Cookbooks. Our bookshelves groan with them, a small selection have crinkled pages crusted with tell-tale splats of past culinary adventures, while a majority stand pristine and unexplored. These choices will offer up a feast for the senses as well as delicious and accessible recipes that everyone can try.
As well as delicious food, a good cookbook offers a story, an insight into the authors, their cultural heritage, their family and environment. Their moment in time. The stories that these cooks weave can only enrich the experience of enhancing your skills in the kitchen. It’s one thing to know how to make a nice bolognese, but quite another to understand why and how these ingredients work together – and why it matters.
For those hungering for a more immediate fix, why not try some of Rory O'Connell's recipes created exclusively for The World of Interiors:
- Get to grips with the sour, sharp and surprising bite of radicchio with the rich addition of sweet crab meat.
- Upgrade the beautiful heritage carrot with this zingy, mildly spiced salad.
- Learn how to make this silky Jerusalem artichoke soup recipe with mussels, saffron and a creamy twist.
For kitchen suppers
Tin Can Magic
Jessica Elliott Dennison has created what has been described as the ‘capsule-wardrobe’ of delicious budget friendly recipes, focusing on nine tins that are kitchen cupboard staples.
How To Eat
An undeniable classic, Nigella Lawson’s How To Eat has been a bookshelf staple since 1998. Packed with writing as delicious as the recipes there is much to be (re)discovered in this culinary bible.
A Cook's Book
Self styled ‘cook who writes’, Nigel Slater’s A Cook's Book is true to its name. Nigel recounts the story of his cooking life, punctuated with over 200 recipes. Discover more here.
For dinner parties
Deeda Blair: Food, Flowers & Fantasy
Part memoir part cookbook, Food, Flowers & Fantasy is a combination of recipes, evocative essays, memorable menus and of course the decorative Deeda Blair flair. Read more about about Deeda Blair here.
Simple
Classic Ottolenghi without the complications. Packed full of flavour with simple and accessible recipes this is a perfect introduction to the delicious world of Ottolenghi.
Cook This Book
Fresh, fun and full of flavour Molly Bazz’s engagingly informal cookbook is scattered throughout with interactive QR codes that link to instructional videos led by Molly.
For the plot
The Gourmand's Egg
Crack into
The Gourmand’s Egg, the first volume in The Gourmand's new book series. Packed with punchy imagery celebrating the link between food and art through original recipes and stories. Pick up a
May issue for the full review.
Honey Cake & Latkes
Created during the pandemic, Honey Cake & Latkes: Recipes from the Old World by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Survivors presents over 110 recipes each accompanied by survivors’ prewar recollections and post-liberation memories
All proceeds from the sale of this book go to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation
The Joy of Food
Co founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School, Rory O’Connell knows good food.
The Joy of Food features seasonal recipes, reflective essays and is even illustrated by Rory.
Find more recipes created exclusively for The World of Interiors by Rory
here.
Pasta Grannies
Who better to learn great Italian cooking from than nonna's themselves? These tried and tested recipes from grandmothers all over Italy are accompanied by their stories ready to be passed on to another generation.
For the next generation
Choosing Keeping Pasta Notebook
Having discovered a whole host of delicious dishes from these cookbooks, why not start your own heirloom cookbook full of your favourite recipes with these tasty notebooks from Choosing Keeping.
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