JAMIE'S GREAT BRITAIN

Jamie follows 30-Minute Meals, the UK’s fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time, by returning to his cooking roots with a celebration of modern British food.

Jamie Oliver learnt to cook in the kitchen of his Mum and Dad’s pub, one of the first true British “gastropubs”, which they still run today. There, he was taught to love and respect British food. For him, the heart and soul of real British cooking is food that puts a smile on your face. And that’s what he wants to share in the new book: the essence of British food, done properly.

In Jamie’s Great Britain, Jamie features many of the dishes, ingredients and influences – past and present – that make British food "exciting, relevant and truly original". Drawing on regional recipes from up and down the land, it includes fresh takes on much-loved classics, dishes that reflect the cultural diversity of modern Britain and uses seasonal British ingredients. 

With many of our own New Zealand favourites having their roots in British cooking, this is a book that Kiwis will find just as relevant for our kitchens, enabling us to learn the secrets of the recipes we grew up with, as well as discovering some exciting new ones.

Jamie’s Great Britain contains over one hundred of Jamie’s favourite recipes embracing everything from Welsh lamb to Jamaican patties. Some are indisputable classics, some are his versions of the classics, some should be classics but just haven’t been made famous yet and others he’s made up from the great bounty of British produce.

About the author:

Jamie Oliver is a phenomenon in the world of food. He is one of the world's best-loved television personalities and one of Britain's most famous exports. He started cooking at his parents’ pub, The Cricketers in Clavering, Essex, at the age of eight. His television career began in 1999 with the Naked Chef series, after he was ‘discovered’ by a TV company while working at The River Cafe. Since then he has set up Fifteen restaurant in London, changed school dinners in the UK and revolutionized home cooking. His charity, The Jamie Oliver Foundation, seeks to improve people's lives through food. It operates the Fifteen Restaurant Group, which trains disadvantaged young chefs, and the Ministry of Food Centres, which provide places for people to learn basic cooking skills. He writes for publications in the UK and around the world, including his own Jamie Magazine, and he lives in London and Essex with his wife and children. 

SUPER-QUICK SALADS

EACH SERVES 4

Grated Apple and Beetroot Salad

Wash 2 large beetroots and a nice red eating apple, then use the coarse side of a box grater to grate them, one after the other, on to a platter. Drizzle over a couple of tablespoons of cider vinegar and the same amount of rapeseed/extra virgin olive oil. Season with sea salt and ground pepper, then sprinkle over some chopped chives or chive flowers, and any small beetroot leaves if you’ve got them. Toss together just before serving, adjusting the dressing if need be.

Pickly Cucumber and Red Onion Salad with Loads of Dill

Scratch a fork down and all around the length of a cucumber, then slice it on an angle into

1cm slices and put the slices into a bowl. Grate over half a peeled red onion, using the coarse side of a box grater. Add a few generous splashes of white wine vinegar and a pinch or two of sea salt. Pick and roughly chop a very small bunch of fresh dill and sprinkle over. Leave for about 30 minutes to get cold and to marinate, if you can, before serving with a drizzle of rapeseed/extra virgin olive oil, to intensify the pickled flavours.

Broad Bean and Bacon with Mint and Lemon Juice

Fry 4 rashers of quality smoked streaky bacon until lovely and crisp, then allow to cool. Take 4 large handfuls of young broad beans (if you end up using older beans, gently squeeze them out of their pods and their skins), and place in a serving bowl. Add a tiny pinch of sea salt and ground pepper, then snap over your crispy bacon, tear over a few little mint leaves, and add 1 or 2 drizzles of rapeseed/extra virgin olive oil and a few good squeezes of lemon juice. Have a taste, adjust the seasoning if necessary, and serve.

Crunchy Radish and Tarragon Salad

Scrub a bunch of radishes, then, depending on their size, halve, quarter or slice them, leaving a few of their tender leaves on, and put them in a serving bowl. Roughly chop a handful of tarragon leaves and sprinkle all over the radishes. Dress with a splash of red wine vinegar, the same amount of rapeseed/extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and ground pepper, and serve. Also delicious with a few chopped grapes and a sprinkling of feta cheese if you fancy.

Reprinted with permission from Jamie’s Great Britain published by Michael Joseph.

RRP $65.00. Available at all good booksellers nationwide. 

I am a fan of Jamie Oliver and own two copies of all of his books, one copy of each in our home kitchen and the other copy at the bach! Here is the full list, all published by Penguin Books, with NZ rrp's:

Jamie's Great Britain

RRP: $65.00

Jamie's 30 Minute Meals

RRP: $65.00

Jamie's Italy

RRP: $47.00

Jamie Does...

RRP: $77.00

The Naked Chef

RRP: $47.00

The Return of the Naked Chef

RRP: $47.00

Happy Days with the Naked Chef

RRP: $47.00

Jamie's America

RRP: $77.00

Jamie's Dinners

RRP: $72.00

Jamie's Ministry of Food: Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours

 RRP: $72.00

Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life

RRP: $47.00

Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook

RRP: $82.00

Jamie's Kitchen

RRP: $47.00

Footnote:

And here is Jamie on the subject of his own book on his blog. It includes a link to jamie's food guide app.