How to Cook, Delia Smith

Compared to most celebrity chefs and cooks we see on TV, Delia Smith comes across like a domestic science teacher. But ask anyone who’s tried her recipes and they all say the same thing, Delia’s recipes are easy to follow and they always work. And while she may not cut the mustard with the pukka […]

Gourmet Food For A Fiver – Jason Atherton

So, credit crunch, everyone’s skint, business has gone down the toilet. Eating out’s now a luxury, for some a long-gone memory. Eating gourmet food – forget it. But at least you can find the money to pay your tax bill by rummaging around for loose change in the back of the sofa. (We like to […]

Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals – Jamie Oliver

There’s no stopping Jamie Oliver. The guy’s an inspiration. We love the enthusiasm he chucks into sharing his knowledge and experience. In his new book, Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals, he’s at it again. He shows you that by mastering a few kitchen tricks and being organized and focused, it’s not only absolutely possible, but also dead […]

The River Cottage Fish Book – Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nick Fisher

Written by the amiable Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his mate Nick Fisher, who must be tired of all the jokes by now, ‘Fish’ will have you rushing out to your nearest fishmonger. This book’s a whopper, incredibly comprehensive, and everything about it feels right, from the section on catching fish, and gutting and filleting them, to […]

French Provincial Cooking, Elizabeth David

If I had to leave town in a hurry and only had time to pick up just one cookery book, this would be the one. It was the first book that really got me interested in food. I’d left home, gone to art college in London and was living in a grotty flat in a […]