what is your best "back to basics" recipe or cook book please?

[cornedbeefpasty]

i have recently started cooking everything from scratch, and i'm actually finding it hugely satisfying!!

i have some big gaps in my knowledge though of the most basic skills (like how to make a stock...had to phone my mum! )

i have a great student cook book called "how to boil an egg" which has been really great, but i need more now!

so, what book do you refer back to time after time?

Deliah

Oh yes - the Delia bible!!

Not sure what the book is called as it is ancient and I have have it 15 years - but it has a black cover and covers everything.

this one

thanks! do you know...i think i have this book collecting dust at the back of the cupboard! so glad you mentioned it....am off to investigate now!

Delia's Complete Cookery Course
'How To Eat' by Nigella Lawson (OK, not exactly an economy cookbook, but very readable and a sound grounding in a lot of basic things)
this James Martin book has reliable recipes for basic traditional dishes, e.g. macaroni cheese, shepherd's pie.
BBC Good Food magazine website is really useful too.

Have also heard great things about Jamie's Ministry of Food book but I don't have it so can't vouch for it personally.

Jamies Ministry of food is really really good,lots of easy cheap recipes in there.

he has a whole section on different things to do with mince and its really easy,DH who cant cook/wont cook has made the meatballs from there (i nearly fainted) and they were nice,well worth the money,think the main supermarkets are selling it for £10-£12.