutely sky-rocketed in the last few years and to help you re-create some of the masterpieces you may have seen on his shows he has also released a number of cookery books. These cookery books are designed for anyone to use although those who are already quite experienced in the kitchen will probably get the most out of them.

Gordon’s latest offering s called Cooking for Friends: Food from my Table. It is a collection of recipes which are designed with dinner parties in mind, and is exactly the type of stuff that Gordon (apparently) dishes up to his own friends.

Something for Everyone

So can we really all cook up something to serve to our friends which is of Gordon Ramsay’s standards? Well, the answer is yes, of course we can! The recipes are all very well written and are quite easy to follow. There are a couple in the cookery book which you would need to be very brave to attempt if you are not an experienced cook, but there is definitely something in this cookery book which everyone will be able to pull off. In fact there are over 100 recipes to choose from which are split into 9 different chapters. For those who are not used to cooking there is even one entire chapter which is entirely devoted to basics.

For those who are feeling a little more adventurous the pies and tarts section of the cookery book may offer you an enjoyable challenge, with mouth-watering dishes such as Cornish chicken pie. The desserts section too also has some great ideas with old favourites such as lemon meringue pie paired with new tasty treats such as chocolate swirl cheesecake.

Making Cooking Simple

Gordon Ramsay’s cookery book also does everything possible to make the recipes easy to follow. As well as the recipes themselves being well-written and clearly laid out, there are also lots of beautiful full-colour pictures which help you to understand exactly how the finished dish should look. Another element of the book which is particularly helpful for novice chefs is that each recipe has a little set of tips which will help you to recreate it how it is supposed to be. Even for those who already have a bit of cooking know-how the introductions to each recipe are still worth a read, as they give some interesting facts and information about each of the dishes.

A Tribute to Gordon Ramsay

Although there is no doubt that Gordon Ramsay’s latest cookery book would be a great addition to any bookshelf the book is perhaps best suited for those who are actually fans of the man himself. In between the recipes there are a lot of full-coloured photos of Gordon and his family, something which you may not appreciate if you are not a particular fan. Even if Gordon Ramsay is not your cup of tea you still should not let that put you off this great cookery book.