Kathy Hamilton Today I want to share my favourite recipe books with you. Creating delicious food is one of life’s joys, especially for me and this collection of failsafe cookbooks are the ones I turn to. When I need inspiration, a trusted recipe or want to try something completely new I can rest assured it will be found here.
Although I don’t mention it a lot here on The Female Scriblerian, cooking and baking are two things I spend a lot of time doing. I love to create meals from scratch and find that the process of prepping and cooking is the perfect antidote to a stressful day. Likewise, on weekends you can often find me amidst a hodge-podge collection of flour, sugar and chocolate chips testing out a new sweet treat or two. Along with reading, it’s definitely my biggest hobby.
I like to joke that baking is the closest I get to science. But it’s really true! There’s an alchemy and ancient magic in combining a group of ingredients that, in themselves, are unassuming and transforming them into something delicious. I find, especially when I’m baking, that I feel a happy sense of the history and love that has been poured into honing these treats to perfection.
With this in mind, I’ve selected the following list of my favourite recipe books based on a few criteria. Firstly, how successful are the recipes? Secondly, how delicious are the recipes? And Thirdly, how often do I find myself reaching for them
7. The Farmhouse Kitchen by Grace Mulligan
For whatever reason, it seems that classic baking books are slightly out of fashion. There’s an abundance of delectable recipe books that deal with mealtime! But recently, I found myself in want of a book that had dessert well and truly covered. I didn’t really want a celebrity endorsed book either, which you’ll soon see, is ironic. Basically, I didn’t want a Bake Off tie in!
Frustrated by the lack of inspiration on the shelves I almost gave up the search. Then, on one of my frequent Charity Shop rummages, I spotted this golden nugget gleaming among the rough. Honestly, this book has it all and then some. I had no idea there were so many different recipes for fruit cake or scones! There’s a growing list of bakes in here that are fast becoming my “go-to” recipes including a St. Clements Slice and a Raisin Cake. Ironically, I think this might be a celebrity cookbook of its day – since it was made for Yorkshire Television…so, lesson learned I guess?
6. Goodfood.com
Okay, this might be classed as a cheat. I would be dishonest if I didn’t include Goodfood.com on my list of favourite recipe books though. And this is my go-to online resource for recipes and cooking inspiration. I love that you can search by ingredients, courses, theme or a host of other terms. Plus, with a login, you can save recipes in one place to come back to or to try again. If you’re looking for a useful place to start, you really can’t go wrong with GoodFood.Com
5. Delia Smith’s Complete Illustrated Cookery Course
An oldie but a goodie! This book was actually published in 1989, which makes it the oldest on my list of favourite recipe books by far. That fact alone makes it worth noticing though, don’t you think? It’s a no-frills, old-fashioned kind of recipe book with virtually no pictures but despite that, it manages to one of the best around. In a world of glossy, beautiful recipe books that proliferate the market it’s reassuring to fall back on a stalwart reliable author like Delia Smith.
I love this book because it’s basically an encyclopaedia of cooking. Want to know what herbs go best with pork? Or maybe you need a perfect pancake recipe? Perhaps you want an entire chapter devoted to sauce making techniques? Don’t worry, Delia’s got you covered.
4. My Little French Kitchen by Rachel Khoo
This made my list of favourite recipe books because it’s the one I reach for when I want a show stopper. Rachel Khoo’s recipes have a way of feeling ambitious whilst still being relatively simple to make – garlic, crispy rice anyone? Plus, she quite often suggests taste combinations I would never have thought of myself. A perfect example of this is her Sticky Cassis Ribs with Mint Cous Cous, which I still dream about.
I love that this book sets out its recipes by region. Reading it is like taking a culinary journey through France. For someone like me, who loves to think about recipes a lot, it’s fun to see which regional cuisine I find myself most drawn to. So far it’s been, Bordeaux and Provence. The added bonus is that whenever I make something from this book I feel a little fancy. I mean, it’s French cooking, so how can you not?
3. A Year of Beautiful Eating by Madeleine Shaw
In a complete 180 turn from Delia, we have Madeleine Shaw’s A Year of Beautiful Eating. But before we begin, I have a small confession. I sort of love to hate this recipe book a bit! You see, the whole ethos behind Madeleine Shaw is the “Wellness” movement and I tend to keep away from it as I find it a little problematic. With that in mind, I disregard most of the “gumph” that comes along with this book and stick to the recipes themselves.
That’s because Madeleine Shaw really can cook! There’s a good number of recipes in this book that have made it into my continuous rotation. Like her Prawn Korma or Crispy Brussel Sprout Pilaf. Plus, I really enjoy that the recipes are split up seasonally here. I appreciate having a selection of meals that will make the most of whatever veg and meat is at its best throughout the year. Her recipes are also nice and clear to follow. I hardly ever have to re-read a section to work out what it means. So, “gumph” aside, I can definitely recommend this one!
2. At My Table by Nigella Lawson
Ah, Nigella! If ever there was an antithesis to the “wellness” movement it would be her. I find myself much more in tune with Nigella’s eat well and with good ingredients style of thinking. My approach to food is that everything in moderation is the best policy. Although, it’s hard to be moderate when it comes to picking from the sumptuous recipes in At My Table.
My favourite thing about the recipes in this book is that they just work. If Nigella says the fish will take 10 minutes to cook, it will. If that cake says gooey in the title…well, you can bet your last penny on it turning out gooey. She’s inventive without being off-putting- honestly, I never thought an anchovy pasta sauce would become a favourite! At My Table allows you to be as ambitious or simple as you want, and I appreciate that. There are very few things that I cook which get requested more than once since I’m quite an adventurous cook, but when they do, they’re usually from At My Table!
1. The Be-Ro Recipe Book
Now we come to the top dog of my favourite recipe books. The Be-Ro Book. I have a feeling that this tiny recipe book is hardly known outside of the North East of England. But it’s been a staple in my family for generations -it’s been published since the 1920s. The Be-Ro Recipe Book is the one I turn to when I want to understand the base recipe for something. I trust it so much that I can often be heard saying “I bet the Be-Ro book will know” whenever there’s a question about baking.
Honestly, it’s the best place to start when it comes to baking techniques. It explains how to make different styles of cake, biscuit, pastry, as well as sauces and icings. Plus, my favourite thing about it is that whenever I get a chance to look through my mam’s battered and bruised version from the 70s it’s still reassuringly similar to mine. It’s like having access to a century of baking knowledge at your fingertips. I’m gradually working my way towards baking everything (don’t let it’s slim size fool you, it’s packed with recipes.) So far though, it’s the Blueberry and Coconut Loaf and the Banana Maple Bread that I keep coming back to.
Those are my favourite recipe books, what are yours?
I love recipe books, so narrowing down my top ones was hard! I enjoy getting a brand new book full of tempting things to make and often spend a weekend afternoon flicked through recipe books for inspiration. With that in mind, I’m always on the lookout for great new recipe books, so please share your recommendations!
