Totally Simple Food is a collection of over 200 of Jill Dupleix's signature no-fuss recipes. As The Times Cook, Jill specialises in healthy, light, fresh food cooked in the simplest possible manner, yet bursting with colour, energy and inspiration. Her recipes are based on what's in the store-cupboard and what is fresh and easily available. It's what to do with that chicken breast or fish fillet you just brought home. It's what you feel like eating on the weekend whilst you're still wandering around in your pyjamas. It's food for entertaining that doesn't make you nervous. Chapter by chapter, Totally Simple Food provides innovative and appealing ideas for all meal occasions from starters, brunches and lunches, to salads, suppers and entertaining. Highlights include the Smoked Salmon Martinis, Chorizo and Sweet Potato Salad, Crash Hot Potatoes and Jump in the Pan Chicken, Pineapple Vodka Crush and Gooey Chocolate Pud. Recipes are based on simple culinary techniques, requiring only the most basic of kitchen tools. hroughout the book lively features focus on flavoursome shortcuts and original approaches to preparation and serving.

As the cookery editor of The Times, which has a daily readership of 1.8 million people, Jill Dupleix s daily recipe column has an enormous impact on the day-to-day cooking of Great Britain. Jill s irresistible recipes and lively writing also appear in delicious magazine (UK and Australia) and she is a regular guest chef on BBC TV (Good Food Live and Saturday Kitchen). Jill was voted Cookery Writer of the Year at the British Guild of Food Writers Awards in 2002 for her work on The Times. Her book Simple Food was short-listed in the prestigious Andre Simon Cookery Book Awards in 2002 and her book Very Simple Food won the Best Innovative Cookbook at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2003. www.jilldupleix.com

2006-01-14 Great gift idea, inspiration for the kitchen

I gave this to my sister-in-law, who is less keen to cook than I am.

I'm 21, and have been at university for 3 years where I read just about ever student cookery book there was! They were all basic, but lacked the imagination that this one provides while remaining true to its title.

It's big too, I would recommend it alongside Bill Granger's 'Bill's Open Kitchen' and Nigella Lawson's first huge book 'How To Eat' (a steal at under £20 on amazon uk). I've bought those recently for myself, and all 3 are brilliant no-fuss recipe idea books.