Being a fan of Radio 4 and a long-term listener to Desert Island Discs, I thought that it would be fun to list my all-time favourite cookery writers. This is not a list of books, but of the writers, as I’d find it so hard to choose one book by each writer. In addition, please note that these are not in order of preference. as that would also be a hard choice to make. I have picked 8, as there are 8 tracks allowed on the Radio 4 desert island.
- Nigella Lawson – chosen because she is a cook rather than a chef and loves good, home-cooking. She is also not afraid to add her own twists to classic recipes. Her descriptive, chatty style also appeals to me, and the fact that many of her books are arranged by themes rather than traditionally separating out main courses, puddings and so on. In her new book, At my Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking, there are no chapters at all, although the last section is devoted to puddings and cakes.
- Nigel Slater – again he is a home cook rather than a chef and is a master of fast food with no compromises on ingredients or flavour.
- Jamie Oliver – his sheer enthuiasm and love of food is infectious. His recipes really work, and he really cares about the quality of food and the state of the nation’s diet. I own more of Jamie Oliver cookery books than I do of any other cookery writer.
- Delia Smith – I grew up cooking with Delia. At school, studying home economics, we used to watch videos in class of Delia’s Complete Cookery Course. She is not afraid to go right back to basics, but also has some really innovative recipes.
- Rick Stein – a couple of years ago I went on a half day course at Rick Stein’s Cookery School. I love fish, which is how I first came to Rick, but in recent years I have really enjoyed his themed books based around his global travels. He is of course a chef rather than a cook, but his recipes are still good for the home cook.
- Madhur Jaffrey – years ago, Madhur was one of the few writers I came across writing recipes for genuine Indian food. I have always been a fan of spices and even 20 years ago I had given up on curry powder and have always ground my own spices.
- Sophie Grigson – another writer who uses fresh, seasonal produce. My particular favourite is Sophie Grigson’s Country Kitchen, which takes the reader through the seasons with suggestions for use of ingredients. They are recipes you actually want to make, rather than just read.
- Yotam Ottolenghi – I love Middle-Eastern food, so could not manage without Yotam. I particularly love his imaginative vegetarian recipes. Many people have commented that his recipes use far too many ingredients, or ones that are difficult to come by. This is not my experience, and is perhaps a reflection of what I typically keep in my storecupboard!