Your Favourite Cookery Book?

Oh dear, you get to see my very untidy book shelves!



I have a ridiculous amount of cookery books, I just can't resist!  It isn't helped by certain book sellers who leave books at the places I work.  I walk past the pile of books, determined I will not even look, but that doesn't last long.  I think, I will just look, I won't buy.  Ha! The little voice in my head says, 'but they are so cheap' which they are.  Before I can stop myself, I am writing my name on the order form and popping my money in the envelope.  Damn it.

I sit and pour over the beautifully photographed food, marking pages that I would like to try.  Do I use these recipes?  Well no, not very often.  It is usually the case of what have I got in the fridge/store cupboard and what can I throw on the table as quickly as possible because I'm tired and hungry.  I usually don't have the ingredients, or it would cost a fortune, or I'm trying to lose weight and they are full of delicious, but fattening food.

I have decided on yet another challenge (probably not a good idea, I put myself under far too much pressure already).  I will try to use a recipe from one of the books once a week.  It means I will have to be organised and make sure I have the ingredients, and have the time and energy, but I will give it a go.

Looking at my books, I think Delia is the one that I often turned to in the past for good basic recipes.   River Cottage veg has been used a few times. Yotam Ottolenghi has wonderful recipies, but the ingredients lists are daunting.  I turn to the gluten free books sometimes for ideas, and the Indian cookery books, as they are often gluten free and I love Indian food.

I had a huge clear out of cookery books last year as some of them just seemed so dated and not what we would eat now.  Trends change so much in what we eat.  I still cook some of the simple basics that my mum used to cook, stews, roasts, (vegetarian versions) rice pudding in my slow cooker.  But a lot of the ingredients we use now would seem very strange to cooks of the past.  I use a lot of pulses, polenta, tofu, and have a huge amount of  indian spices. Of course I eat a lot of veg, but they were often boiled to within an inch of their lives a few years ago.  I can remember the veg we had in school dinners YUK.  I hated veg as a child, but now literally drool when the veg box arrives.  No, I don't grow enough to be self sufficient you won't be surprised to hear, not even carrots!

So if I had to choose one cookery book to keep and had to get rid of all the rest, what would it be?  It is a difficult choice but I would choose River Cottage Veg, because it is full of things that I can actually eat, and so many ideas to use the veg.

The folder underneath is full of recipes cut out of magazines, and yes it does need a tidy and dust :) There are more cookery books scattered around the house!


If you had to choose just one cookery book, which one would you choose?


Chickpea xx

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