My Favourite Cookery Books

I have a lot of cookery books. Well over 50, I try hard to justify this as “I need them for work purposes” or “I cook a lot” but I will admit to it being a slight obsession. I just love to sit down and read recipes! Every now and again I try and have a cull, which rarely works that well. There are some I rarely used but I keep thinking that I may need them. Send help please!

So whilst sifting through my shelves for a recipe I thought I would do a quick post on my favourite cookery books.

1. The Dairy Book of Home Cookery: this had to have a place as it is my oldest cookery book. My mum bought this from the milkman many years ago and I learnt to cook from it. So when I went to Uni, this book went with me. It was known as the cookery Bible for many years and I still refer to it now for basic classic recipes such as souffles, fairy cakes, scones and sauces.

2. The Womens Weekly Indian Step by Step Book: I have quite a few of this range of books and love them all. The Chinese and the Thai ones are well used in my house too. Although I cook curry frequently I like variety, this book provides really good curry recipes that are simple to follow but taste amazing.

3. Healthy Gluten Free Eating: If you are looking for a good starter gluten free cookbook then I would highly recommend this one. I dip into it for inspiration and ideas, mainly the baking section. I wouldn’t call the cakes “healthy” but they are delicious treats!

4. Seriously Good Gluten-Free Cooking: This book was a gift from a lodger who was Coeliac. I’ve used lots of the savoury recipes from it and the birthday cake. In fact I must go back into it and find more recipes to use! We regularly cook the leek risotto for family meals and there are some lovely ideas for entertaining, great salads and accompaniments such as dips, sauces and relishes.

5. Jamies’s 30 Minute Meals: I bought this for hubby to give to me for Christmas 😉 Now I must admit to never making a whole meal from the book from start to finish, but it is one of those books I dip into and take recipes from different pages to create a meal. I love the concept but with 2 small children this is more of a book I use when people come for dinner or for weekend cookery.

6. My Daddy Cooks: I love this book. I’ve worked my way through a lot of the recipes and there are a number that are now firm family favourites. Nick Coffer has hit the nail on the head with recipes that are family friendly in terms of being able to cook them with the kids, around the kids and the kids enjoy eating them. We love the Sticky baked Salmon noodles and the Jambalaya. This is a recipe book that I should really get my husband to start using as it is simple, well written and some of the recipes really are fool-proof!

What are your favourite cookery books? I’d love to hear. I’m off to read a few more recipes now I have all the books out 🙂