Which recipe book could you not live without?

[TheWorstWitch]

And why?
Looking for christmas present inspiration.
TIA

Mary Berry's Complete Cookbook . We got it as a wedding present and 5 years later I still use it nearly every week. It's got things in it that I would actually cook and eat rather than fancy pantsy things that I would have to go to a specialist shop to get the ingredients. It's got how-to sections as well.

Nah always, it's not that useful. Just think of the lovely boots you could have.

Hmm, I wonder if my Mum had that book and I could cadge it off my Dad.........

Delia's complete cookery course. We bought it when we first got married.
22 years later, it still gets used.

I just bought 2 pairs of boots on Thursday

Hello, I'm new here, but I had to chime in to add my vote to Nigel Slater's Appetite. The recipes are so simple but sooooo delicious - the food splashes all over my copy are a testament to how often it gets used, and I've never had a failure.

For reading, I love Nigella, though I don't actually cook many of hers as a) I am veggie and she is a raving carnivore and b) I don't trust her baking recipes after a couple of disasters.

My favourite everyday ones are Madhur J's World Vegetarian and Lesley Waters' (is that her name?) Broader Than Beans.

I like your firework name!

I don't often use cookery books now, but if I need to use a reference, it will be Delia's Cookery Course or Good Housekeeping.

I usually look them up if I need help on something traditional.

I do have a heaving bookshelf in my kitchen though, as I do like recipe books, but I can really live without them, on the whole.

Mine is Complete Comfort Food - it taught me a few basics which I have built on to make lots of lovely things!

It's by a woman called.........Bridget Jones!

Nigella never fails me.

My favourite one is 'Feast', and I do use it a lot, along with Domestic Goddess.

Another vote for nigel slater, although Appetite isn't my favourite of all his books...though I do have them all!! Real Food and Kitchen Diaries very good with a nice variety of meals and nothing complicated. Real Fast Food excellent if you just want to throw whatever is left in the cupboard together, and 30 Minute Cook, well that does what it says in the title!

for basics delias complete cookery book is great ( scary front cover though!) we were bought it as a wedding present and it does all the basics

most used in 0our house though is jamies ministry of food, then 'the dinner lady' then jamies dinners

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Another vote for Delia's Complete Cookery Course. Easy to follow and recipes for just about everything. For a good read, however, I'd go for Nigella's How to Eat.

Betty Crocker's cooky book but is very old and prob unavailable

tell a lie here it is

Can't bear Nigel 'I'm the best cookery writer in Britain and I edit the magazine that says so' Slater.

Nigella has never let me down.
Delia is utterly reliable.
As is my Mum's 1959 Good Housekeeping.

But if you want an interesting food book, I'd go for Claudia Roden's Book of Jewish Food or her Arabesque, which are part recipe book, part ethnohistory and a great read.

I love Claudia Roden's book of jewish food - don't think I've cooked anything from it but love reading it! I have nearly all the ones mentioned here as I am a real cookery book addict. The one I use most is prob Nigella's how to eat. I like the one by tamsin day lewis too - I find her quite annoying in her tv programmes but she's great on paper. I also really love Rick Stein's far eastern odyssey one - that and green mangoes by Wendy Hutton are my two favourite asian cookery ones. Green mangoes is prob the most authentic if that's what you are looking for.

I could talk about cookery books all day.

Forgot to add - Giorgio Locatelli's one would make a gorgeous present - the hardback version - beautiful pictures, paper and heavy - just looks lovely.

Nigel slater is very good.

Hugh Fearnley Wittingstall's Meat book. A must-have for my family of meat-lovers.

How to eat by nigella.

I couldn't chose but if I had too I would say my favourites are Mary Berry, Tana Ramsey and a couple of obscure ones.

I have just spent the last hour or more going through several books making up meal plans.

Nigella's How to Eat and How to be a Domestic Goddess since I'm a cake baking nut, Hugh's Family cook book and Delia's complete cookery course for basics.