I really do not need any more cookery books! The bookcase in the picture holds all of my cookery books, and the theory is that I should not have any more than will fit onto these shelves. There are about 90 cookery books in my collection. Added to that, I have my three regular food magazines which I read every month. I do of course devise many of my own recipes too.
I did weed the cookery book shelves in the summer, prior to decorating the rather tired-looking bookcase with decoupage. I used sheets of paper from old cookery books, mainly from charity shops, and a couple of my own books that I was prepared to sacrifice. You can see a bit more detail in the picture below:
I deliberately left some of the recipes exposed, as I might try some of the retro ideas from Mrs Beeton and The Penguin Cordon Bleu Cookery Book.
If I had any more space, or if I can find somewhere else to start a new bookcase (unlikely as we have 3 other small bookcases and 3 large ones) these are the books which would be on my list this Christmas. Not all of them are brand new.
I love Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recipes and I love vegetables, so enough said! I like to cook vegetarian food on a regular basis. I am not so convinced by vegan food, as I have a cheese and yoghurt habit that I cannot give up! However, I am always willing to try anything new.
Paul and I have been watching Rick’s series travelling to Mexico, and enjoy Rick’s style of cooking and his general enthusiasm for life and food. It was also wonderful to see him going to Caesar’s Restaurant and see a real Caesar salad made. One of my niggles in life is how not one restaurant I have been to knows how to make a genuine Caesar salad. It does not have chicken or bacon in it!
I might actually have an excuse for adding this book to my collection, as it is not just a cookery book, but more a book to read and devour in front of the fire on a cold winter’s evening. Nigel Slater is one of my favourite cookery writers and broadcasters, and I enjoyed reading his autobiographical book ‘Toast.’
Friends and family will know that Nigella is another of my firm favourites. I love her laid-back style and her attitude to entertaining (just like mine – relaxed and enjoyable from start to finish). I also love her twinkly fairy lights. My friends also sometimes refer to me as a ‘Domestic Goddess’ although possibly this is a title which can only be truly attributed to Nigella!
Jamie is another firm favourite of mine. Maybe I could justify adding this book to my collection, as I only have one other book which is one dedicated to Christmas cooking (Delia Smith’s, and it is the original one rather than the new, updated edition).
Paul and I love travelling, so this book would truly sit well with my love of food abroad, but I still prefer to self-cater when we are on holiday. There is also nothing quite like bringing the sunshine home!
This book is a few years old now, and I coveted it for a long time. I have one cookery book by Yotam Ottolenghi (Plenty). I particularly love the high-quality binding of his books, not to mention the amazing, sunny recipes with which he entices me.
Finally, I should like one more book by Ottolenghi:
I do love a home-cooked pudding, and this one would round off my collection nicely, with that touch of the Middle-East.
Now all I need is for my nearest and dearest to read this list…. Maybe I could clear some space for a new bookcase in the ‘spare bedroom.’ It is only spare until the young person returns from New Zealand next year!