probably the most authentically Italian book Jamie's done, March 30, 2010

We live in Italy, and are Jamie fans, and find this to be his most authentically Italian book to date. We've been borrowing a friend's and have now bought our own copy. The recipes are good, but the reason I've given this book 4 stars is that some of the recipes need to be taken as guides rather than instructions. We found that we have to trust our instinct in some cases, but in most he is spot on. Like all authentic, rustic Italian recipes cannot be easily translated to grams and ounces, as they rely on the cook's judgement as well as the quality and consistency of the fresh ingredients at the time of cooking. This is true of authentic recipes from all over the world. One reviewer gave the book 1 star because the recipes were "tasteless mush". With the relevant recipes, I've found you have to practise common sense and judge the proportions and timings(and your oven/stove) according to the ingredients and quanitities on the day. If you think it has too much bread, or needs more/less time, etc, trust yourself. The reason I've given this 4 stars, though, is that it misses out some classics, or messes about with them, and one or two are re-interpreted for the UK market. Jamie says he'd like to live here one dya, in the foreword, and all I can say is that he's going to have to accept that when in Italy you have to do things the Italian way or you'll get very frustrated and run back to Essex where you can add (the horror!) chilli to a mozarella salad (the thought alone makes me feel ill, I've been here so long!).

       Love this book, March 18, 2010

What more can I say? LOVE IT! I just wish he would recommend some wines to go with each dish a bit more. This is a must-have book for your cooking shelf!

      Not special, March 14, 2010

Nothing special about this book. Nothing inspiring. A re-hash of other Italian recipie books with the 'Jamie' branding. Returned book.

      Jamies Italy - ?, February 23, 2010

A OK book but I was expecting a few more Italin classics, didnt seem to have much of a Italin fell to me. My partner asked me to choose 1 recepie that he would cook for me (he's a big Jamie fan) but I struggled to choose one I liked the sound of!