What is there to say about a new Nigel Slater book? Especially one called Appetite. It is exactly what it should be. This is the book he has been heading for all along. It is about food, to be sure, but it is also a statement of his personal philosophy, which seems to amount to this: that our appetites are founded in pleasure; and that we must interrogate those pleasures, and take them very seriously indeed, if we are to eat as well as we can. To eat well means to eat, and cook, pleasurably. So in Appetite Slater takes food, and cooking, back to where he believes it belongs, back to the realm of sensuous pleasure and comfort. Back to the sheer bliss, as he might say, of putting something warm, soft and sticky in your mouth.

Very cleverly, he has built his book not around detailed recipes as such--that would be too specific for his purposes--but around the sort of thing that might pop into your head as something you would really like to eat. No one says "I fancy Shallow Fried Herring Milt with Sherry Vinegar, Parsley and Butter Sauce tonight"; but they might well think of a Creamy, Calming Pasta Dish, or a Big Fish Pie, or Bangers and Mash. They might like to know, too, some of the endless variations they can play on these platonic essences. These are the kinds of food this generous and handsome book celebrates; foods that have a genuine part to play in people's lives. This is quintessential Nigel Slater, laid-back, not claiming any special privilege as a chef ("If I can do it, so can you" he remarks); and all wrapped up in that wonderful, lived-in, squashy prose that hits the spot every time. A feast of a book, from a man with no tricks or gimmicks, who is happily in touch with his own appetites and wants to put us in touch with ours.--Robin Davidson

I have several Nigel Slater books and, crucially, he has alternative ingredients and options for each recipe. That's what makes this book so great for a fussy eater like me. For many of these there are 7 or 8 alternatives, perhaps to make a meat dish vegetarian, or change the spices or key ingredients used.

The most versatile recipe book I own, and really acknowledging that people have different tastes.

This is absolutely superb.Nigel Slater takes you by the hand and shows you how to create meals that everyone wants.He encourages you to follow your appetite, and not to follow recepies slavishly.I have this,and the 30 minute cook, and I am constantly suprised and delighted by the meals that any body can create.

Nigel Slater keeps me fed. He gave me back my enthusiasm for good, tasty food during a time when eating what we liked, when we wanted it almost became thought of as something bad. This book has proved to be inspiration and I have had fantastic success with everything I have thus far made from it.The recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients are all widely available. It is even good to read just as a book on it's own and his prose is so distinctive, you can hear him talking to you as you read.
So, what do you feel like eating today? Don't feel bad about it. Feed your soul and your stomach.

Nigel Slater is by far the best cookery writer, having spent years following the recipes of various chefs, I can honestly say that none compare to this man. Appetite is his best book, it contains all the information you need to become a great cook yourself. He talks in detail about all the different kinds of foods, what's in season, cooking for kids, what to have in your kitchen, and each recipe has several variations incase you don't have the exact ingredients, you can adapt it yourself. Nigels recipes also work, they are well tested and never go wrong, as well as being delicious, this is a man who really enjoys food, and has a large Appetite. Buy it.

My brother's boss bought him a copy, which I nicked. I then bought my parents a copy.... No more is "It's Delia" heard at the dinner table... oh no, "It's Nigel".

This book hugely helped me as a cook. Nigel Slater teaches you cooking - not following a recipe. Indeed, the recipes are very vague in places, stating "a handful" of this, and "a pinch" of that. It's all about helping the reader develop their own skills as a cook. This is unfussy, everyday sort of food, the sort you want to cook after a horrid day at work, with an emphasis on using quality, fresh and seasonal ingredients.

I love the way the recipes have suggestions for adapting them. For example, his basic tomato pasta sauce has a page of variations, many of which are quite scrummy. After a while, you'll leave the book to one side and start improvising yourself!

But at the same time, this is a book you'll want to go back to. The illustrations are beautiful, and Slater writes clearly and with a warm humanity - he almost sounds as if he too has dreadful days when all he wants to do is escape home! There's also lots of useful information such as when particular foods are at their best according to season.

Great stuff for novices but (I'm told) also superb for more experienced cooks.