Autumn Cookbook Recommendations

Plus a draw to win one of three featured books

Over the last couple of weeks a substantial number of new cookbooks have arrived on my doormat. It’s a busy time of year for publishing with the seasons changing, and with that, I’m very pleased to share some excellent new books with you. As always, please read on for the draw to win one of the selected books.

And just a quick note to say that I try and add links to the publishers or authors for the books to support them, rather than the big beasts, but of course, all books can be found for sale with them, too.

I’m starting with a festive theme, and first-up is Jane Lovett’s new book, The Get-Ahead Christmas Cook. You will have heard me talk about how much I love Jane’s books on a number of occasions before and this new title is an absolute delight. Beyond the useful recipes and tips for a truly special Christmas lunch, this book contains a great number of brilliant ideas for cooking throughout the Christmas period, no matter what’s going on and however many people you may be catering for. I think it’s genuinely the best Christmas cookbook in my collection and I shall use it extensively in my planning for this year. Finally, as expected, it contains plenty of very useful suggestions for getting organised ahead for the festive season and for that reason, I recommend it to you without hesitation right now.

Greens & Beans by Anne-Katrin Weber is one of the most beautiful books I’ve seen in recent months. It is a collection of plant-based recipes featuring peas, lentils and beans. The recipes are really enticing, creative and straightforward to prepare. Whilst I don’t follow a plant-based diet, I do try and eat plenty of protein, vegetables and fibre for good health. This book really does contain some lovely ideas to weave into busy everyday cooking and I am confident anyone who does prefer to eat plant-based meals will find it extremely useful indeed. I think it’s a really special and innovative book.

Socafro by Alistair ‘JD’ Jeje is a real treat, newly published by Blasta books in Ireland although available in the UK too. The author, JD, runs Socafro Kitchen in Waterford, Ireland, which serves food inspired by Caribbean and Nigerian flavours - his mother is from Trinidad and his father is from Nigeria. The name of the book and business is a mash-up of his two favourite types of music: Soca and Afrobeat. His distinctive style of food is reflected in the book, which is hugely entertaining and colourful. This is a totally charming book that has taught me many new things, particularly about Nigerian food. For me, it was totally different and original and I absolutely loved it.

An Irish Food Story by JP McMahon is another brand new title, a compendium of stories about Irish food and food in Ireland. It’s a fascinating exploration of history, culture and identity in Ireland through 100 foods, both deeply traditional and completely modern. The short chapters make it a brilliant book to pick up and put down, although for me, it is very much the sort of book I’d really enjoy on a long-haul flight. It is an illuminating and entertaining read, and one I enjoyed immensely and would recommend to anyone who loves food and Ireland.

Last but not least is COMFORT, the new title from team Ottolenghi. I had looked forward to this book for a long time. It’s typically full of interesting ideas, both familiar and unfamiliar and is very beautifully produced. As is typical of the Ottolenghi books, they are collaborative works and this one is co-written by Yotam alongside Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley. All three collaborators are hugely talented and innovative cooks whose work I admire enormously. And this book really does offer the reader the opportunity to learn from their deep expertise and extensive experience. The recipes within reflect their lives and heritage, and therefore draws on a really diverse range of recipes from all over the world. I have made a number of recipes so far. My ‘diners’ have all commented that they didn’t expect the recipes to have come from an Ottolenghi book when I revealed the recipe source. The feel of the recipes is a little different to before and that’s no bad thing, as they were much enjoyed all the same. Ottolenghi book collectors will no doubt be eager to add this to their collections.

And now, here are the details for my draw to win one of three featured books.

As always, please email by reply with the title of the book you wish to win. The titles I am offering this time are: The Get-Ahead Christmas Cook, Socafro and Greens & Beans.

The deadline to do this is Monday 14th October by 5pm UK time. I will draw a winner for each title and get a copy in the post to you shortly after. U.K. and RoI entries only, please.