My Favourite Cookbooks

Nine recipe books that will change your cookery world forever and one that won’t.

I have a lot of cookbooks. Many bought on the back of bygone TV food series, some from restaurant visits, others bought as presents & some just on a whim by wandering passed a bookshop.

So the other day, after a few hints from the wife, “You can’t possibly need all these books”, I decided a cull was needed. This was a far easier task than you would imagine; it’s like losing old friends.

Anyhow, after much deliberation I picked five to send to the charity shop until my wife saw one of my discarded books and said you can’t get rid of that one as it’s my lemon posset recipe book. One book was saved.

While going through my collection, I thought it would be fun to list my favourite cookbooks, so in no particular order, here are my absolute favourites, my “besties”. So here it is I nine recipe books that will change your cookery world forever and one that won’t.

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Made In Italy by Giorgio Locatelli

To me, this is the bible of Italian cooking. It is a chunky book with many pages. I must confess I’ve not scratched the surface in terms of recipes (there are a lot), but this book also tackles the cooking techniques involved in producing authentic Italian cuisine.

Basque by Jose Pizarro

My visit & love of San Sebastian & the cuisine of the Basque region inspired this purchase. It did not disappoint, as Jose’s recipes sum up the region perfectly. The Roasted chicken wings are a firm favourite in my house; I’ve also cooked pan-fried hake with mushrooms & sage for a dinner party dish. This book has many little surprises; eggs, chorizo & peas are a point in case. Hopefully this book will inspire you to visit San Sebastian, I feel sure you will love both.

Dishoom by Shamil Thakrar

I love this book; my sister bought it for me, and from the first time I opened the pages, I just knew I was going to cook many of the recipes from the book. I actually received the book before my first visit to Dishoom, and it was great to eat the recipes I cooked when dining at their St Martin’s Lane restaurant. The recipes are very well written, and although the list of ingredients can be a little daunting at first sight, please persevere as I don’t know anybody who has the book who has not been thrilled with the outcome when cooking the recipes. The book covers breakfasts, lunch, snacks, various dinner sections, puds & some great tipples.

I’ve cooked lots of great dishes from this book, so it is difficult to pick my favourites, but I’m going to recommend a few, the Dishoom favourite Chicken Ruby (I’m cooking it tonight), Masala Prawns, Gunpowder potatoes, Rajma (kidney bean curry), aloo sabzi & for breakfast a Bacon naan roll with chilli jam (I add an egg).

Sauces, Savoury & Sweet by Michel Roux

This is a very handy reference book and covers all the basic sauces, I would be lost without it. If you learn the basic sauces, it can elevate your cooking. Having said that, I have had a couple of disasters trying to replicate some of the sauces from the book, so my advice is thatyou should practice first if you are planning a dinner party using a sauce from the book.

Chinese Takeaway Cookbook by Kwoklyn Wan

Who does not like a Chinese Takeaway? However, sometimes the quality of takeaways can vary & too often, Chinese restaurants use pre-made heat & serve dishes. Here’s your solution, a book written by Kwoklyn Wan, brother of Gok. Their parents owned a Chinese restaurant so Kwoklin has a deep insight into cooking our favourite take-away dishes.. This books showcases classic Chinese take-away dishes in a easy to follow format using a lot of store cupboard ingredients. I’ve cooked many recipes from this book and although it is not as easy as picking up the phone to your local takeaway, I have been pleased by the results of the dishes & had fun cooking them.

Some of my favourites to cook are the shredded chilli beef, satay king prawns, spicy Hoi sin chicken & mixed Chinese mushrooms.

Grab a copy of the book and surprise the family on take-away night.

Taste: My Life through food by Stanley Tucci

Half autobiography & half cookbook, I would imagine this book was written before Stanley Tucci recorded his hugely popular “Searching for Italy” BBC TV series. The book, as the title suggests, tracks Stanley’s food life as an Italian family living in the US and how his parents clung to their Italian heritage as expats. It’s well written and follows Stanley from a youngster to growing up as an Actor. There are plenty of recipes that mainly come from Stanley’s mother. 

It’s a lovely book which I could not put down. If you enjoyed Stanley Tucci’s “Searching for Italy.” you will adore this book.

Simply by Sabrina Ghayour

 I watched Sabrina cooking on Saturday morning kitchen a few years ago & had to put her book on my Christmas pressie list. I can’t remember what she cooked, but whatever it was, it made an impression on me.

The book did not disappoint and gives a great insight into Persian cooking, and it always inspires me when looking for a middle-eastern twist to a dish. The Pomegranate molasses & honey-glazed meatballs is a prime example & makes a lovely change from the usual meatballs in tomato sauce. There is something for everybody in this best seller.

On my wish list for Christmas

I love receiving cookbooks for Christmas. The festive period is usually busy one for us so when the dust has settled and the decorations are packed away for another year its when I start to look at my new cookbooks, for me it is one of the few things I look forward to in January.

Tandoori Home Cooking Maunika Gowardhan

A new chef & author to me, but recently, I have followed Maunika’s recipes online, which I must say are excellent. I’m intrigued by how her book on cooking recipes from the Tandoor would work in a home kitchen.  I’m really hope Father Christmas is reading this. I think this book could be a favourite of mine in the making. I interview Maunika for our website recently and it’s well worth a read.

Michel Roux at Home

Finally, the book that won’t but is a great read.

Keith Floyd sparked my interest in food, like many people from my era. Every TV chef today should raise a glass to the legend Floyd because he single-handedly took a food show to prime-time viewing on the BBC when there were only four channels and interest in food-related programmes was nil. Every week, he managed to cook “foreign food” for a British audience that thought Spag bol was the height of decadence. I’m not sure what the audience thought of the food but they love Floyd.

He succeeded because he was funny, sometimes grumpy, but always entertaining. He was always presented with a trademark glass(or two) of wine in his hand. 

If you have yet to see Keith Floyd, go onto YouTube and ignore the dated production, the sometimes average cooking (he always cooked in real-time, and many times it went horribly wrong) and the fact that most of the time was a little wobbly. That’s why Floyd was not a great chef, but he was a pioneer and paved the way for many TV chefs to follow. Thats why he is on my list of favourite cookbooks.

He did publish plenty of cookbooks, but his Autobiography “Stirred but Not Shaken” is a really good read and gives a good insight into his fascinating life. Keith Floyd the inspiration to many TV chefs most notably James Martin, Rick Stein & Jamie Oliver.

Talking of the above trio of TV chefs, I have plenty of books by all three TV chefs & have loved following their careers via TV. I have yet to include them on my list just because I have too many to choose from. I find all the chef’s books easy to follow and wouild recommend Jamie Oliver for a novice cook. His recipes are ideal for a begginer and taste so good.

So thats it my favourite cookbook, what do you think? Do you own any of these, or am I missing a classic? Remember, I now have room for four more on my packed bookshelf.