Cookbook Confidential’s Christmas Gift Guide 2020
The Holidays are just around the corner so if you haven’t already, now would be the time to start filling your basket for festive gifting. We’ve selected some of our top titles of 2020 to make gifting that much easier for your foodie friends and family. From baking and batch cooking to to flavours of the East and beyond, there’s sure to be a book for every taste.
- 1. Chetna’s Healthy Indian Vegetarian by Chetna Makan
Chetna Makan’s bestselling cookbooks combine her creative flavour twists with a love of simple Indian home cooking. Taking inspiration from the eclectic mix of vegetarian and vegan dishes found in Indian cuisine, these tempting recipes celebrate plant-based food at its best – delicious, vibrant, varied and nutritious. Nothing complicated; just beautiful food for everyone – and so healthy that you can enjoy it every day.
With over 80 delicious recipes that vegetarians and even the most dedicated of meat-eaters can enjoy. Chetna shows just how creative you can be with even the most humble of vegetables. This book is packed with flavour and innovative ideas whilst being easy and accessible for home cooks.
2. The Sourdough School Sweet Baking by Vanessa Kimbell
The benefits of sourdough are well known – the slow fermentation process creates a healthier and lighter dough that is easier to digest – but until now they have been mainly linked to bread. If it rises, however, it can be made with sourdough, and in this ground-breaking new book, Vanessa Kimbell focuses on sweet sourdough bakes that not only nourish the gut but also improve your mood.
3. The Art & Science of Foodpairing by Peter Coucquyt, Bernard Lahousse & Johan Langenbick
Foodpairing is a method for identifying which foods go well together, based on groundbreaking scientific research that combines neurogastronomy (how the brain perceives flavour) with the analysis of aroma profiles derived from the chemical components of food.
This groundbreaking new book explains why the food combinations we know and love work so well together (strawberries + chocolate, for example) and opens up a whole new world of delicious pairings (strawberries + parmesan, say) that will transform the way we eat.
4. One Tin Bakes by Edd Kimber
Whether you want cookies or cakes, pastries or desserts, something fruity, chocolatey, spiced or nutty, baking just got a whole lot easier.
From Praline Meringue Cake to Matcha Roll Cake, Peanut Butter Brookies to Tahini Babka Buns, all you need is just one standard 9 x 13in baking tin.
Varied and versatile, requiring minimal skill and little equipment, Edd Kimber’s delicious treats range from simple bakes to slice and serve to impressive but achievable showstoppers.
5. The Pastry School by Julie Jones
Julie Jones is renowned for her highly decorative bakes packed with bold layers of flavour and texture. She is leading the pastry revival, believing that with a bit of patience and a love for food, anyone can create delicious, beautiful bakes.
A comprehensive Pastry Recipes & Methods section guides you through 10 different types of pastry with step-by-step instructions. These include loved classics such as Shortcrust and Hot Water, as well as a versatile Vegan and Gluten-free, that can be swapped in or out of recipes with a helpful Alternative Pastry Key. Dive in and be inspired by Julie’s delicate decorations and full-on flavours – these bakes are fun and achievable, with swaps and creativity encouraged.
6. Simply by Sabrina Ghayour
Sabrina Ghayour’s new collection of unmissable dishes in her signature style, influenced by her love of fabulous flavours, is full of delicious food that can be enjoyed with a minimum of fuss. With sections ranging from Effortless Eating to Traditions With a Twist, Simply provides over 100 bold and exciting recipes that can be enjoyed every day of the week.
7. Aegean by Marianna Leivaditaki
Marianna’s love for the food of her heritage flows off every page, but she also has a contemporary take on it. As head chef of Morito in Hackney, she has championed high-quality ingredients, presenting them in simple, stunning sharing plates, and has been critically acclaimed for doing so.
These inspirational recipes derive from the SEA, the LAND and the MOUNTAINS. We all know the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil, fresh vegetables and fruit, nuts, fish and whole grains, as well as the importance
of how you eat and appreciate your food. Marianna offers achievable, yet delicious dishes celebrating seasonal, fresh food that you can take time to enjoy with friends and family.
8. Eating for Pleasure, People and Planet by Tom Hunt
Tom’s mission is to teach a way of eating that prioritises the environment without sacrificing pleasure, taste and nutrition.
Tom’s manifesto, ‘Root to Fruit’ demonstrates how we can all become part of the solution, supporting a delicious, biodiverse and regenerative food system, giving us the skills and knowledge to shop, eat and cook sustainably, whilst eating healthier, better-tasting food for no extra cost.
9. Cook Slow: Light and Healthy by Dean Edwards
Slow cookers are often confined to heavy winter recipes made with stodgy ingredients and with poor nutritional content. Cook Slow: Light and Healthy shows you just how versatile your slow cooker can be with effortless, nourishing recipes inspired by dishes from around the world. Avoid boring ‘diet food’ and cook slow to create healthy, wholesome food for balanced eating.
Don’t own a slow cooker? Don’t panic! The recipes in this book can be cooked either conventionally in the oven or in your slow cooker.
10. Clodagh’s Weeknight Kitchen by Clodagh McKenna
Clodagh’s 100 interesting, simple recipes from meat-free meals to quick-fix dishes and storecupboard suppers offer the answers to all your weeknight dinner dilemmas. With her trademark twists, Clodagh’s inspirational but achievable dishes elevate the simple to something special. From one and done to storecupoard standbys – Clodagh’s got you covered.
