Recommendations from the FoodStack Library community and those featured in Other People’s Bookshelves Q&A with …
Lisa Ekus Guinness World Record collection of Cookbooks. Image credit Eric Gove Photography. Read more > Sally Ekus Q&A
Our Other People’s Bookshelves Q&A with ... series gives us an insight into the many cookbooks people have, including their favourites and which they would recommend. Whenever a food writer invites us to learn more about their bookshelves, I ask them this question.
‘What cookbooks would you recommend and why?’
I will collate them onto one page and will add more whenever a Q&A post is published.
Jerusalem, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, I love the shared history of the city told through food. There are recipes I keep coming back to.
A few years ago, Penguin published a cute collection of slim volumes on classic food writing. I highly recommend them; and incidentally they make great stocking fillers.
The Scots Kitchen by F Marian McNeill. Long out of print, search for second hand copies. First published 1929, my edition dates from 1937. It’s a diverse and readable collection of recipes, and not what you might expect. Yes, you’ll find countless ways of using oats and various scone recipes but also a Scots floating island using guava cheese, how to make goose blood pudding, a Hallowe’en cake, essays on the National Larder, and Dr Johnson’s thoughts on Scots hospitality.
Regula Ysewijn’s Oats from the North, Wheat from the South, Pride and Pudding and Dark Rye and Honey Cake. She’s an incredible food historian, her photographs are like still lives and the recipes work.
I have to recommend any of The Silver Palate cookbooks and Sarah Leah Chase’s cookbooks. But there are a couple of others.
I’m always looking for recipes that are really simple. I’m actually quite lazy in the kitchen and since I complain about baking A LOT, if I have to bake, it better be an easy recipe. Food for Friends by Fran Warde fits into that category. As does a regional cookbook I have, Finger Lakes Feast.
I think everyone should have a classic companion, like The Good Housekeeping Cookery Book. For anything traditional, whether it’s rice pudding or a rich fruit cake, it’s in there. In a world of Google, you might wonder why, but there’s something comforting about having an encyclopaedia-like guide at your side without worrying about a screen going blank.
For baking, Dan Lepard’s Short & Sweet is a must. It’s full of clear, approachable recipes that simply work.
For meat dishes, Stéphane Reynaud’s One Knife, One Pot, One Dish is a go-to. The recipes are simple, forgiving/adaptable. They are heavy on slow cooking which is perfect for my lifestyle, where I can throw something in the oven for a main meal and then enjoy leftovers the next night.
For a vibrant alternative to meat, Bold Beans by Amelia Christie-Miller is fantastic. It’s full of creative recipes that feel like an antidote to traditional meat-based meals and a step towards a more plant-forward world.
Finally, Annie Bell’s How to Cook is one I always recommend. With over 200 recipes, it’s the book I wish I’d been given when I left for university. It’s straightforward, practical, and perfect for building confidence in the kitchen.
Oh my, this is SO hard to answer because it depends. What you are looking for? A great collection of well-tested, timeless, and tasty recipes? Any Michael McLaughlin book! Want to bake? Hello Dorie or Rose (both of whom have known me since I was a little girl!). Or maybe you want an agency best-seller that busts countless myths and will keep you at the top of your outdoor cooking game. Easy: Meathead, and stay tuned for the follow up this May! Tried and true vegan recipes? Any Nava Atlas book! Then there’s Toni Tipton Martin’s Jubilee and, and, and…
