Delia Smith's Complete Illustrated Cookery Course, The Classic Edition

I do not rate myself as much of a cook: but when we entertain, I reach for "Delia" and sit back to receive the plaudits of our guests - it never fails. Not only are her recipes easy to understand and comprehensive, but she adds all sorts of friendly advice that makes the finished result always something to be proud of. Somehow her innate niceness as a person comes though: which is easy to understand if you ever manage to see her on television.

Have had a previous edition for many years. Bought this one for my eldest son, when he moved to an apartment in college (he was threatening to take my copy). He uses it frequently. Will be purchasing another copy for my other son, when he "strikes out on his own".

if you have not got this you are missing a lot - fine recipes, clear instructions

Loved the book and the way it was presented. Had another from the same author and was very happy with that. Look forward to seeing another that was ordered from Delia Smith. I would recommend this to others without a doubt!

I was hoping for an English version of the "Joy of Cooking"...great recipes, with a British slant, "translated" for American use. No such luck. There are very few recipes in here I even want to bother with. And those few have somewhat inscrutable directions, techniques or ingredients.

This is the ever first item i have ordered through Amazon. I found their service excellent.The book arrived promptly in perfect condition.Easy to understand. Excellent illustations, as always Delia recipes are easy to understand and always turn out fine.

great book by the best ever recipe writer. This is a replacement for my prwious edition which fell apart due to constant use

A wonderful book with true traditional British food

I bought this to replace a tattered 1982 copy. It does not matter if you don't know one end of a pan from another or a practiced cook of years standing, this book is a must have. It is not a complete bible but pretty much every technique a decent cook might need is covered. You don't necessarily get the exotic recipes, though there are some, but what you do get is the basis for doing just about everything.Delia discusses kitchen equipment, shows techniques such as jointing a chicken, temperatures, dealing with fish and meat, cakes and jams etc. The recipes are generally straightforward and work. As you learn, you can use other resources to complement, such as the Internet. What this book does is give you the confidence to develop skills and a reference manual when you need it.If you are or know someone who is just starting out in the culinary world, this is THE book to get them. If you are a competent cook, you probably already have one. Think of it as a cooks comfort blanket.

This book was originally published a long time ago and we bought it, used it and learned how to cook with it. Our old copy was falling to pieces and covered in 80s cooking splashes. We needed a new one, this wasn't new but a fraction of the price and as far as we can tell like new. Still excellent recipes, still full of cooking tips. A must have.

There are few cookery books that one can turn to and expect it to have a stab at almost anything you might look-up, but this one is almost it. While it does not cover every eventuality, and does have a few glaring omissions, (there's not recipe for plain fudge, for example), it does cover a wide range of starters, main courses, desserts, and so on. This is not just a recipe book, of course; it is a cookery course. As such, Smith augments her recipes with plenty of tips and advice, and provides instructions for performing many tasks, so your confidence builds as you try new things. I don't know anyone who has followed the course from start to end, or even used it as a course at all, so I can't comment on whether the course is any good. However, as a dip-into resource in the kitchen, it is worth its weight. It's a cook book in the traditional mould, focussing on the food and not the author; nor does it preach about lifestyle choices, saving the planet, or buying organic. Smith simply gets on with it, which is what you want when you are cooking under pressure.There's a full index at the back, for recipes and ingredients, and the whole book is divided into ingredient-based chapters, making it easy to find what you want. It is hardbound, and with a thick glossy (wipe clean) paper dust jacket. It is built to last, which is a good thing because my copy gets plenty of use.

This is the third copy I have bought of this book over the past x years - ( the others finally give up the ghost when they have too many splattered unreadable pages, from frequent use ! ) It is, quite simply the cookery book you have to have ! The one that will give you the answers, and make what you think impossible " do-able ". It won't give you fancy exotic recipes - that's what all your other cookery books are for - but rest in the knowledge it is bog standard normal & whatever you cook from this book will be well received, and turn out well !! It is one of my favourite kitchen treasures !

I've been using Delia Smith's recipe's for years, but only had a small complete book - no colour photos but has been ok. This book is great - colour photos, it's hardback so the book lays flat, and although all the recipes are the same the print is larger and there's no much information in the book - that it's a great buy - even after all this time.