What is your most used cookbook?

[EnglishGirlApproximately]

You know, the one covered in flour and olive oil with pages stuck together? It's my birthday in a couple of weeks and I'm going to get my cookbook shelves revamped as a present. My most used at the moment are Jamie at Home and the Be-Ro baking book. I also like Rick Stein and River Cottage, and I use a lot of speciality ones like Curries of India, Taste of the Caribbean and Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons. What do I really need in my library?

As an aside, has anyone bought Jerusalem yet? I've had a flick through and it's a lovely book but not sure how useful it would be day to day.

Thanks :)

Jamie's 30 minute meals is really well-used, although I don't think we ever do a full menu. I also use "Chinese food made easy" loads, and Nigella's "How to be a Domestic Godess" quite a lot.

I love Jo Pratt's In the Mood for Entertaining a LOT, especially if we have people coming over for lunch / dinner - her stuff just works! Must get her In the Mood for Food next.

I also really love Bill Granger and have a few of his that I use a lot too.

I have all the usual sucpects, Jamie, Nigella, Nigel etc but I have to say the one who really stands out for me and delivers on taste every single time is Gordon Ramsey! And I am not particularly a big fan of his but dd bought me his 'Cooking for Friends' in Aldi on Mothers Day last year and it is packed with absolutely delicious recipes - everything we tried has been plate-lickingly delicious.

Another vote for "Economy Gastronomy" here too. It's the only cookery book I own that has the cover falling off it.

Katie Stewart's Cookbook. My much older sister gave me it when I bought my first house back in 1985, with the warning that though it looked old fashioned, and I wouldn't read it for pleasure, it had every recipe I'd ever need and they all worked. She was absolutely correct and it is now sellotaped up, well splattered and I'm bereft when I can't find it.

My DC were fighting so much over "who will get the Katie Stewart when you die" issue that they now get one as part of their 18th presents. Dd1 is off to uni next week and I suggested a student cookbook, to which she replied, quite affronted, "but I've got my Katie Stewart".

Madhur J's World Vegetarian and Lesley Water's Broader Than Beans.

Have you got the Books for Cooks Cookbooks? I liked the fact that they "harvested" and tested from the best cookbooks around.

I use Hugh F-W's Veg Everyday the most at the moment. Lots of delicious everyday type stuff and relatively healthy too. I also really Like Short and Sweet and use jamie's 30 min book a bit too.

Molecule - I'd forgotten about Katie Stweart, my mum swears by her and I cooked loads of her recipes in my teens, always good and always worked. Think I'm going to go on abebooks to get one for myself!

Gina Ford toddler cookbook is fab. I also use Allrecipes.co.uk when I have an abundance of something that needs using up.

Nigella Express

Hairy Bikers Mums Know Best

Love your name "iheartkingthistle" Wonders if he is Owen of Corrie.

Who, King Thistle? I don't watch Corrie I'm afraid, let me google...

...nope none the wiser, what's the connection?

Hummingbird Bakery book especially the Chocolate brownies with Raapberry cheesecake topping and the lemon bars.

Anything by Nigel Slater and Nigella and also a book my Mum gave me before age passed away full of the things she used to cook for me.

An old Good House Keeping recipe book that was my Gran's I think. It has all the basic recipes in, flapjack, yorkshire puts, banana bread, fairy cakes etc.

Another vote for the Leith cookery bible to, also have the technique one. My grandad left them to me when he died last April.

Nigella's are like food porn, I love reading them but have never bothered to do a recipe.

Hairy Bikers 'mums know best'
And delis of course

And I have 'Catalan cuisine' by C

Jamie's italian, naked chef 1 & 2, wagamamas book, seasonally delia's and Nigella's Christmas books are the best and even though they're used for around two months of the year are very tatty. Madhur Jaffrey's easy curry is stained too.

Oops

'Catalan cuisine' by Colman Andrews which is great, I love that sort of beans and sausage / croquetas sort of food

I've just bought the little Paris kitchen which I think will shape up to be very useful

Hummingbird is superb for cakes :)

was going to suggest Madhur Jaffery's ultimate curry bible but saw the link below lol

in its defence it is a fantastic book with curries from all over the world but probably not worth £151.

Leith's cookery bible is another fave but as a reference tome more than anything else.

Wow loads of great suggestions thank you. I now need to make my long list into a short list :)

Oh no! Too much waffle has caused a misunderstanding. The Ultimate Curry Bible is still in print and costs a normal amount...

It is the one I have (the forerunner; as I said many of the same recipes as the Curry Bible) that's out of print and mega pricey!!

Though not a vegetarian I use hfw veg a lot. I love it.

I also love the hairy bikers mums know best and their Christmas book.

Am a huge fan of slow cooking so I would also count the complete slow cooker in my top ten. There are better slow cook books, but none with as pretty pictures.

Though a fan of 30 minute meals I've recently got Jamie's great Britain, and tbh I'm not that fussed. I already know how to make a bacon sandwich ta.

I've got an ancient cookbook (that might date back to my student days) full of brownish,falling out pages called 'The Penguin Cookery Book' by Bee Nilson. My copy is so battered that my DH searched high and low for another.
My other cook book bible is 'The cookery year' Reader's Digest,inscribed 'now for some decent food!!'. Cheeky b. There is also a more modern version 'The new cookery year'.

Mrs Beeton!!

Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook is the first one I turn to for anything, especially when the veg box comes. It's arranged by main (veg - but not all vegetarian) ingredient, it's got lots and lots of recipes that work and don't usually require too many strange extras, and there are a few recipes from there which I now make all the time.
Also, it's beautiful (bright and stripy) and I buy it as a present for anyone I know who doesn't have it.