Return of the Naked Chef - Jamie Oliver

Soooooo maybe he's done one Sainsbury's advert too many - but I love the one's with his gran in. Sooooo maybe the cheeky chappy is winding my partner up - 'OOh Pukka this and Pukka that'. Back in the good old days when I could talk about Jamie at work without a thunder of male voices complaining about him, I watched every episode and wanted to jot down what he did. It became impossible. I liked the way he could cater for a load of his mates and I loved his big plate collection. This was who I wanted to be! I love having people round and wanted good ingredients in everything I served up. Before I had chance to buy the book I recieved it and ...  Read the complete review

Love him or hate him, you can't dispute that Jamie Oliver has changed the way cooking is viewed nowadays. He has made cooking more accessible and has brought into the public eye the benefits of healthy eating and using fresh produce. His 'Return of the Naked Chef' is my favourite cook book, so I thought I'd share its delights with you. This book was published in 2000 to accompany Jamie's second TV series, so it is a bit old now but definitely worth adding to your kitchen shelf, due to its diverse array of recipes. As it is a few years old now it can normally be found on special offer - its £9 now on Amazon. Jamie was originally named the 'Naked ...  Read the complete review

yes I know that Jamie Oliver can get a bit of a pain in the arse from time to time. But that's only because you're jealous of his wonderful batchelor pad (guess he'll be moving now that he is married! and he also needs a good haircut!! But boy, can this guy cook or what. He manages to combine some of the most unlikely ingredients into some of the most scrumptious food I have ever made. And what is even better is that he doesn't use stupid, rare ingredients which require a special trip to the supermarket to find - just nomrla everyday stuff you probably have lying around. Also, there's no measuring or scales, it's just a dollop of ...  Read the complete review

I am not a huge fan of Jamie Oliver the trail blazing pioneer who needs to tell us not to feed our kids kebabs and chips every day but I have tried a few of his recipes before and enjoyed them so was very pleased when my mum gave me this. The Jamie who is photographed in this book looks about eleven but was twenty six (this was published back in 2000). You can tell by the little bits he has written about his life that he was very new to (and excited about) his fame. The book begins with a list of basics to keep in your cupboard all the time and would be useful for someone who is just starting to cook their own meals from scratch. Then there is how to grow ...  Read the complete review

The great thing about Jamie Oliver is his sheer enthusiasm for preparing food for friends. It's easy to mock his laddish catchphrases on TV, but what counts is that his love of cooking is genuine, and that's what carries us along with him. He doesn't just give recipes, he explains what's so good about each recipe. He describes the ingredients, why they're used, how to prepare them etc, and with the excellent photographs in the book, it's always clear what the finished product is supposed to look like. I've been following TV chefs, and buying shelfloads of cookbooks for years, but I can honestly say that J.O. is the first chef ...  Read the complete review