Received excellent reviews from Mail On Sunday, The Times, Daily Mail, The Lady,...

I Love this book and Lorraine Pascale, and so it hurts me to write this criticism. However the criticism I make is applicable to every chef, every cook, and every cook book published on this planet.

You may think this is a long criticism, but my appraisal of her in her profession is endless / limitless !

CRITICAL
Several recipes have alcohol as an ingredient. It is my belief nd preference that every chef on the planet should and must give alternatives to alcohol or say what to do instead of using alcohol. The reader may not want to use alcohol for good reason : religion, medical, Family kids, habit, way of life, other.

Alternatives should be briefly considered and stated in each recipe.

Hindu's may ask, "If using Lamb red meat instead of Beef, what should I do?".

Muslims's may ask "What should I do instead of adding the alcohol?", or, "Can I use another meat instead of pork/ham/bacon? And if so, what else should I do?"
And so on... But, if the recipe then has too many changes, I guess it ceases to be the same recipe, and becomes an altogether different recipe.

An elderly Christian Great Grandma may say, "I prefer my Sherry/Burgundy/Brandy/Wine/... straight up, Love. I can't have that before and after the meal if I'm having it for dinner too! It'll spoil my Grand complexion Love!"

To be fair, Lorraine only has a few reipes with alcohol in the book !

However, I think EVERY chef today fails to give simple reasonable alternatives when they can easily do so. And that really is a very important, sensible, and practical crtitcism.

Perhaps there could be a page in the book where frequently there are some well known alternatives to certain ingredients ranging from various meats, fish, veg, spices, stocks, sauces, alcohol, and other ingredients. Of course, this will not always be a straight forward thing depending on the variety of the recipes.

Remember. the above is my personal opinion.

My POSITIVE APPRAISAL at last...

The book is of a good size, although I would like to have seen it slightly larger with more smaller photos than fewer large photo each on a single page. Of course, the extra space I am sure would be useful. The pages are lovely and glossy, photos colourful, as I would expect in the best books. The weight is good and the book is easy to hold and flick through the hardback book. I removed the cumbersome loose front cover which is identical to the front of the book anyway.

The books have her hints and reuse parts of her other recipes when she can which is very useful. The English and layout of the books are lovely. However, I am a firm believer in that ALL cooking and recipe books should have some step-by-step photos (even small tiny ones) to help the reader understand the text instructions FASTER and clearer. After all, speed and clarity of understanding is vital when trying out NEW recipes for the first time just when you have a Special reason for cooking a new recipe.

BUT, Lorraine's books are well written (can be read and the slight humour of expression enjoyed by anyone with minimal effort) and is well laid out fortunately. The recipes work and have improved my culinary skills and understaning. After several goes, you become The Master of that recipe.

Lorraine's prior TV presence for her other book is incredible and exciting. Clear Clean Cut and straight to the Bone served with her useful tips (secrets) which she does not hold back at all. If the TV networks don't grab her, they would be missing something and someone as Special as Jamie Oliver, or I think someone even better someday soon, perhaps.

I think Lorraine has the potential to become The Queen Of Hearts as the People's favourite soon. The King of Hearts is already shared by Jamie Oliver and some other well known cooks/chefs.

Lorraine is excelling in this very competitive profession, and your experience from her books, TV media, and her shop outlets are really the proof of the pudding, especially when you find you have that great satisfied smile after one of her culinary workouts..

The above is my personal opinion. I think you can tell ! ( )