Len Fisher

Former food scientist, writer and broadcaster

Biography

Dr Len Fisher is a regular contributor to the annual Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, and a member of the advisory board. A former food scientist, he is now a writer and broadcaster on how science enters our lives, including the science of food and cooking, where he has written many articles, including a food column in the Guardian newspaper. Among his credits he has won an IgNobel Prize for using physics to work out the best way to dunk a biscuit. He is the author of the best-selling How to Dunk a Doughnut. He blogs at www.lenfisherscience.com.

Cookwise

Shirley Corriher

The book that I wish I'd written, if Shirley had not got there first! Packed with information about WHY cooking techniques and recipes work.

The Big Fat Duck Cookbook

Heston Blumenthal

OK, my recipe for fizzy champagne jelly is the first one in the book, but the main reason for putting this high on my list is that it tells Heston's personal journey to success as well as including many recipes from his famous restaurant, with a bonus of chapters from a group of us who used to get together regularly to talk about the science of cooking and bemoan the name "molecular gastronomy" that actually started as a joke.

A Taste of Sun & Fire: Gaziantep Cookery

Aylin Oney Tan

Lively introduction to the fabulous spicy food of South-West Turkey (Gaziantep region). Try the spicy bulgur balls with lemon!

French Provincial Cooking

Elizabeth David

The book that got me and many others started. I still dip into it from time to time simply for the pleasure of reading.

Cooking the Indian Way

Atia Hosain and Sita Pasricha

There are many Indian cookbooks, but this is unpretentious little book is surely the best for guiding cooks at any level through the basic steps of Indian cooking.

Classical Food Preparation and Presentation

W.K.H. Bode and M.J. Leto

The title says it all. I just love dipping in to this one for inspiration and ideas.

Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course

Delia Smith

Delia doesn't say WHY, but her exposition of the HOW of cooking can hardly be bettered, and neither can her collection of basic recipes.

The Illustrated Escoffier

Anne Johnson

A selection of recipes from Escoffier's famous (and famously impenetrable) "Guide Culinaire", rewritten so that amateur chefs can actually follow them!

A Book of Middle Eastern Food

Claudia Roden

Claudia is the doyen on Middle Eastern cookery, and this book is an absolute must.

Spice and Savour: Cooking with Dried Herbs, Spices and Aromatic Seeds

Rosemary Hemphill

This little-known book by pseudonymous Australian author "Rosemary Hemphill" (I met her many times at her herb nursery, but never discovered her real name) is an absolute delight, packed with unusual recipes using herbs and spices.

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