Easy Wins
Anna Jones
All is right with the world when Anna Jones has a new cookbook out. This one aims to make her perky, inventive brand of vegetarian cooking as easy as it can possibly be. It boils down to a nice, clean shopping list, which is what we all really want, right? The premise is that if you have a permanent stock of the 12 ingredients that the book focuses on (which are things as obvious as olive oil, lemons and capers), you will always have the makings of a delicious meal to hand.
Sift
Nicola Lamb
Nicola Lamb, a London-based food writer, recipe developer and pastry chef, is baking’s secret weapon – but she won’t be a secret for long. The author of the wildly popular Substack newsletter, Kitchen Projects, Lamb is held in high esteem by everyone from Yotam Ottolenghi to Jamie Oliver and has worked in London and New York’s top pastry kitchens. Meanwhile, Nigel Slater describes every page of her new book Sift as ‘a masterclass in better baking’.
Dinner
Meera Sodha
This book is for keen cooks who have tired of the question: what is for dinner? Taking inspiration from her Guardian column, New Vegan, and a range of Asian cuisines, Sodha wants to inject a healthy dose of magic into your evening meal. She says: ‘The ability to put a good dinner on the table has become my superpower and I want it to be yours too.’ She had us at ‘kimchi and tomato spaghetti’.
Nourished Kitchen
Erica Rodrigues
Rodriguez is a nutritionist and all-round wellbeing guru with a website as stylish as it is informative. With its pretty imagery and sleek aesthetic, her debut book, Nourished Kitchen, is completely on brand. It’s the sort of book that strengthens your resolve to attempt optimum health – and makes you want to invest in some new white linen while you are at it. If you are after new, nutrient-dense recipes that use everyday ingredients, this one is for you.
Good Eggs
Ed Smith
They were in, then they were out and now, cheap, readily available and finally declared nutritious, they are in again. This perky new cookery book puts the humble egg in the spotlight in 100 recipes for breakfast, brunch and beyond. Good Eggs is Ed Smith’s fourth cookbook. He says: ‘It’s not about eggs as an ingredient, but eggs as a centrepiece.’
The Connaught Bar
Agostino Perrone
London’s Connaught Bar is renowned for its elegance, hospitality and totally delicious drinks. This perfect treat of a book offers easy-to-follow recipes for 100 of their classic and contemporary cocktails, tips for making your own syrups and garnishes and guidance on stocking your bar with the finest tools. It’s a giant pleasure of a read and would look excellent on the coffee table, too.
