‘Reliable’ and ‘achievable’ might not be the most aspirational descriptors for a cookbook, but when it’s Tuesday night, you’re tired and you need dinner on the table, then they’re gold. Over the course of 28 cookbooks (yikes, I’ve got his first one and still use it) Jamie’s earned the trust of millions – we know he won’t have us buying exotic and expensive ingredients that will moulder in the back of the pantry, or bamboozle us with complicated restaurant dishes that don’t make sense for our everyday. Instead, he presents reliable and achievable recipes that tempt you out of your tried (or tired?) routines, bright fresh food that fits the mood and the pocket. Matching the rhythm of regular cooking, chapters hit midweek meals and weekend wins, traybakes that work for either and meals when the pantry provides all you need. Clever stepping-stone sections give the base recipe for a batch cook then bring it out in different guises, such as a chuck-it-in cornbread with 11 different suggestions for dinner, most ready in around five minutes. Tinned veges and fruit appear a lot (keeping it simple, right) but I imagine purists could substitute fresh with just a few tweaks. Traybakes fit my lifestyle so for now I’ll be hitting the summery salmon spreads and bookmarking the slow-cooked Madras lamb and beef brisket for next winter. Yes, there’s enough here that makes me think I’ll still be going back to Jamie for ‘help-me-it’s-dinner-time’ rescues by then. But there’ll probably be a new Jamie book by then – I wonder what he’ll do next. Tracy Whitmey