We’re all stuck at home. Many of us are trying to cook more. What better place to start than getting your hands on a new cookbook full of cooking inspiration?
My family own a LOT of cookbooks – whether you want to bake a cake, cook a British/Asian/Italian dish or slow-cook a stew, we’ve got a cookbook for it.
During this lockdown period, my family and I have tried experimenting a bit more with food. Although fajitas, spaghetti Bolognese and stir fry go down a regular treat in our household, we thought we would use our time to try new dishes and experiment with flavours a bit more. I mean, what else have we got to do?
But it can be difficult to know where to start if you are used to cooking the same dishes every week. Or even if you just want to try some new lunch or baking ideas. If you aren’t sure where to start and need some inspiration, here’s a list of my favourite cookbooks that I recommend you get ordering now.
BAKING COOKBOOKS
National Trust Simply Baking – Sybil Kapoor
The perfect British baking book, bringing together a collection of baking recipes, both sweet and savoury. Whether you want to make cakes, curds, cheesecakes, pastry, biscuits, scones or bread, this book has it all. It’s a one-stop-shop for baking.
With recipes for beginners and baking experts, there is something for everyone in this cookbook.
FAVOURITE: I’m a sucker for a homemade cheese straw and this recipe really is delicious.
Mary Berry’s Baking Bible
I couldn’t do a cookbook blog without including one of Mary Berry’s classic books. The queen of cakes shares her ‘ultimate’ baking book, full of mouth-watering recipes.
Cake baking doesn’t have to be as complicated as it may appear and Mary Berry’s baking bible contains easy-to-make bakes to satisfy your baking needs.
It’s got over 250 classic, fool proof recipes, with easy-to-follow instructions and handy tips, so even a beginner has no excuse to not roll their sleeves up.
Mary’s classic recipes for birthdays, Easter and Christmas are guaranteed to impress your family and friends. Classic cakes, tempting muffins and scones, traybakes and flapjacks, biscuits and cookies, tarts and pastries, hot puddings and pies, souffles and meringues and cheesecakes, this baking book has it all.
This cookbook is a timeless classic that every baker should definitely have in their cookbook cupboard.
FAVOURITE: If you’re looking for the ultimate indulgent treat, Mary’s Death by Chocolate Cake is the one to try.
Tanya Bakes – Tanya Burr
YouTuber and actress Tanya Burr brings us her very first cookbook, sharing her passion for baking and all of her favourite recipes. With recipes that have been passed down Tayna’s family and her own recipes she has spent hours perfecting, there’s something for everyone.
From everyday staple bakes to sweet treats for special occasions, this cookbook contains recipes for delicious cookies and biscuits, muffins, cupcakes and traybakes, cakes and loaves, puddings, pastry and bread.
You don’t have to be a pro to make these delicious creations, so treat yourself, your friends and your family to something amazing.
FAVOURITE: Who doesn’t love Nutella? And who doesn’t like cookies? Put them together, it’s the perfect combination. Tanya’s salted Nutella cookies really are delicious.
The Hairy Bikers’ Big Book of Baking – Si King and Dave Myers
The Hairy Bikers’ are now The Hairy Bakers. Si and Dave toured Europe to find the most delicious baking recipes to put into this book. With recipes from Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Eastern Europe, Austria, Italy, France and Spain, you are spoilt for choice with different recipes.
It is not just cakes, breads and pastries, but also baked meals, soufflés and pies – anything and everything that goes into the oven to be transformed by baking is in here.
FAVOURITE: Pain aux raisins are a favourite of mine and I’ve always wanted to make my own. I am definitely going to be tackling these soon.
CLASSIC COOKBOOKS
Slow Cooker: 500 Recipes – Sara Lewis
For me, there’s nothing better in the winter or on a cold, dark evening, than a home-made, slow-cooked meal. I’m a big lover of stews and casseroles in a slow cooker, but slow cooking doesn’t have to just be for stews and casseroles. You can make a huge variety of other dishes with this gadget such as soups, pasta bakes and everyday favourites such as curries and chilli.
This cookbook offers 500 recipes to cover any occasion. Once you’ve got your hands on a slow cooker and this cookbook, your life will be made so much easier. You can literally throw everything in and leave it. You can even go to work and leave it on at home for the day. As the slow cooker cooks so gently, there is no need to sir or check the food. There will always be a hot meal waiting for you at the end of a busy day when a slow-cooker is involved
FAVOURITE: I often use this cookbook for stews and casserole recipes but I am eager to mix it up and give the haddock and bacon chowder a try.
Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals: A revolutionary approach to cooking good food fast – Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver’s 30-Minute Meals cookbook reveals a revolutionary approach to cooking, proving that you don’t have to slave away in the kitchen all day to product something delicious.
If you’ve finished a long day at work and want something tasty but quick to make, this cookbook is for you. This cookbook contains clever shortcuts and tricks to put insanely good food on the table in no time and shows you how to make a complete meal in 30 minutes, not just a main meal but sides as well.
No faffing around, just good, fast cooking to bring you a delicious, hearty meal that is less than half an hour away.
FAVOURITE: The Jamaican classic, killer jerk chicken with rice and peas is super easy to make and packed full of flavour.
Mums Know Best: The Hairy Bikers’ Family Cookbook – Si King and Dave Myers
A heart-warming, down-to-earth recipe book containing recipes served with a ladleful of love. Cooking is a huge part of family life for The Hairy Bikers’ and they share their favourite recipes from their mums from throughout the years.
Family favourites, show-off food, good simple suppers, birthday treats, Sunday dinners and picnics, this cookbook contains a variety of recipes that have been passed down generations.
FAVOURITE: Crumpets are a classic, a favourite of mine. I’ve never actually made my own but I am definitely going to give them a go.
The Hairy Dieters: How to love food and love weight – Si King and Dave Myers
The famous duo lost almost six stone between them and released this ground-breaking diet cookbook to bring us our favourite meals which are low in fat, sugar and calories.
You don’t need to sacrifice the pleasure of cooking and feel deprived or hungry with this cookbook, but instead, by making small changed to your cooking habits, you can still enjoy big flavours and the food you love.
Full of ideas for family meals, hearty lunches, dinners and even knock-out bakes and snacks. Whether you need ideas for breakfast and brunch, one-pan dishes, grills and roasts, pies, stews, salads, fakaways, pasta and rice, puddings and cakes, this cookbook has it all.
FAVOURITE: Everyone loves a takeaway, but increasingly we are hearing about the popularity of fakaways, the process of re-creating takeaways but with fewer calories. This chicken jalfrezi is the perfect way to bring Indian cuisine into the home, with fewer calories than the average takeaway dish.
The Hungry Student Vegan Cookbook
The Hungry Student Cookbooks are essential for not just those going off to university, but also those that want to cook meals on a budget. I recommend them all but this cookbook is actually a vegan cookbook, containing more than 200 delicious and nutritious vegan recipes. People are often put off by the word ‘vegan’. They think that any dish labelled ‘vegan’ will lack flavour but this is definitely not true. Whether you’re a committed vegan or you just want to introduce more plant-based meals to your diet, this is the perfect book to add to your bookshelf.
Luckily you don’t need to be a chef to prepare any of these recipes. They are quick, simple and easy to make. Alongside the recipes are helpful hints and tips for getting the most out of meals on a budget, proving it is possible to eat well and healthily without breaking the bank.
FAVOURITE: I’ve never actually made my own hummus before but I am definitely going to give this red pepper and aubergine hummus a try some point soon.
COOKBOOKS WITH A TWIST
The Hot Sauce Cookbook – Heather Thomas
Hot sauces are perfect for instantly adding depth, flavour and spice to any meal. No longer relegated to the side of the plate, hot sauce is now the star of the show. There are hundreds of different hot sauces available, with hot sauces always playing a starring role in Asian, Mexican, Caribbean and Middle Eastern cooking. Increasingly, hot sauces are being added to more and more dishes and are used to spice up any dish, transforming a boring dish to something exciting.
The Hot Sauce Cookbook contains 60 fiery recipes to satisfy spicy cravings at every mealtime. It has recipes for homemade hot sauces, snacks, breakfasts, lunches, main meals, desserts, baking and drinks. There will always be something you can make to satisfy your spicy cravings.
FAVOURITE: Who said salad had to be boring? This bang bang chicken salad is the perfect lunch idea, packed full of flavour.
The Halloumi Cookbook – Heather Thomas
In recent years, halloumi has become one of the most popular cheeses in the world. Unlike other cheeses, halloumi is extremely versatile. It can be grilled, griddled, barbecued, fried, roasted or baked.
Halloumi can be eaten at any time and this book contains over 60 recipes to enjoy halloumi in multiple forms - meze and snacks, brunches, lunches, salads, dinners.
It contains recipes of classic dishes from the Eastern Mediterranean: Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Israel. This is the ultimate cookbook for anyone that loves halloumi.
FAVOURITE: Halloumi quesadillas are super quick and easy to make but seriously tasty. Definitely worth a try.
Crussh: Juices, Smoothies & Boosters
The Crussh chain are introducing you to the healthy world of juicing. This smoothie book, shares Crussh’s ultimate recipes for delicious juices, smoothies and boosters.
The Crussh chain are passionate about health and avoid additives and preservatives, using natural and organic ingredients whenever possible in their drinks.
This book is full of fresh juices and smoothie recipes that are packed with vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Perfect for breakfast or as a snack.
FAVOURITE: If you want to cleanse your body and soothe your system, this pear and ginger cleanser is the ultimate drink for you.
CUISINE SPECIFIC COOKBOOKS
wagamama Feed Your Soul: Fresh + simple recipes from the wagamama kitchen
The long-awaited, all-new cookbook from wagamama is here! Wagamama is one of my favourite restaurants and thanks to lockdown, I’ve been having major withdrawal symptoms.
But eating wagamama is not limited to the times you choose to visit the restaurant, but is something that can be created in the home – bringing Wagamama to your kitchen. Feed Your Soul encourages mindful cooking – taking the time to enjoy cooking and eating nutritious dishes.
The wagamama cookbook contains dishes designed for every occasion and recipes for a variety of diets. It’s full of recipes of wagamama’s classics, ramen dishes, sides, small plates, sauces and marinades. Including the never-before-shared recipe for chicken katsu curry, wagamama’s most iconic dish and the famous yaki soba, pad thai and bang bang cauliflower can all come to your kitchen thanks to this cookbook.
If you’re a fan of wagamama, this is the cookbook for you.
FAVOURITE: Eating chicken katsu curry doesn’t have to be limited to a trip to wagamama. Thanks to this recipe, you can re-create the classic in the comfort of your own home.
Everyone loves TACOS – Felipe Fuentes Cruz and Ben Fordham
Everyone loves tacos, don’t they? Tacos are at the heart of Mexico’s food scene and have recently increased in popularity in the UK too.
This cookbook contains 65 easy recipes written by Mexican chef Felipe Fuentes Cruz and Ben Fordham from UK restaurant group Benito’s Hat.
If you want your tacos with meat, fish or a vegetarian filling, this book will have a recipe for you. There are also delicious salsa and sides recipes to accompany your taco. If that wasn’t enough, there are also sweet dessert tacos and drinks, perfect to complete your Mexican feast.
FAVOURITE: I often have meat or fish tacos, but these sautéed asparagus tacos are perfect for when you fancy a change and are full of flavour.
The Hairy Bikers’ Asian Adventure – Si King and Dave Myers
Asian food is a favourite of mine. It is fresh tasting and exciting with a variety of different textures and flavour combinations.
The Hairy Bikers’ share their Asian Adventure in this cookbook, with over 100 amazing recipes from the kitchens of Asia to cook at home. With recipes from Hong Kong, Thailand, Tokyo and South Korea, The Hairy Bikers’ share some of the world’s most inspiring cuisines, with easy to make dishes that are packed with flavour.
FAVOURITE: I am obsessed with dim sum and we regularly eat it at home. Ever since I went to a dim sum class, I was fascinated with how they are made. These prawn and crab dim sum are the perfect starter and are worth the effort.
The Cookbooks in my Amazon Basket
If these cookbooks weren’t enough, below are the books currently in my Amazon basket that I am hoping to get my hands on soon.
5 Ingredients – Quick and Easy Food - Jamie Oliver
Another Jamie Oliver cookbook, this cookbook contains delicious, healthy, hearty meals made with just five simple ingredients. Proving that you don’t have to make things complicated to produce yummy food, Jamie shares his recipes full of maximum flavour and minimum fuss. Mouth-watering recipes you can make with ingredients you already have in your cupboard and fridge.
The Batch Lady: Shop Once. Cook Once. Eat Well All Week. – Suzanne Mulholland
The revolutionary Batch Method brings the gift of time to even the busiest lives, with over 80 simple, freezable store cupboard recipes. The Sunday Times Top 10 Best Seller, the Batch Lady has been transforming how thousands of people cook and eat through her revolutionary online channel. With over 80 delicious, home-cooked recipes that are quick to make, create and store, Suzanne's brilliant recipe combinations and time-saving tips will transform your kitchen, and will buy you back extra hours in your week.
With a promise that every recipe takes less than 10 minutes to prep and 30 mins to cook, Rukmini's sixth cookbook is perfect for those in need of homemade food, but are strapped for time. Bringing you quick and nutritious one-tin meals that take the pressure off of dinner. Just chop a few ingredients, pop them into a roasting tin and kick back while the oven does the work. Recipes for hassle-free food with minimal washing up.
BOSH!: Simple recipes. Amazing food. All plants. – Henry Firth and Ian Theasby
Lifestyle Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2019, described as the cookbook of the food revolution. With over 140 easy recipes for plant-based food for everyone. Full of go-to breakfasts, dinners, desserts and even cocktails recipes – recipes that are easy enough to be rustled up any night of the week.
Joe's 30 Minute Meals: 100 Quick and Healthy Recipes
The UK’s favourite PE teacher at the moment, bestselling author Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach shares more than a hundred nutritious. Proving once again that you don't need loads of time to cook great food, Joe’s 30-Minute Meals is packed with everyday healthy dishes that you'll want to make, time and time again. If you're looking for a crowd-pleasing lunch or something tasty to chuck in the oven at the end of a long day, Joe's 30-Minute Meals makes it easy to make a fuss-free, tasty plate of food, every single day.
Dale Pinnock Fakeaways: Healthy, budget-friendly takeaways for everyday home cooking – Dale Pinnock
If your pots and pans look grossly underused or you often find yourself reaching for the local takeaway menu – then this cookbook is for you. Everyone loves a takeaway, but we are becoming increasingly aware of the impact they can have on our health if consumed too often. Award-winning chef and qualified nutritionist shows you how to create healthy alternatives to your favourite takeaways at home, bringing together 80 of your favourite meals from around the world, helping you save money and adding nutrients to your diet.
Pinch of Nom: 100 Slimming, Home-style Recipes – Kay Featherstone and Kate Allison
The UK's fastest-selling non-fiction book, Pinch of Nom has helped people to 'cook well and lose weight'. Trying to prove that dieting should never be a barrier to good food, Pinch of Nom makes everything from fakeaways to hearty, family pies. 100 recipes that are guaranteed to keep your stomach satisfied, without excess calories.
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