Jamie Oliver - 7 Ways: Easy Ideas for Every Day of the Week

7 Ways by Jamie Oliver. Photography by Levon Biss. Design by James Verity at Superfantastic.

I dedicate this book to Sir Paul Smith, one of the coolest, kindest creatives this country has ever produced. Thank you, Smithy, for being a guiding light to me and so many others. Love, J x

7 Ways exists to give you new ideas for the ingredients you already know and love. Lets face it, life is busy, and these days we seem to have more and more demands on our time and our headspace. This book is about giving you solutions and breaking down any barriers you might be facing, while keeping things straightforward and giving you loads of inspiration on the food front for every day of the week.

For the first time, Ive looked at the real data around what were putting into our shopping baskets, week in, week out, and have built this book around 18 hero ingredients that just kept appearing. We know that everyone cooks the same small repertoire of recipes, so I want to help you expand on that and arm you with some new favourites. 7 Ways is the most reader-focused cookbook Ive ever written.

Over the last three years, wherever I go parents evenings, public engagements, random encounters on the street I get asked when Im going to write another 5 Ingredients . It was the philosophy of that cookbook that really resonated with you guys, so Ive tried to bottle that here. Think of it as the companion to 5 Ingredients once again were keeping things simple, were pushing maximum flavour with minimum effort, we want fun, and we want solid, super-tasty recipes that consistently deliver. Thats exactly what youll find in the pages that follow.

Weve got the same short ingredients lists backed up with a visual key, a range of portion sizes from solo meals to those for six, clear timings, lots of cheats and shortcuts and, ultimately, delicious recipes that work every time. I wanted to give you an even better experience than 5 Ingredients here; one that answers even more of your needs. Whatever barriers youre facing and Im sure theyre shared with other people Ive set out to give you the solutions in this book.

Recipes range from just 10 minutes in total to slow-cook or one-pan beauties with minimal prep, where you can let the oven or hob do all the hard work for you.

With more than 120 recipes to choose from, whether you want something classic, comforting, light, hearty or slap-you-round-the-face exciting, Ive got you covered.

The majority of ingredients in this book will be easy to find in any food shop in any town in the country. You should be able to get stuff on your way home from work.

Fear not, dear reader, Ive got lots of traybakes and one-pan wonders in here that mean the clear down will be simple as pie. See for the lowdown.

Whether youre a total beginner or a kitchen ninja, these recipes will serve you well theyre concise, simple and, with a max of 8 ingredients, not too much to handle.

If you really want one, go ahead, order one, but Ive got loads of lovely fakeaways ready to tempt and delight you. Check out the bumper reference list on .

Now, a quick note on nutrition. I want this book to be something you can pick up and cook from seven days of the week. With that in mind, 72% of the recipes are classed as everyday from a nutritional point of view, with 28% classed as occasional think weekday versus weekend. Nutrition info is clearly displayed on every recipe page allowing you to make informed decisions about what youre eating.

I hope Ive convinced you that this book deserves its rightful place on your kitchen shelf. This is exactly the kind of food I enjoy at home with my own family, and exactly the kind of food I hope youll want to cook up every day for yourself and your loved ones. Have a flick through, get inspired, take a snap of your ingredients lists, get shopping, get organized, and get stuck in! I cant wait to see which recipes really tickle your fancy. Dont forget to tag your photos #JAMIES7WAYS so I can see what youre all up to. Have fun guys, and happy cooking!

The chapters in this book mirror our 18 hero ingredients, however, I know sometimes Im more in the mood for a certain type of food, so Ive grouped some of my favourite genres together here.

Ive kept this to just five ingredients that I consider to be everyday staples. Cooking is simply impossible without these items at your fingertips, and I believe every household should have them in stock. Even though my own pantry is packed full of all sorts of things, its these five that youll see popping up regularly throughout the book and that you need in order to cook any of the recipes. They arent included in each individual ingredients list as Im presuming that youll stock up before you start cooking. The five you need are olive oil for cooking, extra virgin olive oil for dressing and finishing dishes, red wine vinegar as a good all-rounder when it comes to acidity and balancing marinades, sauces and dressings, and, of course, sea salt and black pepper for seasoning. Get these and youre away!

For modern-day busy people, without doubt your freezer, if stocked correctly, is your closest ally. Whether its preserving individual ingredients or keeping portions of batched recipes for future meals, food is brilliantly suspended, ready and waiting to help you out when you need it. And without stating the obvious, although this is still incredible technology, its only as good as the food you put in it. If youre batch cooking, remember to let food cool thoroughly before freezing, breaking it down into portions so it cools quicker and you can get it into the freezer within 2 hours. Make sure everything is well wrapped, and labelled for future reference so you can avoid playing freezer roulette. Thaw in the fridge before use, and use within 48 hours. If youve frozen cooked food, dont freeze it again after reheating it.