Prue Leith, Caroline Waldegrave, Leiths Cookery Bible Review

Overall Rating

Extremely comprehensive
Full of useful tips
Quite literally a cookery bible

Not many pictures

If you are a keen cook Prue Leith, Caroline Waldegrave, Leiths Cookery Bible is one of those reference books that you will refer to time and time again. I would describe myself as as an able and willing rather than an accomplished cook and I like to try new methods and ideas on a daily basis - time allowing. This book allows you to do that as you never reach a dead end. I was recently convinced that I needed some demi-glace which I discovered was basically a condensed sauce espagnole with added stock. Easy to find on the internet but when you are half-way through choosing dinner before going to the supermarket this information was right at hand in Leiths (I altered the menu as I didn't have the 6 hours to spare to make the sauce!).

Once you have had enough with the basic preparation you will find the recipes well written, easy to follow and absolutely inspired. There are recipes for new and experienced cooks alike although they tend to be tried and tested classics rather than 'of the moment' items although it is by no means old-fashioned.

Considering the retail price is £35 I would recommend it unreservedly but online retailers sell it for two thirds of the price which is a steal.

If you need a good reference book this is the one to get, think of it as a road atlas of the UK and all other cookery books as OS maps and you will know what I mean.

Members' Comments oncwheatcroft's Review

• ivan1890 on 1st Jun 2006

  It takes confident, or arrogant, writers to call their book a 'Bible!' Presumably it has comprehensive sections for vegans, fruitarians, macro-biotic devotees, and the rest of us food worshippers on the fringe?

• babrahams on 1st Jun 2006

  Having been one of England's top cooks and food writers, and the family having run a cookery school for over 40 years, I do think they are quite entitled to feel "confident" rather than "arrogant" with regards to their work. The word bible is not meant literally, its is just one of those books, that once you have it, you cannot be without it. It is so useful, with plenty of helpful hints, and with easy to read and follow recipes from the World renowned Leith family, I think you can take their word as gospel. What they don't know about cooking is not worth knowing at all. Oh by the way, they also do a Vegetarian Bible, just in case you were interested. Confidence and arrogance cannot be compared.