Ed Smith

Food writer

https://www.rocketandsquash.com

Biography

Ed Smith is a cook and writer based in London. In 2012 he left a career as a City lawyer in pursuit of a life in food. Ed retrained as a chef and explored a variety of avenues, but has now settled (sort of) on documenting the best elements of every part of the food chain. He writes for a number of national papers and magazines, curates his well regarded and award winning blog, Rocket & Squash, and is currently writing his first recipe book. Always hungry, he devours words and food. Ed was shortlisted as 'Best Cookery Writer' at the 2015 Fortnum and Mason Food Awards, and won 'Best Online Restaurant Writer' at the same event.

Week In Week Out

Simon Hopkinson

Far more useful and inspiring than his (still excellent) "Roast Chicken and Other Stories"

The Kitchen Diaries

Nigel Slater

The book that created a thousand copy cats. It's beautiful, tactile and written evocatively. I'm not sure I've actually cooked anything directly from it. But I turn to it more often than any other, as inspiration for what to cook when.

Bar Tartine, Techniques & Recipes

Nicolaus Balla and Cortney Burns

The best book I've bought for a decade. Probably the best for the next decade too. A rare cook book in that it sets out how to do and make so many things from scratch, that would only otherwise have been gathered from years in professional kitchens. Does so without being a nerdy textbook, nor a coffee table picture book.

Nose to Tail Eating

Fergus Henderson

Essential

Bread, Cake, Doughnut, Pudding

Justin Gellatly

The only sweet cook book you really need. Also, rights many of the quirks in Beyond Nose to Tail

Tender: Volume I: A cook and his vegetable patch

Nigel Slater

As with Kitchen Diaries, I regularly dip into this for inspiration. Beautiful in design and prose.

Thai Food

David Thompson

A bible. I should use it more.

River Cottage Cook Book

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

I think this gets over by the later released (and when better known) Meat Book. This is such a comprehensive and well written piece of work.

English Seafood Cookery

Rick Stein

Pretty much all you need to know about prepping and cooking fish. No need for photos.

Salt, Sugar, Smoke

Diana Henry

A go to for preserving. I visit many charcutiers around Britain. They're professionals at what they do … and this simple home cooking text sits alongside the classic Ruhlman Salumi, and Charcutería: The Soul of Spain by Jeffrey Weiss on each and every one of their shelves.