Kiwi Chef Bridget Davis proudly claims that there are no airs and graces about her recipes and this book covers off the week-night dinner repertoire and some reliable won’t-let-you-down entertainers. As if at pains to assure you that simple doesn’t mean boring, the recipes are hyped up with titles such as ‘Amazing Meatballs’, ‘Best Mac and Cheese’, ‘Bloody Good Potato Salad’ and ‘Perfect Roast Lamb’. At first glance it looks a good book for a beginner cook, or someone seeking the reassurance of hand-holding through the basics, with clearly written instructions and common sense hints and tips. But look a bit closer and you see some surprises peeking through, such as how to make your own butter. One not-so-good surprise is the lack of an index which makes this, literally, a page-turner.