Christmas Cookery books

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I bought every Christmas mag going until I realised I was spending a fortune and really not getting much value from them .To this day I haven't been inspired by any Christmas present suggestions. I used to like the decoration and craft ideas but these days we have Pinterest and Mumsnet! So I started buying Christmas cookbooks as it's the recipes I most like looking through. Most I've picked up in charity shops over the years.
Delia remains my go-to. I also have Nogella, Gordon Ramsay, the Hairy Bikers, BBC Good Food, Sarah Raven and possibly a couple more I can't remember. I'm not a big Nigel Slater fan (sorry!) but if anyone can sell me on why I should get the Christmas Chronicles I will keep an open mind!
Any 'must have classics' that I am missing? Or any with a more modern take on recipes? I'm more interested in ideas for entertaining during the festive season than Christmas Dinner itself as I've been doing that for decades.
Thank you

I'm an avid collector of any recipe books

My Christmas go to is Delia and Nigella how to cook as well!

I don't think your missing much else, I did buy a Scandinavian cook book which has a great gravlax recipe I use .

The river cottage Christmas book is lovely.

Was going to say this book

Then you can pop on to the the mn thread devoted to it

Just to say that it’s worth looking on eBay, world of books for some of these titles as they are a few £ max for used.

My faves are Nigella's and Jamie's. I bought Nigel Slater's Christmas Chronicles last year which is a lovely book and the Christmas pudding recipe is absolutely the best we've ever had. Anja Dunk's Advent book is lovely too. I've got a book called Merry Midwinter which covers Halloween through into January with recipes and activities which is always lovely to pick up at this time of year.

I tend to buy one Christmas food magazine each year and therefore have a back catalogue to bring it every year - it's of Jamie magazines in there, I really miss that magazine!

I love Jamie's Christmas recipe book
Love getting it out every year

I have a huge number of Christmas cook books but we are currently between houses and I won’t be able to get them out of storage for this Christmas. I have a small Joscelyn Dimbleby book that is excellent and gets well used, along with Nigella, Nigel Slater and others. I’ve also got the Sonoma Williams Christmas and Thanksgiving books that you can get second hand for pennies, one called American Christmas, and a couple of Southern Living books. I’ve also got theGerman advent one as well. And a lot more. Will have a think!

I agree. I have bought a couple of mine from charity shops too

The Hairy Bikers- 12 days of Christmas. Festive recipes

X

Btw just borrow them from the library, I do . And you can usually renew them up to 3 times so you can have them to prep before and over the festive season for up to 3 months !

For entertainment value alone -

https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/coping-with-christmas-a-fabulously-festive-christmas-companion/fanny-cradock/johnnie-cradock/hardback/9780008532277.html

Yes that's one of my favourites

i prefer to have my own copies, especially if cookery books - not least as it's easy to spill ingredients on them, but often buy second hand.

I remember watching the Craddocks when I was a child! There was that famous moment when Fanny had made butterfly cakes and Johnny said 'I hope you enjoy making them and they all turn out looking like Fanny's' (but of course sounded like 'fannies'

I love Gizzi Erskine's Season's Eatings, if covers occasions from Halloween through to New Year's Eve. The roast potato recipe in there is now my go to and never fails.

I'd not heard that one @AmbridgeGirl , i like that it covers more than Christmas, thank you

This is my favourite Christmas recipe book too!

After trying many, many other recipes I use her turkey and Christmas cake recipes every year now.

Thanks for starting this thread.....sort of!

Just received my copy of Snowflakes and Schnapps, it was about £4 with free p&p and its fabulous. I might get another one as a Christmas present for a friend.

Huge hardback book with full colour photos, I will be starting with beef in parmesan pastry with truffle butter sauce followed by molten black forest pudding with cherry compote and kirsch cream......I may be away for some time ....

oh my goodness each time I think I've decided which one to buy next, along comes another fabulous suggestion! Actually now agree with PP, it might be worth trying to get some of them from the library to browse and decide which ones I am likely to use year after year before buying

I always liked this one (and Delia)

www.wob.com/en-gb/books/francine-lawrence/country-living-a-country-christmas/9780852238875?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=18129456947&cq_con=&cq_med=pla&cq_plac=&cq_net=x&gclid=CjwKCAjwgsqoBhBNEiwAwe5w0zAitL6gC6uEdKpBS5sU5g57xc6S9UoSqeBYVIwnnkpwuP6ZxWKoPBoCYzIQAvD_BwE#GOR002259911

This dried pear loaf from Anja Dunk's Advent book has replaced Delia's Christmas Cake in DH's affections. It's discombobulating as it's messing with my routine. 😁

The Pear Loaf is easy, really delicious with cheese and is made a week before. It looks like a log with a dusting of icing sugar.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/advent/anja-dunk/9781787137264

Love this thread. I would do much appreciate a recommendation for best book for 'getting ahead' of Christmas. I'm hosting this year for ten people, tiny tiny kitchen, and caring for my frail elderly aunt. I want to do as much as I can in advance. I'm stressed already!!!

Josceline Dimbleby's Christmas was the book of Christmas when I was growing up in the 80s, now been reissued.

It is hilariously dated now, she comments on ingredients being hard to get hold of that are now staples. However it is also super tasty.

If you have people who don't like Christmas pudding then her chocolate crunch christmas pudding is both very easy and very popular.

Gah, I bought the GBBO one a while back as the result of this thread, now I want that German advent one...

I have a Jocelyn Dimbleby recipe book that I use quite a lot. It isn't actually a Christmas book but it does have a whole chapter on Christmas. It is OLD though! Good Housekeeping have an offer on at the moment, subscribe to the magazine and get their Christmas cookbook free - I think. I would quite like that.