I don’t know whether it is when you really learned how to cook that determines what are your favourite books, or whether some books are just better than others. However, I noticed recently how I still keep on going back to a few cookery books that I have simply had for ages. They are really well worn, with the stains of tried and tested dishes on really special and popular recipes.
For me, the classics that I still find irreplaceable are: “Floyd on France“, “Floyd on Britain and Ireland“, Sophie Grigson’s “Meat Course“, a few books by Maddhur Jaffrey’s “Indian Cookery”, and then I use Elisabeth Luard’s “European Peasant Cookery”, Reader’s Digest “Farmhouse Cookery”. Then for Christmas and other special occasions, I turn to - Claire MacDonald’s “Celebrations” and Delia Smith’s “Christmas” for inspiration.
I’ve got stacks of cookery books, but were I to go to a desert island these are the books that I would take with me, plus perhaps some books by Ray Mears, so I would be actually be able to build a shelter, forage for food and practise my survival skills.
What books could you not live without?
Tags: Blog, cookery books, cooking, food and wine, foodandwine, foodie, recipe book, Steenbergs, Steenbergs spices, tea
Katie Stewart for me. It is also my mother’s bible!
‘Living & Eating’ by John Pawson & Annie Bell is our most used book – full of simple delicious recipes which everyone loves . A close second is Tamasin Day Lewis ‘The Art of the Tart’. Amazing what you can do with some pastry & fairly basic ingredients. Both seem to be out of print now sadly!
I must track down “Living & Eating” as I have not come across it. I like “The Art of the Tart” as well and dip into it sometimes myself.