From everyday cooking ideas by Anna Jones to simple recipes by Yotam Ottolenghi, there have been plenty of books for aspiring chefs out this year.
Night Out at Home by Jay Rayner
In this clever and original book, Jay Rayner takes recipes from his favourite chefs and adapts them for home cooking, said Rose Prince in The Spectator. The dishes he has "reverse engineered" include Michel Roux's "ultimate cheese toastie", and Scott Hallsworth's miso-glazed aubergine. There are also full explanations of the "whys and wherefores" of each dish, making it a good read too. The book is a charming "love letter" to the restaurants that have inspired the long-standing critic.
£22 (Fig Tree)
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
The Batch Lady Grab and Cook by Suzanne Mulholland
Suzanne Mulholland, better known as @thebatchlady, has half a million followers on social media thanks to her simple prep-ahead family recipes and shopping tips. One of the new generation of influencer chefs to have made it under their own steam (and that of Instagram), Mulholland is "cookery's answer to Mrs Hinch", said Hello! magazine. The recipes come with five- to 10-minute prep times but aren't your bog-standard pasta sauces; individual salmon en croûte and satay chicken curries mean meal planning doesn't have to be all about mince.
£11 (Ebury)
Easy Wins by Anna Jones
Since she bagged a spot on Jamie Oliver's "Fifteen" apprenticeship programme two decades ago, Anna Jones has become an authority on vegetarian cooking. She has been "saving the planet one saucepan at a time", said The Times.
Jones has done "wonders for pushing the vegetarian conversation forward", said Joanna Taylor in the London Evening Standard, with previous bestsellers including "A Modern Way to Eat". Her latest book is all about everyday cooking that she's designed around 12 "hardworking" ingredients, including capers, tahini and lemons.
£28 (Fourth Estate)
Sift by Nicola Lamb
When Nigel Slater describes each page as a "masterclass in better baking", you know you're cooking on gas. No surprise, Lamb earned her chops as a pastry chef at some of London and New York's top bakeries, including Dominique Ansel, Ottolenghi and Little Bread Pedlar. The 100+ recipes in this new baking bible are divided into the time they take to make, so you can whip up some cookies – hers are miso, walnut and chocolate chip – or go all out Showstopper. Lamb "decodes everything you need to know about the intricate science of baking", said the London Evening Standard.
£30 (Ebury)
The Green Cookbook by Rukmini Iyer
This is the latest from the author of the bestselling "Roasting Tin" series, which sold over 1.75 million copies in five years and are described by The Guardian as "cookbooks for our times". Rukmini Iyer is back with a book designed to help you get vegan and vegetarian "dinners on the table from Monday to Sunday with minimum fuss and maximum flavour", said Waterstones. You won't need takeaways when you can sort the "ridiculously moreish" miso butter noodles with tomatoes and spring onions in 12 minutes. There are still the one-pot and one-tin recipes that have made Iyer's name, but the "cook once, eat twice" chapter, and family recipes that adults and toddlers can both eat are great additions.
£21.99 (Vintage)
Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley
"This is not your average comfort food cookbook," said The Happy Foodie of this new 100-recipe book that also features "anecdotes from childhood, travels, and recipes passed down from family". As we have come to expect from the Israeli-British chef and his team, this book is an "elevated take on a simple concept". No "stodgy pasta and potatoes" here. Highlights include caramelised onion orecchiette with hazelnuts and crispy sage, and cheesy bread soup with savoy cabbage and cavolo nero.
£30 (Ebury)
