I haven't looked at the other Jamie's books yet, but I'm definitely going to now. This one has quite a few ideas that I liked in it - baking stuff in foil "bags", several easy salad dressings, different variations of bread based on the same basic recipe... What's even more, there is an air of lightness and happiness that this cookbook has about it: nice photographs, laid-back tone of the recipes - it's more like reading a good blog in a paper format than a "proper" cookbook. I think it would make a great present for a Jamie's fan, or for someone who is just beginning to cook (like me) and needs some ideas and techniques for inspiration.
Why only three stars then, you ask? Well, it might be just my expectations conflicting with reality, but Jamie has A LOT of meat in this book. Basically all the main dishes are based on either meat or fish and virtually every side/veggie dish calls for bacon or panchetta - to spice things up, I guess. And those that don't have bacon have butter or creme fraiche as ingredients. Come to think of it, many have both butter and bacon... Now, I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't think that every.single.meal has to have meat in it. Seriously. And how 'bout trying to reduce fat intake, Jaimie? A more balanced collection of recipes would be nice, but then again, I haven't seen any other of his cookbooks, maybe this is an exception.