Nigella Lawson is back – causing us to slow down, pause and enjoy feel good food. Sounds good, right? From bowlfood (soups and noodle dishes) to tasty sides and sticky sweets, this is quite an interesting cookbook.
I’m liking
I recently heard Nigella defined as ‘the thinking person’s cook’, and, despite all her recent scandals, I instantly felt an affinity with this statement. In terms of current day chefs making recipes that are accessible but innovative, she is in a league of few. These recipes aren’t same old, same old – there’s a real freshness about Nigella and what she produces (it’s not all just avocado on toast). Her personality is intertwined indelibly in her introductions to each recipe, and in order to really enjoy the food you want to know where she’s coming from. She lets you into this process, but you wouldn’t want to ignore her and push on through to the list of ingredients. You’d be missing out.
In a day where people are constantly endeavouring to limit what passes their lips, Nigella offers balance – and that is the focus of this new title. I love this introduction to the ‘sweet’ chapter in Feel Good Food:
“…Part of the balance of life lies in understanding that different days require different ways of eating. A life that banishes sweet things is not a balanced life, but a constrained one and – although this is not the focus of my book – an invitation to obsession that I want to be no party to.”
Things that made me go hmmmm
I don’t know what you’re looking for in a cook book – but if it’s flicking through to find tonight’s dinner, in some ways that just isn’t how Nigella’s books work. You will find delicious dinner ideas, but this book requires your time. There is much to enjoy but it’s not all in the cooking process. You possibly won’t have all the ingredients right in your cupboard. You may not know exactly what you want to cook when you open the cover. This book’s ethos is to provide recipes that invigorate and inspire. It’s not for everyone, and I’m not entirely even sure if it’s for me – I’m still deciding.
In addition, the book and the food presented is decidedly British this time around. And it has a slightly different feel to traditional Nigella cook books, so you might feel like you’ve lost or gained, depending on your perspective.
The conclusion
If you enjoy food and enjoy the experience of producing something new and different, you’ve got the potential to really enjoy this book. It’s as much a coffee table book as a recipe book. Flick though it before you buy, and see if it’s for you.
Simply Nigella: Feel Good Good is distributed by Penguin Random House NZ and retails for NZ$65.00
