Winner of 'Cookery Book of the Year' at the Guild of Food Writers Awards 2007 --Guild of Food Writers

Unfussy but full of flavour recipes.

Would tempt anyone back into the kitchen.

"A Year in My Kitchen" is destined to become one of the classic cookbooks and consolidate the already remarkable reputation of its author Skye Gyngell, as one of the most inspirational chefs cooking today. As food editor for "Vogue" magazine and "The Independent on Sunday", and chef of the Petersham Nurseries Cafe, a magical 'townmeets-country' oasis in southwest London, Skye's refreshingly original approach to cooking yields superb results. Her unfussy but intensely flavourful food is based on the components of her culinary 'toolbox' - ingredients and flavourings that Skye uses to 'build' her dishes from earthy base note flavours to the fresh top notes that make the dish 'sing'.Seasonally inspired and produce led, Skye maintains that her secret is 'not to mess with good ingredients - just to turn the volume up'. The recipes in the book are an absolute treasure trove of dishes especially created to make the most of ingredients at their seasonal best. Try a refreshing springtime Panade of Broad Beans with Pancetta, Mint and Ricotta; a summertime treat of Tea-Smoked Wild Salmon with Chilli Sauce; a warming Sweet Potato and Ginger soup in autumn; and a Spicy Italian Sausage with Rosemary, Chilli, Red Wine and Polenta to cheer you through the dark winter days. Simple, clean and clear flavours are the prevailing characteristics and the food sings in the mouth as well as visually on the plate. Her enthusiasm for great-tasting food is conveyed on every page, providing a constant source of inspiration.

"A Year in My Kitchen" is destined to become one of the classic cookbooks and consolidate the already remarkable reputation of its author Skye Gyngell, as one of the most inspirational chefs cooking today. As food editor for "Vogue" magazine and "The Independent on Sunday", and chef of the Petersham Nurseries Cafe, a magical 'townmeets-country' oasis in southwest London, Skye's refreshingly original approach to cooking yields superb results. Her unfussy but intensely flavourful food is based on the components of her culinary 'toolbox' - ingredients and flavourings that Skye uses to 'build' her dishes from earthy base note flavours to the fresh top notes that make the dish 'sing'.Seasonally inspired and produce led, Skye maintains that her secret is 'not to mess with good ingredients - just to turn the volume up'. The recipes in the book are an absolute treasure trove of dishes especially created to make the most of ingredients at their seasonal best.

Try a refreshing springtime Panade of Broad Beans with Pancetta, Mint and Ricotta; a summertime treat of Tea-Smoked Wild Salmon with Chilli Sauce; a warming Sweet Potato and Ginger soup in autumn; and a Spicy Italian Sausage with Rosemary, Chilli, Red Wine and Polenta to cheer you through the dark winter days. Simple, clean and clear flavours are the prevailing characteristics and the food sings in the mouth as well as visually on the plate. Her enthusiasm for great-tasting food is conveyed on every page, providing a constant source of inspiration.

Skye Gyngell is head chef at Petersham Nursuries Cafe in Richmond, Surrey, and an established food writer, writing regularly for The Independent on Sunday and Vogue magazine. Australian by birth, she has worked as a chef in Sydney, Paris and London. Since 2004, Skye has been pivotal in gaining Petersham Nursuries Cafe its reputation for excellent food and an impressive number of awards.

2008-08-13 Beautiful book but a bit complicated

I'm not a beginner by far, but even I find it a bit too much, if I have to prepare toolbox ingredients first, before I can actually start to cook. Apart from that, the book is very beautifully laid out and contains some nice recipes and a lot more that sound interesting, so if you've got some time to spend in the kitchen, the book is certainly worth having. I'm probably not going to use it on a large scale, since I'm working and haven't got that much time (bit of a pity).