Which recipe books do you use over and over again?

[MissTFied]

I have loads of celebrity recipe books, and have just picked up Nigella's 'Feast' again. I'm surprised I didn't cook more from it when I first got it.

I like practical books rather than fussy (never cooked from my Gordon Ramsey book).

What are your essential books?

Several books by Katie Stewart - written from the 1970s to the 1990s. Lots of good, fairly simple recipes that work without having too many obscure ingredients.

Nigel Slater's Real Food and Delia's Complete Cookery course.

I agree, Nigellas How To Eat, the original and best, I sometimes just read it rather than use a recipe.

For everyday food, River Cafe Easy is great.

I also love Donna Hay's magazine, have a subscription and really look forward to them.

Good food magazine.

Recipe books I dip in and out of infrequently but GFM I cut out and file recipes and use them over and over.

I've never heard of Donna Hay - who is she?

Jamie Ministry of food. I like Nigel Slater's writing but his meals are usually just a protein and veg..I like a bit of stodge in my meals. I have never made a Nigella recipe, ever.

McDreamy, Donna Hay

The Hamlyn All Colour Cook Book.

Just very very reliable.

Leiths Techniques Bible

Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Bible.

Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course. Fab. Followed closely by all her other books.

The Dairy book of home cookery. By the milk marketing board, 1968.
My Mum had a copy and I found one at a car boot. It gives you lots of basic recipes then how to adapt it, i.e. plain scone, then cheese, cherry, dried fruit, etc. Same with sauces. My first port of call for anything I want to cook, so long as it contains a dairy product . It has a foreign foods section and under Italy is Spag Bol Dated but classic.

Donna Hays Classic 1 and 2... just really, really good recipes

And delicious- always something fabulous in there

The Good Housekeeping one that MIL bought me in 1989, before she was the MIL! Ainsley's Meals in Minutes and occasionally Delia's Complete Cookery.

DH uses every single sleb book and download from BBC Food he can lay his hands on! He likes to cook!

I have five shelves of cookery books, accumulated over twenty years....and reckon I could survive with just six...two from Jamie, 'Jamie's Dinners' and 'Happy Days with the Naked Chef', Delia's 'Complete Cookery Course', Lindsey Bareham's 'Big Red Book of Tomatoes', and 'A Celebration of Soup' and 'Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book'.

A 1950's 'Good Housekeeping picture cake-making' book (I LOVE it - it has recipes for cake minus eggs, or sugar, or fat etc etc), Jamies' Dinners, Jamies Italy, How to cook.

Delias Complete cookery course, Good Housekeeping Encyclopedia, and various Nigellas.

HerBeatitude - oh yes, the Hamlyn All Colour
Cook Book is brilliant....I learnt to cook with that...the edition with four pictures on the cover, including a Pavlova and a fruit cake.

Leith's Cookery Bible! It has everything from cooked breakfasts, to canapes and dinner parties via old english favourites and ethnic dishes. Plus sections on boning/carving/cooking meat and breadmaking etc. I've had it about 15 years and constantly refer to it - Jamie and Nigella remain gathering dust on the shelf.

I have Keith and Rick too, and whilst they might get an outing for the occasional dish, old Prue's pages are very well thumbed. There's an updated version, so maybe I should treat myself!

um, Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French cooking! I am cross that the film has now shared my secrets with the world!

It it my grandmothers edition too, I've had it 20 years.

Oh and Larousse Gastronimique when I feel my French is up to it.

Otherwise love Nigel Slater and the Moro cookbooks. Plus Delia.

Mum has The Dairy Book Of Home Cookery. I was brught up on that. It's falling to pieces now but I see it's still popular on ebay.

Are you watching Channel 4 with Keith Floyd?

Delia - Complete Cookery and all 3 books in the 'How to Cook' series
Nigella - Feast and Express
Hamlyn All colour cookbook
McDougalls Better Baking