SIFT: The Food Book of the Year – Times & Sunday Times

I love all Nicola Lamb’s recipes, in her Kitchen Projects newsletter and in this beautiful book. They’re clear, inventive and most importantly delicious, and they always work! I love all the testing of different variables she does and the scientific explanations- the front section of the book is the technical section which explains the hows and whys, and is an interesting read as well as a great reference resource. I’m a sucker for new cookbooks but this is already one of my favourites and some recipes are already on repeat. Wonderful.

The best baking book I’ve ever bought. Interesting recipies that are different to other books and that tap into new flavour trends. Clear instructions and insightful science. I also like how the preparation timings are broken down for each recipe (helpful for someone like me with 2 small children running around!). So far I’ve made the chocolate cake and olive oil cake and both were the best cakes I’ve ever made. Utterly delicious! Highly recommend this book and can’t wait to try all of the recipes over time.

This is not just a recipe book, it's a treasure trove. As a bit of a nerd, the first section of the book with how and why techniques and ingredients work (sugar, yeast, etc) really appeals. The writing is clear and factual but is backed up by helpful diagrams that are also beautiful! The second half of the book is recipes, split into chapters by how long each recipe takes, eg an afternoon or a weekend, or by basic recipes you need in your toolkit. This is a book to be used - you'll want some post-its to flag your pages as there is some flicking back and forth, for example with the rhubarb tart above I needed one page for the tart shell, another for frangipane, etc. I think this is an advantage because although the recipes are accessible for beginners, it means us middling bakers can mix-and-match and customise recipes to suit our tastes.The thing about Nicola's recipes (if you don't subscribe to her newsletter Kitchen Projects, you should), is that they always, always work. I'm never worried about trying one of her recipes before an event because I know it'll work. No need for a practice!

Wow, what an amazing book this is. I am not particularly good at baking, and am a recipe following cook at best, but love this book. The first part, about a third of the book, is educational and incorporates food science, and is reminiscent of Kenji's Food Lab (also amazing) and a really interesting and useful read. I have since looked at Nicola's website which goes into even more detail! The remainder is recipes, of which I want to try most of them. So far I have only tried the lemon meringue tart. As you will see from the pic, this wouldn't grace any fine dining restaurant through my clumsy ability, but this was the first time using pastry rings and even making a Swiss meringue - and it still tasted amazing. Yes there is room for personal improvement but this is what this book does so well, it makes you want to learn and improve and is encouraging at the same time. I love the timelines, which accurately suggests how long things will take, which I wish more people would do. I already consider this to be one of my most important owned cook books and couldn't be happier with it.

Half the book is theory which is very helpful and well explained although there’s no shortage of amazing recipes. Honestly no other book has compared from the explanations and recipe options to the end results. As a novice I can’t believe some of the pastries, cakes and bakes I’ve managed to create - I think this book alone has gotten me into baking, and was a source of calming relief during early months of some difficult evenings as a new mum. I’ve bought other books since and just don’t taste as good or are very fussy.I’m keeping it in mind to buy for any friends in future.P.S the ultimate chocolate cake was incredible! feels like a lifetime achievement that I managed to make such a thing

I've been an avid follower of Nicola Lamb since the early days of her newsletter, Kitchen Projects. Her book feels like a natural extension of that brilliance, seamlessly translating her engaging writing style from newsletter to print.The recipes are, as expected, mouthwatering and designed to both educate and inspire. Nicola achieves this beautifully. The book is enhanced by illustrative images that help visualize concepts, making it very user-friendly. Additionally, the inclusion of a timeline and references to the techniques used in each recipe helps us connect the dots between baking theory and practical application.I can't wait (!!) to dive into these recipes!! This is going to be THE baking book of 2024!

This is a very good book. Although it goes into the science of baking, and how and why things work (or don't work) it's written in a 'non-sciency' way and is engaging and interesting.The recipe section is also very good, but some of the recipes are quite complicated and perhaps best suited to bakers with some experience.The recipes refer to using a stand mixer and the different attachments, so if you don't have one you are going to have to work out how to achieve the desired result with a hand-held one, or even by hand.All the egg measurements are by weight, which can be tricky - getting (say) 100 grams of egg out of a larger amount is not easy.All in all though a good book, and a lot of things are clearer to me now!