What's your favourite recipe book?

[tillyfernackerpants]

I'm feeling very uninspired lately & think I need a new recipe book. The ones I get all seem to have too many or hard to get ingredients, or take too long.

I'm just looking for a simple cookbook that has ideas for family meals (baby & toddler friendly), I know, I don't want much!

So what are your favourites, the ones you absolutely cannot live without?

this is quite sweet
Also like Jamies Ministry of Food one.

This is a good book for child-friendly stuff (having said which, my DSs both turned their noses up at the chicken satay we cooked from it last night.

Otherwise, I adore Nigel Slater, especally the Kitchen Diaries.

not sure about how child friendly it is, but the Good Housekeeping recipe book is fantastic - I use it more than any other recipe book I have, because it's so straightforward and has a huge variety of recipes in it.

I like the old books... or books with old recipes.

Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course (the old version, mine has print date of 1982)

Feeding The Nation - Marguerite Patten OBE (Hamlyn, 2005)

The Dairy Book of British Food (Edbury Press, 1988 - National Magazine Company / Milk Marketing Board)

Oh I love testing out recipes from here... am trying out Overmydeadbody's Shepherds Pie tonight.

Thanks for all the replies, will have a look at all of those! I think I need to avoid the celebrity chefs/their partners, that seems to be where I go wrong

I would try the recipes on here but don't have a printer & am just too lazy to write them down by hand!!

I love the Australian Women's Weekly books. The more generic ones rather than the specific (eg choose the "best of" rather than "asian meals for one").

I love Jamies Minisry of Food, I make some different out of it almost every week.
Its full of simple recipes with ingredients that are easy to find (I cant be doing with these fandagled ones that expect you to find some special supermarket for one ingredient).

Best cake recipe book is a little one I bought from a garden centre! Good food 101 cakes & bakes
Use Martha day 1000 recipes quite a lot
look in recipe section here for loads of ideas
Friends keep buying me TV related recipe books as presents (you name 'em I've got one - hairy bikers, Jamie, Nigella, Gt British menu...) and they hardly get used
Can't go wrong with Delia, another vote for complete collection, esp Yorky pudding recipe!

I love Jamie's cookbooks too. Depending on your skill level, I'd also say Ministry of Food, it's got some lovely recipes in it, but if you're an accomplished cook it might be a bit too basic

I second all of Nannynick's suggestions. The Dairy cookbook is really good.

Difficult to choose!

Nigella "How to Eat", her first book and far and away her best. I could cook from this exclusivel for rest of my life I think! Great chapter on feeding babies and toddlers - wonderfully non-PC.

Nigel Slater "Kitchen Diaries (but not v.child friendly), love anything else by him too.

All River Cottage cookbooks wonderful, but River Cottage family cookbook has great recipes, prob aimed at older than toddler age, but I read it and look forward to time when can get dd (and soon-to-be ds) involved in baking and general cooking

Was pleasantly surprised by Jamie's Ministry of Food book from library recently as thought TV series was pants, but had some really good ideas in it and not too patronising. I find although his recipes ok the text is appalling usually, as if written by and to a five-year old..

I use BBC Good Food website a lot too, useful if you have random ingredients you need inspiration for.

I have Nigella Lawson's Feast but its just a bit too much for what I need, though the chocolate cake section is excellent!

Seems to be a lot of recommendations for Ministry of Food & the Dairy book, will have a look at them.

I find some of the celebrity ones over-complicated, lots of ingredients needed that aren't stocked in my supermarket & a huge amount of time needed to prepare & cook!!

I would say my skill level is fairly basic, but I want to improve & try different flavours etc rather than just sticking to my standard menus!

I second midnightexpress in really rating Nigel Slater's books.

Also - delicious magazine (not a book I know) has great recipes. I wonder if they have their recipes on their website.

Donna Hay's Modern Classics

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Eeek stupid link.

Try this.

Anything Nigel slater here too.Full proof tasty and easy

Oh yes, I agree with SkaterGrrrl, Donna Hay is good too. I have quite a few of hers, and they're v reliable. Book 2 is where to find the puds .

Delia's Complete Cookery, Jamie's Dinners, An ancient 70s M&S one, Weight Watchers family Meals. Try Rachel Allen books. They are very straight forward and she's a cookery teacher so they're easy to follow too.

Oh about to put the Donna Hay classics one in the charity shop - didn't do it for me...
Currently it is Sarah Raven's Garden Cook Book - name the veg and there are at least three possible recipes...