Andy Lynes chooses his favourite cookbooks of 2021
‘Straightforward and accessible, the recipes in Simply Raymond will provide much inspiration for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner snacks and sweet treats. That’s enough to put a smile on any cook’s face.’
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Cuisine: French
Suitable for: Beginners/confident home cooks
Cookbook Review Rating: Five Stars
Buy this book: Simply Raymond: Recipes from Home – The Sunday Times Bestseller, includes recipes from the ITV series £25 Headline Home
‘With everything from a comforting venison toad in the hole and onion gravy to a light and sophisticated grilled bream with pink grapefruit, as well as baking projects that include an exotic fig leaf cake, Dabbous has covered all the bases and created a cookbook that’s as essential as its title suggests.’
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Cuisine: Global
Suitable for: Confident home cooks/Professional chefs
Cookbook Review Rating: Five stars
Buy this book: Essential £30, Bloomsbury Publishing
‘Root is bursting with exciting and inspirational ideas that any keen cook will delight in. The accent on vegetables is bang on trend and will help those of us in search of help in cutting down our meat intake. One of 2021’s essential purchases.’
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Cuisine: International
Suitable for: confident home cooks/professional chefs
Cookbook Review Rating: Five stars
Buy this book: Root: Small vegetable plates, a little meat on the side £26, Bloomsbury Absolute
‘In his foreword, Phil Howard says, ‘I know for certain that you will not regret investing in this book – and the knowledge of this chef’. I can only concur.’
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Cuisine: Canadian/International
Suitable for: Confident home cooks/Professional chefs
Cookbook Review Rating: Five stars
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Hawksworth: The Cookbook £33.99, Appetite By Random House
‘With its near-encyclopaedic length and career-spanning content, the book would make a fitting finale to Perry’s 40 years in the professional kitchen. But with so many vibrant, inventive and delicious recipes, it seems that Perry has a lot more yet to share.’
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Cuisine: Australian/International
Suitable for: Confident home cooks/Professional chefs
Cookbook Review Rating: Five stars
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Everything I Love to Cook: 150 home classics to return to £30, Murdoch Books
‘If you happen to be new to the irresistibly spicy, sweet, savoury and sour delights of Malaysian cuisine, then this is the perfect introduction.’
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Cuisine: Malaysian
Suitable for: Confident home cooks
Cookbook Review Rating: Four stars
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Sambal Shiok: The Malaysian Cookbook £25, Quadrille Publishing Ltd
‘Kiazim has a distinctive culinary voice all her own which would be enough to make Three an enticing prospect. The fact that she is generous enough to want to help her readers develop their own style makes it a must by for both young novice cooks and those who are more experienced but in search of some new inspiration.’
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Cuisine: International
Suitable for: Beginner / confident home cooks/professional chefs
Cookbook Review Rating: Four stars
Buy this book: Three: Acid, Texture, Contrast – The Essential Foundations to Redefine Everyday Cooking £25, Quadrille Publishing Ltd
‘Randall is not aiming for novelty or difference for difference sake, but rather to make ‘simple food with exceptional ingredients’. The Italian Deli Cookbook is further evidence that he is the master of that particular craft.’
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Cuisine: Italian
Suitable for: Beginners/Confident home cooks
Cookbook Review Rating: Five stars
Buy this book: The Italian Deli Cookbook: 100 Glorious Recipes Celebrating the Best of Italian Ingredients £26, Quadrille Publishing
‘It seems as though lockdown provided Wareing with the chance to really concentrate his efforts on the book which I think may well be his best yet. It’s a book I’ve already enjoyed cooking a lot from and it’s one I can see myself returning to again and again in years to come.’
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Cuisine: International
Suitable for: Confident home cooks
Cookbook Review Rating: Five stars
Buy this book: Marcus’ Kitchen: My favourite recipes to inspire your home-cooking £22, HarperCollins
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Coming soon
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Suitable for: Confident home cooks
Cookbook Review Rating: Four stars
Buy this book: Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love £25, Ebury Press
‘A gastronomic tour of Sicily in recipes and essays courtesy of one of London’s top chefs.’
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Cuisine: Sicilian
Suitable for: Confident home cooks
Cookbook Review Rating: Four stars
Buy this book: Sicilia: A love letter to the food of Sicily £26, Bloomsbury Absolute
‘monk captures chef Yoshiro Imai’s distinctive, individual and inspiringly soulful culinary expression. It’s a complete pleasure to read and to gaze at Yuka Yanazume’s gorgeous images.’
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Cuisine: Japanese
Suitable for: Confident home cooks/Professional chefs
Cookbook Review Rating: Four stars
Buy the book: monk: Light and Shadow on the Philosopher’s Path £29.95, Phaidon
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