Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson

Has Nigella done it again or is her latest offering, Nigella Bites just a rehash of How to Eat and How to be a Domestic Goddess. Without doubt, this book was probably all part of her contract with Channel 4. In her introduction, she does apologise (in certain terms) for writing another book so quickly on the heels of her last. Of course, there will be viewers who have just been turned on to Nigella's charms and will rush out and snap up a copy. But there must be a hard core of followers out there, who have been with her all the way and the Good Web Guide is just not sure if they will rank amongst her supporters this time.

So what makes this book different from How to Eat? To start with, this is a television tie-in so there are lots of photographs and not just of the food. Nigella at her waking, Nigella at her labours, Nigella at her homing and of course, in a different outfit everytime. Do let us know if you have ever cooked over a barbecue, swaddled in pashmina.

Down to the recipes. Yes, there is some overlap with How to Eat. Ham cooked in Coca Cola appears in both and there appear to be variations on themes first explored in her début book. However, we can all identify with Nigella's ethos in the kitchen. Her style is easy and her cooking is no fuss. Several of her old family favourites make an appearance, some of them very retro. Chocolate-chestnut refrigerator cake is one of her grandmother's recipes and let's face it, who hasn't ever made this? Sometimes it can be very rewarding to return to things that we once loved.

For something contemporary with looks to match, warm shredded lamb salad with mint and pomegranate has appeal and it is not just the wonderful contrast of the red pomegranate seeds and the cool green mint leaves. Once in a while, it feels good to be advised that it is unnecessary to buy the best. Mozzarella in carrozza, a golden-crusted fried sandwich, can be made using ordinary cow's-milk mozzarella rather than buffalo, which is too damp and doesn't produce the string chewy ribbons that make this sandwich so delicious.

Nigella Bites does not have classic status but it would make a good present for the woman who has everything. Looking at some up and coming publications, there could even be some doubt on that too. However, the GWG are fully paid up members of the Nigella Fan Club, we think she is GGGRRREAT. It is just a shame that she has been forced to write another tome so soon after the last. There is always a danger of overkill.

Publication details
244 pp. Photography by Francesca Yorke. £20
Published by Chatto & Windus.
ISBN 0701172878
2001

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