With the publication of their Christmas cookery books, Nigella, Jamie, Delia and Gordon all have a brand image, or a halo, to polish. Nigella’s brand is greedy, kitsch, sexy and celebratory, and in Nigella Christmas (Chatto & Windus, £25) she has found her perfect subject. The book is fun, but it is also very thorough: it is the best book on cooking Christmas lunch, ever. Her ‘superjuicy’ turkey is exactly that, but there are good recipes for five other Christmas lunches and good innovative ‘trimmings’. Sadly the book is hideous to look at.
Jamie Oliver’s halo shines more brightly than ever with the publication of Jamie’s Ministry of Food (Michael Joseph, £25), though his subtitle ‘Anyone can learn to cook in 24 hours’ is a delusion, or insanely optimistic. But it is a terrific book for novice cooks. Jamie is no food snob. He gives takeaway-style recipes for burgers and chicken tikka masala as well as simple family dishes: cauliflower cheese, basic stew and a really good chapter (I never thought I would write this) on mince.
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