Bliss on Toast: 75 Simple Recipes

by Prue Leith

"Fun and simple for the home cook, while still maintaining the desired wow factor for breakfast, lunch and dinner."-- LA Weekly

"There's an art to making toast and Prue Leith knows it."--Yotam Ottolenghi

75 delicious things on toast from beloved British foodie Prue Leith.

There is nothing more comforting and delicious than toast. And when you top it with a few cleverly paired ingredients, it becomes a full meal―not to mention pure bliss. In Bliss on Toast , Great British Baking Show judge Prue Leith toasts sourdoughs, focaccias, baguettes, flatbreads and more, then pairs them with everything from seasonal vegetables to meat and fish. The collection spans healthy, hearty, salty, and sometimes sweet. Ideal for a busy home cook who loves a full and balanced plate, the recipes are incredibly versatile and perfect for any time of the tomatoes, shallots, and oregano on black olive toas t ; grilled chicken tikka with yogurt on naan ; smoked salmon, wasabi, and avocado on multigrain bread ; and bananas and ice cream with brandy syrup on panettone . Bliss on Toast is as much a toolkit for quick fridge-raids as it is inspiration for seasonal delights. With 82 years’ experience of good eating and 60 years of cooking, writing about and judging food, there is no one who better knows what makes a meal bliss than Prue Leith.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food and Drink

192 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[Hannah Degn]

Fun cookbook with some flavor combinations im not into but I loved all the helpful tips to help one become a better cook and I love toast!

[Theresa Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love toast. So much so, when my son goes away, he always cautions me to eat more than toast for dinner. He knows me too well. It’s not just the toast I love, but it’s stuff on toast too, the sort of food you load onto toast that does it for me as well. This little book is the sort of cookbook I love. It’s more of an ideas book than a recipe book, although the recipes are included. As soon as I opened it, I was delighted by this:

Blackberries and Camembert on toast.

I absolutely love Camembert on toast, but I usually drizzle honey over it. I adore blackberries, it’s a combination of taste and nostalgia, childhood days of blackberry picking and then eating the homemade jam straight from the jar. I hadn’t thought to put blackberries with my Camembert toast – but I shall remedy that with the next punnet of blackberries I get my hands onto.

Then there is this:

Mushrooms on toast…another win for the nostalgia as well as the taste. This recipe is close to what I already make but with a dash of flash that I am keen to incorporate.

Not all of the recipes in this book appeal, I’m not going to lie, fish on toast is not for me. But many of the recipes do look and sound great, and they also use pantry and fridge ingredients that most of us, perhaps those of us who cook a lot, that is, will have on hand.

Highly recommended for the toast aficionados out there.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.

[Karen Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve pretty much never met a ‘something’ on toast I haven’t liked…. Lots of fun and some unique combinations for inspiration for simple meals. And I just love Prue…. Such a legend. 82 years young and just living her best life… 💕

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just shows me how much I miss decent bread products.

[Miss✧Pickypants ᓚᘏᗢ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calling all Dagwoods*: Bliss on Toast is in fact bliss on toast! As a Dagwood always looking for delicious new sandwich ideas, I thoroughly enjoyed this little book. It is filled with interesting recipes for sandwiches, most of which are open-faced (hence the "on toast" title).

The author is a renowned British cooking person and the book resulted from a year-long column she did that, if I understood correctly, was solely the name of the "toast" with a photo and readers were left to themselves to recreate using just the title and picture. For this book, along with the titles and lovely photos, there are written, easy to follow instructions. I loved that recipe/photo ratio was 100%, every "toast" was shown.

The author is all for using good quality ready-made items but does provide some staple recipes in the last section of the book if you're one who is adverse to store-bought ready-made products. I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 because in several recipes, the vegan version instructions were use vegan versions of mayo, butter, cheese or whatever processed vegan product was needed to veganize the dish.

This book would make quite a nice gift for any cook who enjoys making/eating sandwiches. Standout recipes and ones I am looking forward to trying included the Carrot Hummus with Raisin & Pickle on Baguette and the Balsamic Eggplant with Pumpkin Seeds on Chili Bread.

*Did you know that the term Dagwood (another word for a multilayered sandwich) comes from an old comicstrip called "Blondie"? Dagwood was a character who loved to eat monstrously large sandwiches. I don't know why Dagwood became synonymous with "sandwich", seems like a better definition would be "one who loves sandwiches". So in the spirit of this context, I put out the call for Dagwoods.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably torturing myself reading this but really at the end of the day toast is toast whether it's gluten free or it isn't. Easily transferable recipes. Loved all the different breads at the back of the book (I miss eating them so much). Disappointed that the fried pineapple on brioche with ice cream didn't make it into the book. I know it's self explanatory but I would still have liked to have seen the picture.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

346:2024
This is a fun and simple cookbook with a decidedly British flair. Nothing too crazy, but there will definitely be a few hard to source ingredients if I want to stay true to the original recipes. Have already added a couple recipes to my grocery list, and I'm not ruling out feeding my cookbook problem by adding this little nugget to the pile(s).

[Leane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This diminutive cookbook is packed full of practical recipes that make quick meals on toast very accessible, sometimes entertaining, full of excellent photography, directions, and hints. Very British-centric ingredient wise but also many recipes I look forward to trying, as well Leith gave me and other fledgling cooks permission to experiment using left-overs and pantry items--always a useful skill.

[Rhiannon Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.




I've survived 45 years believing bliss on toast was grilled white bread with Kraft American cheese singles but luckily Prue Leith has come along with Bliss on Toast to help me up my game. I mean, let's face it...just about ANYTHING on toast is delicious but some of these concoctions are exactly what I need for those days when I don't want the same old turkey sandwich or grilled cheese. I think my favorite is the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Avocado, & Zhoug on Rye. I had no idea what zhoug even was before I read this recipe. FYI, it's cilantro, garlic, cardamom, cumin, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and salt. Delicious, right?



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[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of toast and its toppings. As a child I'd toast bread or an English muffin, top it with tomato slices and cheddar cheese, and pop it under the broiler. Now I crave good bread toasted and topped with all sorts of wonderful toppings. My comfort food is toasted raisin bread topped with peanut butter and a drizzle of honey, or marmalade and Swiss cheese.

This book presented some fun ways to make and top toast, and I enjoyed reading it. That being said, I borrowed it from the library and would never actually purchase it. It worked out well as a free book, but I don't think the content is worth purchasing it and finding a spot for it on your cookbook shelf. Instead I'd recommend following one or more IG accounts such as toastforall. Just as creative, with beautiful photos, and there's no cost.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prue Leith (The Vegetarian Kitchen) is best known for judging "The Great British Bake Off." BLISS ON TOAST is a salute to her favorite Sunday night comfort food--hot food served on toasted bread. Novice cooks will love her laid-back attitude about using bottled, canned and ready-made ingredients in her recipes.

Her tasty recipes are divided into chapters for dishes that include cheese and eggs; vegetarian and vegan ingredients; fish; meat and poultry; and desserts. The cookbook's simple but stylish layout presents one full-page photo of the dish opposite a one-page recipe with tips. Particularly mouthwatering and tempting are scrambled eggs with fried prosciutto on sourdough; fried halloumi cheese in pita pockets; ham and burrata on toasted croissants; and bananas and ice cream with brandy syrup on panettone. Delicious!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I share the author's enthusiasm for toast, which explains my high rating. I could (and usually do), eat toast at least once a day. So this has lots of idea for making it more of an occasion. There is a photo for every recipe, and really many of these are just stacking ideas - the amount of actual cooking involved generally is pretty minimal. The best chapters are the cheese and egg and seafood chapters. The vegetable chapter did not appeal to me (too many carbs - sweet potato on toast?) and the desert chapter was more tea cakes and other items. If I'm eating toast in front of the TV, I'm usually not making a fancy desert.

This is a quick, fun book that will give you ideas for spicing up your toast!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Prue, but this is the sort of cookbook that seems completely unnecessary. I know the title says "simple," but the fact that there are recipes at all seems redundant for creations such as "Goat's cheese, spinach & red onion on seeded brown bread." Do you really need a recipe to tell you how to arrange those items on a sandwich?

The photographs are lovely, and some of the combinations are intriguing, but this could just as easily have been a list.

[Kris Springer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat concept, learned some new ideas about tastes to combine, and this book’s made me more curious about figs (I would probably like them now). Mostly salivated over the different cheeses, and want to try her recipe for Katsu curry sauce. The recipe that looks really yummy right now is toasted panettone with bananas sautéed in butter, syrup and vanilla ice cream. Whoa.

[Gillian Potter-merrigan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pointless. I have no idea how this qualifies as a cookery book. Get some bread, stick some unprobable but "trendy" ingredient on it.... call it bliss. This is not the book for you if you are looking for ideas for toasties....

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in the giveaway. The book is exactly what it says, different recipes centered around toast. I was hoping for some simpler recipes, meaning everyday ingredients, but there are some good recipes in there!

[MountainsMama · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many of these recipes have well-paired flavors BUT very few of them seemed worth the work for the meal—I couldn’t tell if these were meant to be snacky or full dishes. Isn’t that just too American of me, wanting *more* food?

[Ambur Taft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a touch skeptical, not sure how many options there could be, and I was pleasantly surprised!
I not only got a few hot tips, and some toast motivation, I also picked up a couple recipes that I’m super excited try, especially the Ezme salad, Welsh rarebit, zhoug, & katsu curry sauce!

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was lured in by the dish on the cover, but it isn't a great representation of the recipes to be found inside. If you enjoy ruining perfectly delicious breads with terrible toppings, go crazy, but I am out of here!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cool book all about making delicious sandwiches. My favourite: Cream cheese, red onion & beets on a bagel. (It even has a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Yum.) Next try: Brie & blackberries with chili sauce. 👌

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is really british but maybe prue is on to something...

[Karrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a British book and a lot of things just did not apply to me. There are some good recipes in here tho

[Aasinathena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading of Prue’s books and I’m fascinated by her humbleness! And I want to buy this book, because each recipe looks so appetizing!

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading the little stories of inspiration behind each dish. Looking forward to making some in the coming year.

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book with great promise, but very underwhelming. I eat a lot of different toast variations, but honestly, there was nothing new or especially interesting. Disappointing.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yum!

[Anna Wooliver Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean it’s Prue so….

[Christa Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting combinations for sure.

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read but not really my kind of thing. I admit I lost interest after a bit.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cooking doesn’t always have to be fussy, especially during the summer when your kitchen doesn’t have AC. Found several flavor combos I can’t wait to try. Thanks Prue!