redjanet's Profile

From: London, United Kingdom

Joined: April 4th, 2011

About me: Hello! Living in London with my husband and cat, I have only just become more interested in cooking over the last few years, especially as I became more and more dismayed by my inability to return the favour of cooking for family and friends, which is now something I love to do even though it still sometimes makes me nervous. I wasn't really taught how to cook when I was young so I've had to teach myself which I've been doing with the help of the Good Food and Food Network channels along with my growing collection of cook books. My favourite, "teachers," in the kitchen have been Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver, though I love watching cookery programmes in general and find just reading through cook books to be a great source of comfort. I'm really pleased to have stumbled upon this website as it has the potential to be a great resource and is exactly what I was wishing and looking for with regards to a simple way of keeping track of recipes I've tried.

Favorite cookbook: Ministry of Food by Jamie Oliver

Favorite recipe: pot-roast meatloaf from Ministry of Food


Latest review:

November 6th, 2018

Ultimate chilli from BOSH!: Simple Recipes. Amazing Food. All Plants. The Fastest-Selling Vegan Cookbook Ever

This took a little bit longer than I anticipated to prep, but it was completely worth it for such amazing flavour. I loved using minced mushroom instead of processed fake beef mince (or beef!) in combination... read more >


recipe reviews (206)
book reviews (1)
useful review votes (106)

redjanet's Reviews


Search Reviews:

19 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 19Sort by: Title | Date | Rating

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

By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2008

An easy no-cook cheesecake which everyone I served to seemed to love. I didn't actually make the raspberry topping but just served it with fresh raspberries on the side, which worked quite well.

useful (1)  


10th April 2011

Sweet potato and chorizo soup : page 131

As soon as I saw this recipe listed I knew that I had to try it out. Chorizo is one of my favourite ingredients as it always brings great flavour to whatever recipe it is in and this soup is no exception. The combination of the salty chorizo with the sweet potato is delicious. This is a hearty, warming soup that tastes even better re-heated the next day and also well from frozen.

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10th April 2011 (edited: 27th June 2011)

Simple pan fried trout : page 254

Quick and extremely easy to make, this is a simple way to serve trout. It almost seems too simple, but sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. This goes well with new potatoes.

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This is a simple and delicious way to cook salmon together with green beans. Covering the salmon in pesto and wrapping it in foil keeps it moist and juicy. I find that I don't need to add as much olive oil as Jamie does (in general!) to keep it moist. The combination cooking of the greens with the fish also helps save on the washing up.

useful (1)  


10th April 2011

Pot-roast meatloaf : page 161

As an expat American living abroad I am always on the lookout for meatloaf recipes and of the few that I have tried, this is by far the best. The loaf itself comes out really juicy and flavourful and the tomato sauce with smoked paprika, chili and chick peas gives an interesting twist on an old classic. I made this recently for my in-laws and my mother-in-law said it was the best meal she'd had made for her in ages. High praise indeed!

useful (1)  


A delicious take on the classic chicken wrapped in bacon, this dish is quick and fairly easy to make. The end results are very flavourful thanks to the use of prosciutto, parmesan, lemon zest and thyme. This goes really well with salad and new potatoes for a satisfying weekday meal.

useful (1)  


10th April 2011 (edited: 10th April 2011)

Pan-fried curried cod : page 258

This is the only recipe I've tried so far from this book that I didn't like. This may be due to my using a curry power that was too spicy for my tastebuds, but I found the actual cooking of the cod in the pan to be a bit messy and really did not enjoy the end results. Oh well!

useful (1)  


10th April 2011

Leek and potato soup : page 130

A simple soup recipe using fresh ingredients that makes a whole lot of soup. Great for saving and re-heating for lunch. Some might find it a little on the bland side but with lots of added black pepper it is very good.

useful (0)  


10th April 2011

Lasagne : page 169

This is the first lasagne recipe I've tried and for a start it was pretty good. Be warned that, especially if you're not that experienced, it does take quite a while to prepare all the ingredients and go through all of the steps to complete the recipe. The end results were very good, though the only criticism I would make is that the sauce made it all a little too wet for my liking and I would probably add half a tin of water to the bolognese sauce instead of the whole tin as Jamie recommends. The use of creme fraiche instead of a white sauce does make the whole thing that bit easier however.

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10th April 2011

Lamb and red wine stew : page 180

On a page in the book with other stew recipes, this is a very flavourful, rich stew that is is simple to make. I'd recommend giving it a stir occasionally as quite a bit stuck to the bottom of my pan, but it was still very tasty.

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10th April 2011

Good old chilli con carne : page 172

This is a good easy hearty dish using a mix of fresh and store-cupboard ingredients. Good for feeding a few people, the use of kidney beans and chickpeas really helps bulk it up, keeping it fairly healthy and low in fat. Of course it is really good with added shredded cheese and sour cream! As with the lasagne recipe from the same book, I tend to add less water to the mix than Jamie recommends as I prefer the final results to be a bit less wet.

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10th April 2011

French dressing : page 107

This is a lovely simple salad dressing which can be made quickly and easily by simply shaking the ingredients together in a small jar. It is delicious on salads and goes well with chicken and fish dishes.

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29th April 2015

Fish pie : page 285

Very good fish pie recipe which is not too heavy and creamy like some. Full of vegetables and easy to make. The leftovers also tastes good cold, which is a good thing as I brought the remains to work for lunch and didn't want to make my office smell of fish by reheating in the microwave. My only small complaint is that celery is a bit awkward to grate (or maybe it's just me?) so I would recommend using a food processor to grate the vegetables and cheese.

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10th April 2011

Crunchy garlic chicken : page 241

A good mid-week meal, this is basically breaded chicken with lots of flavour thanks to the inclusion of garlic, parsley, lemon zest and butter in the breadcrumb mixture. I prefer to bake instead of pan-frying as I find the crumbs stick better to the chicken that way, but you could do it either way.

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10th April 2011

Chicken korma : page 74

Using a lot of easy to find store cupboard ingredients, this is a simple recipe that provides delicious results. Though I wouldn't say that it tastes quite like a korma you would get from a takeaway, it is still a fulfilling hearty meal, which also reheats very well for lunch the next day.

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10th April 2011

Chicken and leek stroganoff : page 34

This is a very easy to make version of stroganoff using chicken instead of beef. The result is a quite creamy, tasty dish. It might be a little bit too creamy for some, but with some added squirts of lemon at the end it is more refreshing than you would imagine.

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10th April 2011

Best new potatoes : page 218

A quick easy way to prepare new potatoes. The addition of lemon, mint and butter adds terrific flavour and this is a great side dish for most chicken, lamb or fish main courses.

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10th April 2011

Beef and ale stew : page 180

A simple easy stew taken from a page of basic stew recipes from this book. I used ale when making this, though you could also use Guiness or stout, which I might eventually try as well. This came out a bit sharp tasting for me, though still good, but I suppose that depends on what type of booze you use.

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10th April 2011

Baked cod wrapped in bacon with rosemary : page 256

An easy midweek meal, the use of fresh herbs adds a lot of flavour, as does the smoked streaky bacon that the fish is wrapped in before being baked in the oven. This goes well with any type of green vegetable or salad and/or potatoes.

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