It's time for our yearly run-down of the best cookbooks of the year, with a particular focus on the books created by the people behind London's great restaurants. If you're looking for present inspiration, this is a very good place to start.
Ammu
Asma Khan
It's been five long years since chef Asma Khan last blessed us with a cookbook. To be fair, in the intervening period, she has been busy moving restaurants and becoming an internationally known name thanks to starring in Netflix's Chef's Table. In Ammu she returns to her childhood for inspiration - picking recipes that "take you home". There's a Nine Jewel Korma for special occasions but also buttermilk chicken pakoras for everyday cooking.
More about the Darjeeling Express restaurant
Kin Thai
John Chantarasak
If you've been to one of Anglo-Thai's supperclubs and can't wait for their permanent restaurant to open, then this is the cookbook for you. For his first book, chef John Chantarasak is all about encouraging us to try Thai recipes at home, from Roast Duck and Lychee Red Curry (gaeng daeng bpet) to the heavenly-sounding Langoustine and Rhubarb Hot and Sour Soup.
More about the Anglo Thai restaurant
Nistisima
Georgina Hayden
Winner of this year’s OFM Awards for best cookbook, Londoner Georgina Hayden couldn’t have grown up any closer to restaurants, being brought up in a flat above her paternal grandparents’ Greek Cypriot taverna in Tufnell Park. The book is inspired by all the days of fasting found in the Orthodox Christian calendar, so you'll find an abundance of naturally vegan dishes from the Mediterranean, Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Hoppers The Cookbook
Karan Gokani
This first cookbook from the popular London restaurant group is bound to find its way into many fans' homes as a gift. If you've ever wanted to master the art of making hoppers and dosas, then this is going to be your go-to. Author and co-founder Karan also features tips on how to stock up your larder and even where to go if you fancy visiting Sri Lanka itself.
More about the Hoppers restaurants
Moro Easy
Sam and Sam Clark
For Moro's 25th anniversary, its founders Sam and Sam Clark have come up with this cookbook that was born during the Covid lockdowns. The aim - "to make Moro accessible, with the home cook at the forefront of our minds" proved a useful lockdown project and 120 great new recipes were the result.
More about the Moro restaurant
Rambutan: Recipes from Sri Lanka
Cynthia Shanmugalingam
While we wait for Cynthia's restaurant of the same name to open in Borough Market, the time could be spent fruitfully devouring her debut cookbook. As she visited the mother's Sri Lankan home, the British-born author gathered recipes which celebrate authentic Sri Lankan cooking, recognising its many influences from Malay and Indian through to Portuguese and British. The reason to get it alone - the cheeseburger kothu roti recipe.
Buy Rambutan: Recipes from Sri Lanka
More about the Rambutan restaurant
Live Fire
Helen Graves
As the founder of Pit magazine, which began life as a showcase of all the marvellous things food folk were doing with BBQ, it's perhaps unsurprising that food writer Helen's debut book would be a series of seasonal barbecue recipes along with stories of cooking from communities with live fire traditions. Recipes include leg of lamb stuffed with nettles, wild garlic and seaweed and a smoked cherry and whisky butterscotch sundae which sounds unbeatable.
Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook
Melissa Thompson
Supperclub host and occasional Hot Dinners contributor Melissa Thompson is celebrating Jamaican food with her debut cookbook. The Guild of Food Writers award-winning writer has come up with a book that intersperses recipes on classics like saltfish fritters and her own takes like smoky aubergine rundown with essays on the evolution of the country's cuisine.
Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many
Jeremy Lee
It's hard to believe that Quo Vadis chef Jeremy hasn't graced us with a cookbook before now, but this was certainly worth waiting for. In it, he distils a lifetime's worth of knowledge and passion for cooking, with the seasons as a guide to what to cook with and when. "This cookbook is extraordinary," said Stanley Tucci. You will all want a copy.
More about the Quo Vadis restaurant
The Spanish Home Kitchen
Jose Pizarro
If your kitchen bookshelf already has some of Jose's wonderful cookbooks, it's time to make room for this, his latest. For this, the chef went back to his mother's home in central-western Spain to draw inspiration. So there are dishes he was fed as a child as well as more modern recipes. Treats in store include Shoulder of Iberico Pork in Rich Tomato Sauce with Zesty Couscous along with Migas with Fried Egg, Chorizo and Bacon.
The Joy of Chocolate
Paul A Young
Lonbon-based, award-winning chocolatier Paul delves deep into the world of the cacao bean for this book. He gives readers tips on how to source and taste the best chocolate before following that with amazing recipes from triple chocolate sandwich cookies to his take on the Bounty bar.
More about the Paul A Young shops
Persiana Everyday
Sabrina Ghayour
Expect Sabrina's new book to be one of the most well-thumbed in your cookbook library. For her fifth book, she's focusing on no-fuss recipes that you're more likely to throw together after a day at work like Harissa and lemon roasted chicken thighs and Spice-roasted celeriac with honey, orange & pul biber. "Trust in me that I have tried to make this collection of recipes as easy and enjoyable as possible," she says.
Mezcla
Ixta Belfrage
As Yotam Ottolenghi's right-hand woman, Ixta is known for co-authoring Flavour. Here she steps out on her own, looking at flavours and recipes inspired by her own childhood experiences in Mexico, Italy and Brazil. "She espouses a jubilant fusion that’s both coherent and convincing." says Nigella of Ixta's book, which is a good enough recommendation for us.
The Garden Museum Cafe Cookbook
George Ryle
Head chef George may now have left the kitchens of this Lambeth restaurant, but his parting shot was to unveil this gorgeous cookbook. It features 16 recipes, all of which have featured on the menu at the Garden Museum Cafe and that champion top-drawer suppliers like Swaledale, Flying Fish and Natoora. Described as "a lovely insight into the way we cook at the Garden Museum Cafe and how that changes throughout the year," top recipes include skate with samphire and goosebrerries and braised beef cheeks with Jansson's temptation.
Buy The Garden Museum Cafe Cookbook
More about the Garden Museum Cafe
Borough Market: The Knowledge
Angela Clutton
More useful than the black cab version, this compendium of tips and insight allows stallholders from every part of London's famous market - butchers, greengrocers, cheesemongers - to share their wisdom. Food writer Angela then turns that into recipes that distil that knowledge into something you can serve up on the table.
Buy Borough Market: The Knowledge
The Cocktail Edit
Alice Lascelles
If you've already bought the drinks cart and set up your own bar at home, then Alice Lascalle's cocktail book is the next step to turning yourself into a bona fide mixologist. Each chapter is devoted to one of 12 classic cocktails (plus six variations on the theme). Master these and you'll become the perfect home bartender.
OREN: A Personal Collection of Recipes and Stories from Tel Aviv
Oded Oren
We loved Dalston's Oren restaurant when we visited, so we can't wait to get stuck into this book which celebrates the chef patron's city of inspiration, Tel Aviv. For this, each of the chapters looks at an ingredient that Oded grew up with, allowing him to tell his own story through the food of his childhood.
More about the Oren restaurant
The Italian Pantry
Theo Randall
Theo Randall's fourth cookbook sees him showcasing 10 key Italian ingredients that Italian food lovers should have in their cupboards. From those, he comes up with 100 recipes using the ingredients and - frankly - we'd love to try it all. From Spaghettini alla carrattiera using breadcrumbs through to rum baba's with Amalfi lemon syrup, it all sounds very enticing.
More about the Theo Randall restaurant
Berber & Q: On Vegetables
Josh Katz
His first book focused on meat, but chef and restaurateur Josh Katz has gone fully plant-based for his follow-up cookbook. Recipes include a new take on the restaurant's signature cauliflower shawarma and there's also a recipe for the perfect dough if you want to make your own pide or lahmacun.
More about the Berber & Q restaurant
Small Batch Bakes
Edd Kimber
Currently going down a storm on TikTok baker Ed Kimber's new book is perfect for solo bakers or those not wanting to knock up a baker's dozen, knowing full well that they'll scoff the lot themselves. The single-serve emergency chocolate chip cookie recipe alone is worth getting this for.
Cookbook hits from previous years
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