Christmas Books
Need some last minute present inspiration? Look no further than our stunning selection of Food and Drink titles. Whether you’re looking to recapture flavours from a shared holiday or want to help someone discover a new favourite cuisine, you’ll find the perfect book in our Christmas gift guide.
Sirocco Fabulous flavours from the East, Sabrina Ghayour
From the golden girl of Middle Eastern cookery comes Sirocco, a collection of over 100 Eastern-inspired recipes that are bursting with flavour. The follow-up to the bestselling Persiana, Sirocco combines the strong flavours and spices of the East with a Western approach to cooking. With ideas for every occasion, this collection of 100 recipes covers breakfast & brunch, snacks, light bites, spectacular salads, fabulous mains, plus drinks and sweet treats. Recipes include Chickpea & potato latkes, Sticky lamb buns with pickled cucumber relish, Grilled peach & gem lettuce salad, Souk-spiced roots, 6-hour Eastern spiced pork belly, Dark chocolate, cardamom & espresso mousse cake and Quince tatin with cinnamon cream.
Simple effortless food, big flavours, Diana Henry
Peppered throughout the book are ingenious ideas such as no-hassle starters and sauces to lift any dish. From Turkish Pasta with Caramelized Onions, Yoghurt and Dill and Paprika-baked Pork Chops with Beetroot, Caraway and Sour Cream to Parmesan roasted Cauliflower with Garlic and Thyme, Diana takes the kind of ingredients we are most likely to find in our cupboard and fridge – or be able to pick up on the way home from work – and provides recipes that will become your friends for life.
As the Romans Do Authentic and reinvented recipes from the Eternal City, Eleonora Galasso
As The Romans Do leads you through a typical day in the life of Roman eating, from Maritozzi at breakfast, midday merende snacks of Ciambellone di polenta alla zuca (Polenta ring cake with pumpkin), to a lunch on the run on of Carpaccio di spigola con la pesche (Sea bass carpaccio with peaches and rocket salad) and luscious family meals such as Polpette della Nonna con scalogni glassati e prugne secche (Grandma’s meatballs with glazed shallots and dried prunes). Discover food hapiness with Seppioline piselli, avocado e pomodoro (Baby squids with peas, avocado and tomatoes), try a romantic dinner of Roman-style ossocbuco or treat yourself to riotto rolls, amaretti cakes and lemon tiramisu.
Gizzi’s Season’s Eatings, Gizzi Erskine
Host the ultimate holiday celebration with Gizzi’s Season’s Eatings. It could be Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, a New Year’s brunch or a frightful feast for Halloween – whatever the occasion, you will find something special to share with the ones you love. Recipes include Boxing Day turkey mole enchiladas, Bonfire night sausage casserole, Thanksgiving clambake and Dense chocolate Christmas cake.
The Nordic Family Kitchen One year of family cooking, Claus Meyer
Regularly selected as the world’s best restaurant, Noma has shown the world the excellence of Scandinavian cuisine. In this book, Claus Meyer brings that ethos into the home with easy-going, accessible dishes that will fit seamlessly into family life. The book is divided into four seasonal chapters so that you can get the most from the food and flavours in season. There are also features on food from the wild, including chanterelles, dandelions and blackberries.
The Cardamom Trail Chetna Bakes with Flavours of the East, Chetna Makan
Whether it’s a sponge cake with a cardamom and coffee filling; puff pastry bites filled with fenugreek paneer; a swirly bread rolled with citrusy coriander, mint and green mango chutney; or a steamed strawberry pudding flavoured with cinnamon, Chetna’s Indian influences will transform your baking from the familiar to the exotic, from the ordinary to the extraordinary.
The Palomar Cookbook
Be seduced by the cuisine of modern-day Jerusalem with recipes for Kubaneh bread; Velvet tomatoes; Kubenia (hand-chopped beef tartare); Pork belly with ras el hanout, dried fruit & Israeli couscous; Cod chraymeh (North African fish stew); and Basbousa (semolina cake with kumquat jam & whipped yogurt) – plus many more. With mezze dishes to share, sweet and savoury pastries, simple dishes for a quick fix and special dishes for occasions, each recipe is both evocative and innovative, and – first and foremost – bursting with flavour.
Institut Paul Bocuse Gastronomique
The definitive step-by-step guide to culinary excellence Institut Paul Bocuse. This authoritative reference book covers 250 core techniques in extensive, ultra-clear step-by-step photographs. These techniques are then put into practice in 70 classic and contemporary recipes. With over 1,800 photographs in total, this astonishing reference work is an essential guide for any serious cook, professional or amateur.
Toast Hash Roast Mash: Real Food for Every Time of Day, Dan Doherty
Dan is back with the recipes he cooks at home for family and friends – informal, easy and as indulgent as ever. With ideas based around eggs, hash, pancakes, toast, simple savoury dishes and sweet bakes, this is food inspired by the best a breakfast or brunch menu can offer – but to eat all day. Recipes include Ricotta, Pear & Honey on Toast, Smoked Salmon, Horseradish & Sour Cream Hash, Mexican Eggs and a whole chapter devoted to food to defeat a hangover, including the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
K Food Korean Home Cooking and Street Food, Da-Hae and Gareth West
From a run-down on the basics of Korean cooking, including now readily available sauces, pastes and other ingredients, through chapters on kimchi and the etiquette of the famous Korean BBQ, to recipes for everything from the irresistible Bulgogi Burger and spicy, sticky spare ribs to Panjeon (seafood pancakes) and corn on the cob with kimchi butter, this book is packed with inventive, delicious recipes that will open your eyes to the delights of modern Korean food.
Bone Daddies: The Cookbook, Ross Shonhan & Tom Moxon
Discover the depths of flavour that ramen brings – from the rich broth and the delicious noodles to the assortment of toppings, including succulent chasu pork, pulled chicken and fried soft-shell crab. Snack on Korean fried chicken wings, Salmon kara-age with chilli ponzu and Beef tataki with crispy kale & yuzu miso dressing. Top it all off with Green tea ice cream or a Salted sesame snap.
Lidgate’s: The Meat Cookbook. The complete guide to buying and cooking meat for every occasion, Danny Lidgate
Bring their knowledge into your own kitchen with a cookbook that focuses on helping you achieve the best-tasting meat at home. These recipes highlight everything you need to know in order to cook any cut to its optimum flavour. Rather than a lengthy farm manual, or a nose-to-tail guide to eating, you’ll find simple ingredient pairings, creative ideas for every occasion and secrets of the trade.
Mr Todiwala’s Spice Box 120 recipes from just 10 spices, Cyrus Todiwala
Offering an entirely fresh look at spices, Cyrus takes just 10 of his favourites and bases 120 recipes around them. Using his special spice box and a selection of fresh ingredients, he conjures up an astonishing range of dishes that will spice up any mealtime, such as Prawn Masala Omelette, Venison Burgers, Spiced Roast Chicken with Rum, Pork Belly in Chilli, or Ginger, Garlic & Saffron Crème Brûlée.
Damn Fine Cherry Pie and Other Recipes
from Twin Peaks The unauthorised Twin Peaks cookbook Lindsey Bowden Enjoy a taste of Twin Peaks with over 75 recipes inspired by iconic scenes and your best-loved characters from this cult classic – including The Log Lady’s Chocolate & Chestnut Log, Agent Cooper’s Maple Ham Pancakes, Dr Jacoby’s Hawaiian Burger and a slice of the Double “R” Diner’s famous Cherry Pie – although sometimes nothing beats a damn fine cup of coffee.
Eric Lanlard’s Afternoon Tea, Eric Lanlard
With 90 recipes for sweet and savoury afternoon tea treats, this book contains all the cakes, pastries, tarts and biscuits you could wish for, from Porcini and Maple Bacon Éclairs to Pistachio and Rose Water Scones. In addition there are six themed menus, made from key recipes in the book, so that you can offer the perfect combination of flavours for your afternoon tea.
Le Creuset One-pot Cuisine
What better way to prepare delicious one pot meals than in Le Creuset cast iron cookware? Especially created for the brand’s famous cast iron pots and grillpans, this book is bursting with 100 mouth-watering recipes for delicious casseroles, tagines and simple one-pot suppers. Recipes include Trout with Bacon and Fennel, Sea Bass in a Salty Crust, Shrimp and Chermoula Tagine, and Aubergine Stuffed with Rice, Herbs and Pine Nuts.
Leon Happy Salads, Jane Baxter and John Vincent
Leon was founded on the twin principles that food can both taste good and do you good. And it is hugely popular: Leon now has 24 restaurants (with more to come), serving over 84,000 people a week. In this book, authors John Vincent, co-founder of Leon, and Jane Baxter, author of the bestselling Leon Fast Vegetarian, bring together 100 recipes for fresh, vibrant salads that will have you feeling healthy and happy. Divided into chapters that include Classics, Naturally Fast, Salads for Friends, Family Salads and Lunchbox, this book contains salads for all occasions.
Itsu 20-minute Suppers Eat beautiful with noodles, grains, rice & soups, Julian Metcalfe and Blanche Vaughan
In this exceptional cookbook the authors of the bestselling itsu: the cookbook return with a promise: supper after work within 20 minutes. Using ingredients readily available at supermarkets, they have created 100 deliciously healthy Asian-inspired recipes with noodles, rice, grains and soups. Each recipe includes counts for saturated fat and calories per person. Why resort to ready meals when you can cook itsu-style meals at home in minutes?
Dinner Tonight 200 dishes you can cook in minutes, Lindsey Bareham
Packed full of ideas from Lindsey’s weekly column for The Times, this book will become your go-to source for a quick fix after a long day. Recipes range from Roast tomato tarte tatin and Chorizo beef sliders to Homemade fish fingers with cheat’s tartare sauce; from Miso cod with crunchy vegetable salad and Pulled chicken, ham & leek pie to Strawberry almond crumble and Chocolate puddle pudding.
Hoxton Street Monster Supplies The Monster’s Cookbook: Everyday Recipes for the Living, Dead and Undead
In use for hundreds of years, this is the classic collection of delicious recipes for the monster in your life. Featuring such treats as Cubed Earwax, Thickest Human Snot and perennial favourite Chunky Organ Marmalade, this book is full of recipes to suit every vampire, mummy or zombie’s needs.
A Sherry & A Little Plate of Tapas, Kay Plunkett-Hogge
The book begins by exploring the mysteries of sherry, considering the five key types, how they’re made and how they’re served, with tips on the best food and sherry matches and a selection of sherry cocktails. Kay then plunges into the tapas, with chapters on cold tapas – hams and olives and their like – and latillas; montaditos or ‘mounted’ tapas; pintxos, or ‘things on sticks’; and on cooked tapas, with chapters on vegetables, eggs and dairy, seafood and meat. Kay has even created some delicious sherry-based desserts.
Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2017 40th Anniversary Edition, Hugh Johnson
Hugh Johnson provides clear, succinct facts and commentary on the wines, growers and wine regions of the whole world. He reveals which vintages to buy, which to drink and which to cellar, which growers to look for and why. Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book gives clear information on grape varieties, local specialities and how to match food with wines that will bring out the best in both. This year’s special anniversary edition also contains a colour supplement exploring 40 fascinating stories from cities with great vineyards close by to ‘new’ grapes that have come on the scene.
Rum: The Manual, Dave Broom
The mission of this book is to help drinkers appreciate the complex spirit that is rum, find the style they like and discover how this versatile spirit can best be enjoyed. It will help you to understand your rum – how it’s produced (whether from molasses, cane syrup or cane juice) and whether it’s dry, sweet, fresh or oaky. More than 100 different rums are featured and analysed, from rich, sweet mellow Guyana rums to the vegetal peppery rums of Martinique or Guadeloupe and contemporary spiced rums. Dave Broom provides a description and graded tasting notes for each brand, allowing you to create the perfect mix every time. Finally, a selection of classic and contemporary cocktails shows just how wonderfully versatile this spirit is.
Pretty Fly for a Mai Tai Cocktails with Rock ‘n’ Roll Spirit
It’s an undisputed truth that music and booze go hand-in-hand. So what better way to improve your favourite songs than by pairing them with a tailormade cocktail? A perfect gift for any music fan, Pretty Fly For A Mai Tai offers 75 delicious drinks recipes accompanied by humorous illustrations which are sure to please the audiophile in your life.
Infuse Herbal teas to cleanse, nourish and heal, Karen Sullivan and Paula Grainger
Reach for a soothing cup of herbal tea and harness the extraordinary power of nature’s most potent healing ingredients. With more than 70 expertly formulated recipes for tasty, soothing, caffeine-free infusions, tea tips to help you get the most from your brew, and a comprehensive directory of herbal ingredients and their active properties and benefits, you can blend, brew and sip your way to wellbeing.
World Atlas of Tea Krisi Smith
Tea mixologist Krisi Smith sets out what you need to know to appreciate teas of all descriptions – from harvesting and processing methods to how to make the perfect cup. The world’s key tea-growing regions and their best products are identified and their taste profiles explained – from China, Taiwan, Japan, India and Sri Lanka to Nepal, Vietnam and East Africa. The world of tea is fast-moving and Krisi also includes info on everything from blending teas to your own taste and some innovative recipes, to health benefits and the perfect kit to make your brew truly delicious.
The World Atlas of Beer – 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to the Beers of the World, Tim Webb and Stephen Beaumont
As craft brewing continues to go from strength to strength across the world, The World Atlas of Beer is the definitive and essential guide to beer, with information on brews ranging from the Trappist ales of Belgium to the wheat beers of Bavaria, Breton black beers, barrel-aged Californian beers, British bitters, Vietnamese bia hoì, traditional Finnish sahti, and the output of the hundreds of craft breweries around the world, from the USA to Japan.
Extracted from our Christmas Gift Guide. Available here
