Caroline Eden

Food and travel writer

https://www.carolineeden.com/

Biography

Caroline Eden is a regular contributor to the travel and food pages of The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Financial Times and other publications as well as reporting for BBC Radio 4’s From Our Own Correspondent. Specialising in the former Soviet Union, she regularly talks to audiences about her adventures and has spoken at the Royal Geographical Society and Frontline Club. Her first book 'Samarkand - recipes and stories from Central Asia and the Caucasus' is a food/travel title that was published by Kyle Books in June 2016. It was a Guardian book of the year 2016 and it went on to win the Guild of Food Writers ‘Food and Travel’ award in 2017.

Plenty

Yotam Ottolenghi

Sellotaped many times over, the spine of this book has collapsed and post-it notes stick out of most pages. If sheer use is the measure of a good cookery book then this one wins in my kitchen, by some margin. I really first discovered the importance of good seasonal ingredients –not to mention the wonder of hummus and shakshuka - in Israel in my 20s and I loved watching the rise of Ottolenghi back in London.

Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking

Anya von Bremzen

Anya is a rare writer and at the back of this memoir there are some very doable recipes. The smell of brine and borscht literally lifts off the page and I laughed out loud reading it on the Trans-Siberian train chugging through Siberia.

The Breakfast Bible

Seb Emina

I’ve given Seb’s Breakfast Bible as a gift many times over and the kedgeree (my favourite breakfast) recipe is a winner. What makes this food book such a rare treat is that it is both witty and clever.

SIMPLE: effortless food, big flavours

Diana Henry

So simple are these recipes that I managed to cook quite a few in a bothy in the Highlands shortly after the book came out. I cooked confidentially, despite a lack of tools, as Diana’s recipes never, ever fail. The pages are full of insights and humour and the cover is gloriously tactile, too.

River Cottage Veg Every Day!

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Many a weeknight supper comes out of this battered copy. The direction is always easy to follow and Hugh’s recipe writing style resonates with me.

The Land Where Lemons Grow: The Story of Italy and its Citrus Fruit

Helena Attlee

My favourite type of food book: one that combines travel writing and history with recipes, and in this case, horticulture and art. A glorious shimmering summer read.

The Book of Jewish Food

Claudia Roden

The one and only Claudia Roden. This book is an absolute treasure trove and is encyclopaedic in its depth. I often read it over breakfast, and in bed.

Oklava: Recipes from a Turkish-Cypriot kitchen

Selin Kiazim

A new book to my collection but I have already lost several afternoons cooking these easy recipes. Lots of new flavour combinations and gorgeously produced, too.

Cornersmith: Recipes from the cafe and picklery

Alex Elliott-Howery and James Grant

Australia is one of my favourite places to eat and this quirky corner café — created out of an old former Vietnamese bread shop out in Marrickville — impressed me when I was last in Sydney. I bought the book to try and recreate some of the dishes and pickles at home. A wonderful café, team, and book.

The Bloomsbury Cookbook

Jans Ondaatje Rolls

A deliciously gossipy and eccentric book championing the Bloomsbury set, with beautiful illustrations and historical recipes.

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Patti Smith, Ali Farka Touré and Terry Allen

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