What are your favourite recipe books you heavily use?

[treeindigo]

I love browsing recipe books for inspiration but find most of the ones I have I only like a few of the recipes. I'm not the most experienced of cooks so tend to like simple meals, don't really do fish. I have a few Jamie Oliver and River Cottage ones, wondering if Joe Wicks would be a good shout for simplicity.

What do you like?

@treeindigo if you want to treat yourself before Christmas I can recommend Advent by Anja Dunk. I don't actually own it myself yet (I will be getting it in time for December ) but everyone who has it seems to love it and I've had several recipes passed on to me.

Fuchsia Dunlop - Wikipedia

Please can someone recommend the book with the best Thai Green Curry in? I will then purchase immediately! I'm always tweaking an old recipe from a long gone book (Jamie I think) but it's never quite perfect.

I cook regularly from any of Anna Jones cookbooks, Diana Henry (Food from plenty) and Claire Thomson’s cookbooks (particularly Home cookery year)

My favourite ‘classic’ cookbook is the Tamasin Day-Lewis book ‘Tamasin’s Kitchen Bible’ - my go to for basic sauces, baking and my favourite Christmas cake recipe.

Rick stein Far Eastern and india books
thomasina miers first book

delia complete cookery

My current favourite is Anna's Family Kitchen. It's got some fabulous foolproof recipes that I return to again and again. Her chilli con carne with chorizo is to die for. Can't recommend it enough.
mezepublishing.co.uk/product/annas-family-kitchen/

Nigella
Ottolenghi
Jamie
Dishoom
The tray bake ones by Meera Sodha

😂

Yes that is so annoying. They do it to get around copyright issues.

I find I can graze through a recipe book and pick up ideas, then incorporate them into my own recipes.
Sometimes I read of combinations that just work that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

I improvise a lot but not with cakes or anything else where you need to follow the recipe to the letter.

Yes, @EveryKneeShallBow Also love Fuchsia Dunlop’s Invitation to a Banquet!

@JENNY100 Fay Ripley is great too. Some sage advice in and amongst the recipes. Always remember her quick fish pie with sliced potatoes on top and advice to use the time you save to get a massage. Her custard lollies remain a big hit here!

The Veg Box Companion by Abel &Cole. Lots of great ideas to use less meat and more fruit and veg.

Actually Nagi from RecipeTin Eats has two cookbooks now. I have both, but her website is still a wonderful resource, her recipes are entry level but excellent. I love the QR code videos she includes in the books as I'm a visual learner and it really helps me 'get' a recipe, what it should look like etc, and no book can predict what your own oven or stovetop etc will do.

In her newest book, she wrote she's turned down television and brand deals because she truly is committed to perfecting her recipes and making them foolproof, I do think she nails it 95% of the time.

Nigel Slater has an excellent one, I just copied it from BBC Food for here, but it's in A Taste Of My Life

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/nigelslatersthaigree_80244

Many thanks!

Jon Watts has great books

All the Roasting Tin books.

Diana Henry, Simple and From Oven to Table

Nigel Slaters - many

Tamasin Day-Lewis, Well-Tempered Food

Simon Hopkinson, Roast Chicken and Other Stories, and the Prawn Cocktail Years (co-authored, which has some cracking Christmas stuff in)

Our local Oxfam bookshop has a Christmas section which had multiple Delias in recently, ditto Nigella and Jamie.

Just wanted to report back that I have been on a bit of spending spree and bought Nigella, a few of Nigel Slater's, from the oven to the table, and someone on another thread recommended Bee Wilson to me. I am trying Rob Hobson's new book this week which I've had a lot of success with.

Next on my wish list are the Ottolenghi ones, as a few people said they are a little more complex I thought I'd work up to those!

My favourites are¹
Delia Winter
Nigella Feast
Jamie Olivers The Naked Chef and Italy

You coukd cook every recipe from Winter, it's fabulous.

I bought this after recommendations on mumsnet and really pleased with it. Otherwise Diana Henry and Sarah Raven who collates all the recipes by ingredients.

I was given From Oven to Table for Christmas and am really enjoying it.

Persiana still on my list…

I very much enjoyed revisiting Nigel Slater’s Christmas Chronicles this year in the few quiet moments.

Oh! Also rediscovered Annie Bell’s Baking Bible which is brilliant.

Over the years Delia Smith has been a big favourite.These days I like Jamie Oliver’s books and also the Hairy Bikers.

The tattiest book is definitely the Rombaeur Joy of Cooking. Lots of spills and writing on it!
My current favourite is the beautiful Dishoom book which I got for Christmas. I made the house Black Dal yesterday. It took 6 hours to make but was absolutely amazing!

Totes