03 December 2011

My Most Well Worn Cookbooks

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I don't know whether it is when you really learned how to cook that determines what are your favourite books, or whether some books are just better than others.  However, I noticed recently how I still keep on going back to a few cookery books that I have simply had for ages.  They are really well worn, with the stains of tried and tested dishes on really special and popular recipes.

For me, the classics that I still find irreplaceable are: "Floyd on France", "Floyd on Britain and Ireland", Sophie Grigson's "Meat Course", a few books by Maddhur Jaffrey's "Indian Cookery", and then I use Elisabeth Luard's "European Peasant Cookery", Reader's Digest "Farmhouse Cookery".  Then for Christmas and other special occasions, I turn to - Claire MacDonald's "Celebrations" and Delia Smith's "Christmas" for inspiration.

I've got stacks of cookery books, but were I to go to a desert island these are the books that I would take with me, plus perhaps some books by Ray Mears, so I would be actually be able to build a shelter, forage for food and practise my survival skills.

What books could you not live without?