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 inspiration for presents, this should be a very good place to start.
Brutto
Russell Norman
Russell Norman's Polpo cookbook was one of the most loved restaurant-related cookbooks, so his companion piece to his latest restaurant Brutto will be a must-read for many. As with the restaurant, this focuses on Florentine cooking with classic Brutto recipes like penne with tomato and vodka. Even the great Stanley Tucci is a fan: "A perfect cookbook for lovers of true Tuscan food".
Supa Ya Ramen
Luke Findlay
Luke Findlay's Supa Ya Ramen started as a supperclub and he now has two restaurants in London, in Dalston and Peckham. This book takes you through Luke's "traditionally inauthentic" ramen recipes including his Cheeseburger Mazesoba and even has the details for his Malt Noodle Ice Cream with Miso Caramel dessert.
More about Supa Ya Ramen restaurant
BAO
Erchen Chang, Shing Tat Chung, Wai Ting Chung
The first BAO cookbook looks every bit as good as their meticulously designed restaurants. Inside, you'll find 100 Taiwanese recipes with many of the classics in there, including the classic pork bao, Taiwanese fried chicken, as well as slow-cooked beef cheek and short rib noodles. There's also a lot about the design thinking behind the restaurants and more besides.
More about the original BAO restaurant
Cocinia Mexicana
Adriana Cavita
Cavita in Marylebone has been a huge success and part of a new movement which has really helped improve London's Mexican dining scene of late. In this book, Adriana Cavita has over 90 recipes from classics like beef birria and baja fish tacos through to hits from her restaurant like the Tlayudas con Carne Asada (aka the Oaxaca pizza). You'll also find lots of details about the origins of the dishes and how they're enjoyed in her native Mexico.
My Tel Aviv Table
Limor Chen
Limor Chen and her husband Amir run two Delamina restaurants in London (in Marylebone and Shoreditch). Born in Tel Aviv to a family of Middle Eastern and European origin, she's brought out that influence in this cookbook. Dishes in the book include a Persian-style omelette, the Middle Eastern lettuce cups from Delamina East, za'atar prawns and lots more.
More about Delamina restaurant
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay with Matt Abé
Gordon Ramsay is no stranger to cookbooks, but this one is a little different from most of them, specifically focusing on his three Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (even going so far as to proudly put those stars on the cover). Created together with his Chef Patron Matt Abé, this looks behind the scenes of 25 years of the restaurant and how it's continually evolving in a quest to keep those stars. It also features 40 signature recipes.
Ikoyi
Jeremy Chan
Now in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list as well as a new (ish) home on The Strand and run by Iré Hassan-Odukale and chef Jeremy Chan, Ikoyi also has two Michelin stars. This book covers the inspiration for Ikoyi's menu which comes from Jeremy Chan's experiences in Hong Kong, Canada, Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. There are 80 recipes in the book, with each saying how the dish was developed and how they were influenced by seasonality and local producers.
These Delicious Things
Jane Hodson, Lucas Hollweg and Clerkenwell Boy
A stellar line-up of folk from the food world have come together to offer food memories and recipes for this charity cookbook, raising funds for Magic Breakfast, which feeds children living with food insecurity so they're not too hungry to learn. Just a handful of the A-listers involved gives you an idea of the calibre of contributors - Nigella, Stanley Tucci, Yotam Ottolenghi and more.
The Cheese Life
Mathew Carver, Patrick McGuigan
Matthew Carver is the man behind the Cheese Truck, which over the years has grown to add in a Cheese Bar, a Cheese Barge and probably most well-known, the cheese conveyor belt restaurant Pick and Cheese in Covent Garden. This book, written with cheese writer Patrick McGuigan, covers the wide gamut of cheese, with sections devoted to Grill, Melt, Bake, Grate and Slice. In here, you'll find how to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich as well as how to put together the best cheeseboard possible.
Comfort and Joy
Ravinder Bhogal
A follow-up to the successful Jikoni cookbook, Ravinder Bhogal's latest focuses on vegetarian and vegan cooking. Covering everything from fortifying curries and stews to fried bhajis, you'll find recipes in here for dishes like mango and golden coin curry or strawberry falooda milk cake.
The Athenian
Tim Vasilakis
The Athenian started out as a street food stall and now has three restaurants across London (and one in Bristol). This book takes you through some of their favourite Greek recipes, from Greek frittata to yoghurt dip and souvlaki sauce. You will, of course, discover how to make the perfect gyro, and you'll also find lots of vegetarian and vegan recipes, including vegan seitan gyros and vegan moussaka.
More about The Athenian restaurants
Pub Kitchen
Tom Kerridge
Tom Kerridge knows a few things about pubs, having managed to get two Michelin stars for his pub, the Hand and Flowers in Marlow. He's also about to open his first pub in London, The Butcher's Tap and Grill in Chelsea. In this book, you'll find 100 recipes, featuring dishes like steak and ale pies, njuda sausage rolls and sticky date and banana pudding.
More about The Butcher's Tap and Grill
Open Kitchen
Various
Coming from Great British Chefs, this is a compilation of 30 of Britain's best chefs, bringing 50 recipes to the book. Inside, you'll find London chefs like Andrew Wong, Chantelle Nicholson, Nokx Majozi and Santiago Lastra as well as chefs from further afield, like the Harbour Cafe in Fife and the three Michelin-starred L’Enclume in Cartmel.
Good Taste
Alain Ducasse
This is the memoir of one of the world's most influential chefs, Alain Ducasse. From getting his first Michelin star at 27 to twenty-one stars in total, this covers his entire life from childhood through to setting up restaurants all over the world. He's also using this memoir to reflect on the food world and, as Michel Roux Jr says, to create "a manual to inspire chefs for generations to come."
More about Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester
Cookbook hits from previous years
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