Please recommend me your best cook books.

[Milliways]

I have some very old books with nothing inspiring in them, + delias Christmas, Summer & Autumn books - which I like.

Nothing fancy, and we don't do fish.

Toying with a Nigella & a Jamie. Are they worth the money, which are best. Or someone else.

I have vouchers to spend

oh yum
just resurected the book last night, its really yummy recipes

DH bought me a book called "Crafty Italian Cookery" by Michael Barry years ago and it's wonderful. The five hour (cooking, not prep!) ragu is restaurant quality. If you like Indian, Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery (again an oldie, accompanying a BBC series from 1982) is idiot proof. I've got to get the Moro one having read what's in it!

Peckinsh but poor. The same author also wrote grub on a grant. It's the easiest, yummiest, almost falling apart cook book I have. Also have Delia's 'How to Cook'

Have all but one of Nigella's books, Delia (Winter, Christmas and her absolutely ancient 'volume' which is great for basics), the Meat Cookbook (super), Jamie. Just got Darina Allen's, Easy Entertaining - it's a lovely book with some really nice recipes - one of which I'm going to try tomorrow.

Finally, after reading this thread, my Amazon basket now contains three more recipe books !

The Dinner Lady is in the Book People`January Sale (any 2 for £7 or 4 for £12 pages)

Lindsey Bareham "just one pot". Waitrose recipe cards (or on their website)

For anyone who loves reading about food as opposed to just recipe books I have to reccomend
'Honey from the Weed' by Paitence Gray. It's a wonderful epicurean ramble around the medditerreanan in the 50's.

Her boyfriend was a sculptor who worked in marble so they used to pitch up at marble quarry's and live there while he worked. They were dirt poor so she just learned to cook what the locals cooked.

It's a marvellous snapshot of the era and terribly evocative. It's one of my favorite food books ever and I own about 500

Really like the sound of that one Carmenere. I remember enjoying Elizabeth Luard's book which was a similar mix of life and cooking.

I like best...but in no particular order

Nigella - How to Eat
All Delia's books
All Nigel Slater's books
Darina Allen - Ballymallo Cookery course.

recommend Olive as food mag.

Oh hell I can feel am amazon cookbook rampage comming on - knew I should have stayed away from this thread.

Nigella and Nigella are fantastic, I found the real chef ones a bit too fancy (gordon Ramsy and Conran). I found jamie Oliver a bit hit and miss and besides he is soooo annoying!

oops meant nigel and nigella

Jamie's are v good. Also Delia's.

Hugh Fearnley_W's are interesting but take far too much time and effort.

Anne Lindsey. She's a Canadian cook who specialises in low-fat healthy recipes. Lots of stir-fries & veg & soya. Have all of her books & use them all the time.

Delia's good too but v. high in fat (lots of butter!). Sometimes her recipes don't turn out as they should or maybe I'm inept...

Sorry -- that should be Anne Lindsay

I use Nigella's How To Eat and Feast a lot. Also Nigel Slater's Real Food. Have 3 Jamie Oliver books but have only cooked a few recipes, am yet to use it as a regular meal source.

Delias complete cookery course and the river cottage cookery book...and a dorling kindersley kids cookbook "Children's Cook Book" by Katharine Ibbs that is intended for 5- 8 year olds, but has the recipie for the best roast veg lasagne you will ever taste

Annie Bell's cookbooks - they have absolutely delicious recipes - my fave is butternut squash stuffed with kirsch, gruyere and cream - its divine!

woman's weekly ones

click on books and then other