My absolute favourite cookery writer is Nigel Slater and I treasure 'Appetite' a Christmas present from my dear husband who sadly died last year. My copy is literally falling apart from constant use over the many years I've enjoyed reading it - my cookery bible!
Linda McCartney’s Linda’s Kitchen - have had it since I was a student nearly 30 years ago. Still the best, simplest cornbread and lemon drizzle cake recipes I’ve ever found, even though I have dozens of cookbooks now. For some reason now lost to time, Linda’s face on the front is covered by a picture of a roaring tiger.
I lived in LA in the 90’s and discovered The New Basics cookbook by julee rosso and Sheila lukins. It’s a thick book and the pages had fallen out by the gravad lax recipe and Schmidts ribs so I bought a new one. But I still use the old one. I think it’s the memory of all the meals I’ve cooked from it.
I’ve some of my mother’s cook books from the 1940s - one tells you how to host a dinner party when you’ve given your staff the night off (oh the horror)! I used to live next door to a certain S Grigson, who borrowed some books which I never got back (US ones again from the 1940s)…. I wish I could find my Robert Carrier laminated card collection but I think they may have been thrown out, along with my Paint Along With Nancy Kominski and Anne Ladbury Dressmaking books….
I had those cookery cards too and a heavily used Robert Carrier book which I seem to have managed to lose along the way! Elizabeth Moxon’s lemon posset was a favourite
Yes, another favourite. I have discovered most of the people I currently cook from through the extended Ottolenghi network, as one thing that really strikes me is how much all these cooks recommend and (justifiably) hype each other. It makes me love them for their sense of community even more than just for their food.
Mine are Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery, Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssee and Ottolenghi’s Simple. All covered with various ingredients and splash marks!!
Each and every one of Nigella's books have a special place in my heart, as it was her intelligent, witty prose that set me off on my culinary journey. How to Eat will always remain my favourite from a recipe standpoint, however it is Feast that has stuck with me the most on an emotional level. Reading Feast as a teenager beginning to treasure the rituals of the kitchen, it mesmerised me how food marks nearly every significant event in our lives, celebratory or mournful. To quote another food writer, James Beard, it is the ubiquity of food that cements its position as the universal leveller, and Feast, through its exploration of myriad gastronomic customs, drew me into the community and love that food is able to create.
Thank you Fiona! Well after you reminded me of it yesterday, I have pulled it out to cook from this afternoon ☺️ lunch from there and then a pudding from How to be a Domestic Goddess!
Both my husband and I use mainly Nigella’s books - we have all of them. I have loads of cookbooks, but we always return to hers. I love a single dish cookbook, and Tamasin Day-Lewis’ The Art of the Tart is my go-to whenever I need a tart recipe. It gets used surprisingly often. Lastly, as I’m originally from Poland, I do buy a lot of cookbooks with recipes from Central and Eastern Europe in English as the authors had already done the job of adapting the recipes for the British reality, and I don’t need to trawl the internet.
Yes, I do. I also recommend Irina Georgescu’s Carpathia and Tava (she’s a Romanian food writer who lives in Wales, also writes.a Substack) as well as Zuza Zak’s cookbooks - she is Polish, but moved to England as a child.
Tried and true Joy oc Cooking and Marcella's Italian Kitchen, by Marcella Hazan. And years ago when I was just getting into vegetarian cooking, Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit, by Adelle Davis.
Oh it’s fantastic. Plus wonderful survival tale of a youngish widow and her daughter making their way after the death of her husband. Plus, she tells stories and history of the recipes. It’s a wonderful book, written just prior to Julia Child’s first. In fact, in biopic of Julia, she and her friends make note of it. A true classic.
The very first cookery book I was given, aged ±16, was Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Simon Beck and Julia Child, in paperback. I now also possess an American hardback 1st Edition, but it is the paperback that stays with me in the kitchen. Still totally relevant and a true reference for the serious cook, its 3 volumes are up there with Mrs David's books. Claudia Roden's Book of Middle Eastern Food [1968] took such punishment that I was grateful for the fully revised and updated version when it came. It's a treasure trove which introduced many of us to the joys of Middle Eastern food before it became so widespread in the UK.
Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery - they’ve just reissued it but I prefer my splattered 30-year old copy, bound up with many memories. I was living in Paris when I bought it, so shamefully had never heard of MJ, but ended up impressing my French foodie friends for years with it. Every single recipe works. Simon Hopkinson’s Roast Chicken … comes a close second, for the anchovy-basted lamb.
I love this topic! My 5 most used (and most battered and splattered) books:
Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi
The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman
The Essential Madhur Jaffrey
Tartine Bread by Chad Robinson
Good list! Don't really have room in my freezer to make ice cream otherwise I'm sure I would be a Perfect Scoop fan!
My absolute favourite cookery writer is Nigel Slater and I treasure 'Appetite' a Christmas present from my dear husband who sadly died last year. My copy is literally falling apart from constant use over the many years I've enjoyed reading it - my cookery bible!
I’m sure you treasure that Linda and so sorry about your husband. Having lost mine a few years ago I can imagine how you must feel
Linda McCartney’s Linda’s Kitchen - have had it since I was a student nearly 30 years ago. Still the best, simplest cornbread and lemon drizzle cake recipes I’ve ever found, even though I have dozens of cookbooks now. For some reason now lost to time, Linda’s face on the front is covered by a picture of a roaring tiger.
Never had that one but am a sucker for a cornbread
We’ve got an old copy of the ‘Good Housekeeping’ book, and that has all the basic recipes that work time and time again.
Is that the one that has a picture with every recipe? Love that!
That’s the one! Perfect quiche every time!
Oh yes that reminds me. The dairy book of home cookery. An essential for any basic recipes.
I used to have that once. NO idea what happened to it!
Delia Smith's 'One is Fun' was invaluable when I left home. I still use the recipes today, 40 plus years later, but double up the quantities.
I learnt to cook from Delia - she never let me down!
I lived in LA in the 90’s and discovered The New Basics cookbook by julee rosso and Sheila lukins. It’s a thick book and the pages had fallen out by the gravad lax recipe and Schmidts ribs so I bought a new one. But I still use the old one. I think it’s the memory of all the meals I’ve cooked from it.
That’s exactly it!
An American friend bought us a copy of this years ago and it is my go to for American recipes.
So true! Lovely article about well loved, well used and food smeared cook books
I’ve some of my mother’s cook books from the 1940s - one tells you how to host a dinner party when you’ve given your staff the night off (oh the horror)! I used to live next door to a certain S Grigson, who borrowed some books which I never got back (US ones again from the 1940s)…. I wish I could find my Robert Carrier laminated card collection but I think they may have been thrown out, along with my Paint Along With Nancy Kominski and Anne Ladbury Dressmaking books….
I had those cookery cards too and a heavily used Robert Carrier book which I seem to have managed to lose along the way! Elizabeth Moxon’s lemon posset was a favourite
Ottolenghi's Jerusalem is my most loved and cooked-from, but my parents still have the sticky-paged Delia I first started cooking from.
Jerusalem is a fantastic book and an important one. Also love Falastin!
Yes, another favourite. I have discovered most of the people I currently cook from through the extended Ottolenghi network, as one thing that really strikes me is how much all these cooks recommend and (justifiably) hype each other. It makes me love them for their sense of community even more than just for their food.
I’ve always admired Yotam for giving full credit to his collaborators. Not all chefs do
I just got Falastin this summer, and it’s wonderful. I love the modern touch on the traditional dishes and flavours.
I do too! Such a good book
This is such a good one!
Mine are Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery, Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssee and Ottolenghi’s Simple. All covered with various ingredients and splash marks!!
That’s a really good trio
Each and every one of Nigella's books have a special place in my heart, as it was her intelligent, witty prose that set me off on my culinary journey. How to Eat will always remain my favourite from a recipe standpoint, however it is Feast that has stuck with me the most on an emotional level. Reading Feast as a teenager beginning to treasure the rituals of the kitchen, it mesmerised me how food marks nearly every significant event in our lives, celebratory or mournful. To quote another food writer, James Beard, it is the ubiquity of food that cements its position as the universal leveller, and Feast, through its exploration of myriad gastronomic customs, drew me into the community and love that food is able to create.
What a lovely tribute to a book Jack. Makes me want to cook from it again
Thank you Fiona! Well after you reminded me of it yesterday, I have pulled it out to cook from this afternoon ☺️ lunch from there and then a pudding from How to be a Domestic Goddess!
Ooo, hope that went well!
Sake steak and chocolate Malteser cake!! My best 2 recipes from this
The chocolate cake hall of fame is something else! I love the Rococo cake and the chocolate Guinness cake 😍
Her method on how to cook a whole beef fillet - in the sidebar of the sake
Steak
Recipe is genius for entertaining . Works every time and totally stress free. Must try the Guinness cake!
She is all about the easy entertaining and I'm here for it! 😍
Ntm, Nigella is the most naturally stunning beauty ever!
She really is. Film star looks!
Both my husband and I use mainly Nigella’s books - we have all of them. I have loads of cookbooks, but we always return to hers. I love a single dish cookbook, and Tamasin Day-Lewis’ The Art of the Tart is my go-to whenever I need a tart recipe. It gets used surprisingly often. Lastly, as I’m originally from Poland, I do buy a lot of cookbooks with recipes from Central and Eastern Europe in English as the authors had already done the job of adapting the recipes for the British reality, and I don’t need to trawl the internet.
I need to revisit The Art of the Tart. And how lovely to have those Central and Eastern Europe cookbooks. Do you have Ren Behan's?
Yes, I do. I also recommend Irina Georgescu’s Carpathia and Tava (she’s a Romanian food writer who lives in Wales, also writes.a Substack) as well as Zuza Zak’s cookbooks - she is Polish, but moved to England as a child.
I met Irina a couple of years ago at Ludlow - she's great! Will look out for Zuza
Tried and true Joy oc Cooking and Marcella's Italian Kitchen, by Marcella Hazan. And years ago when I was just getting into vegetarian cooking, Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit, by Adelle Davis.
Never owned Joy of cooking - maybe will try and track it down!
Oh it’s fantastic. Plus wonderful survival tale of a youngish widow and her daughter making their way after the death of her husband. Plus, she tells stories and history of the recipes. It’s a wonderful book, written just prior to Julia Child’s first. In fact, in biopic of Julia, she and her friends make note of it. A true classic.
The very first cookery book I was given, aged ±16, was Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Simon Beck and Julia Child, in paperback. I now also possess an American hardback 1st Edition, but it is the paperback that stays with me in the kitchen. Still totally relevant and a true reference for the serious cook, its 3 volumes are up there with Mrs David's books. Claudia Roden's Book of Middle Eastern Food [1968] took such punishment that I was grateful for the fully revised and updated version when it came. It's a treasure trove which introduced many of us to the joys of Middle Eastern food before it became so widespread in the UK.
I had Mastering the Art too but didn’t cook that much from it. Super clear though. And Claudia Roden YES
I like the 'Ginger Pig' Meatbook and recipe book, mine are falling apart but that's how i bought them from Amazon for £1 each!
Wow - that was a bargain!
Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery - they’ve just reissued it but I prefer my splattered 30-year old copy, bound up with many memories. I was living in Paris when I bought it, so shamefully had never heard of MJ, but ended up impressing my French foodie friends for years with it. Every single recipe works. Simon Hopkinson’s Roast Chicken … comes a close second, for the anchovy-basted lamb.
Seem to remember having that - still have the BBC book which was published alongside her series and yes, her recipes invariably worked!