Recipe book recommendation needed

[Midge25]

Right....have loads of recipe books and use them all quite regularly. But have found myself in the 21st C position of knowing how to make fancy fish/ratatouille combinations, roll my own pasta, etc etc, but not knowing how to make all those basics like cottage pie, nice chicken/beef stews and so on. Am keen for a recipe book that reveals all...but please God not Delia. Am also after a recipe for pate, if anyone can help!

The River Cottage Family Cookbook?
The Larousse Encyclopedia of Cookery (or summat like that - it's expensive but interesting to read and chock-full of recipes.

Or use the internet, I often google for recipes.

Not sure it quite meets the cottage pie and stew need, but this is our fallback for most things - I don't know if there is an English equivalent.

don't, whatever you do, buy this one

leiths cookery bible (that might not be the exact name, I can't be bothered moving to go and look)
or the good housekeeping one

ooh, x-post VBB - I thought we were the only collectors of recipe books sad enough to have Larousse

another collector of cookbooks here, I love the Porters one. And its cheap! Has things like cobbler topping for stews.

the classic 1000 recipes also good. another Delia hater here. take a good recipe then add a load of unnecessary cream and bacon to make it overly rich and inedible. bleuggh.

Readers Digest Cookery Year - the original version, not the new version according to Amazon reviews

I have it and it is great for everything - all the basic recipes in there, some weird 70s shit but really helpful on how long to roast meat, how to bone/fillet, make sauces, jams etc etc.

look out for it in charity shops and boot fairs, it always turns up! It is my bible, inherited from mum (who, btw has an entire wall of cookery books)

The Silver Spoon is a total godsend. www.phaidon.com/silverspoon - mate of mine recommended it to me and it's been fabulous, kind of book that's handy if you have a few ingredients in and want inspiration on what to do with them! Much cheaper to buy on Amazon too.

fourlittlefeet I bought a 1000 recipe book when I first went to uni 27 years ago and still use it loads. Have also got the Good Housekeeping Cookery Book which is excellent too for all the basics.
I have 2 full shelves of cookery books but still use these 2 more than most.

Thanks all - that's fab. Stealthsquiggle - the one you hate was one I spotted, considered but hadn't yet bought! Phew....but why the Rhodes rage? (hhahaha - must stop with the Pinot Grigio soon)

still love nigella's books although have no real time for nigella and madhur jaffreys original book

absolutely LOVE Nigella Express. I suppose to really understand why you'd have to try making the impossibly easy crispy duck pancakes at home. a fail safe dinner party winner. Also has some good basic tips like crumble topping to keep in the freezer so all that autumn fruit can be made into quick puddings and you only dirty your food processor now and then

Midge - you mean apart from the fact that he is personally so annoying (actually that has nothing to do with it - Nigella annoys the hell out of me and I love her books)?

The recipes are impossibly and uneccesarily fiddly, and designed to generate the maximum possible amount of washing up.

Example: steak and kidney pudding - easiest thing in the world - suet pastry, floured steak and kidney, onion, water, slap lid on, steam for 4-5 hours. GR's recipe involves stewing the meat separately, then assembling the thing and steaming it - entirely pointless and I bet no-one could tell the difference in the end recipe.

We do very occasionally use a recipe from it, but we omit half of the ingredients and most of the steps which makes the book a bit pointless.

Yes, very annoying, I agree. He's on my List (people I am suspicious of for no good reason) and his hair makes me want to hurt people. Glad I didn't make the purchase - down with Rhodes!

I quite like Nigella but find none of her recipes seem to work for me...

ahem. buy it

you will thank me

No, buy this one

Lots of good recipes just like mother used to make!!