How to be a Domestic Goddess

Nigella Lawson

It's full of good things and made me want to bake and then bake some more.

Jane Grigson's Fruit Book

Jane Grigson

For opening up a whole world of food and history.

Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book

Jane Grigson

A New Book of Middle Eastern Food

Claudia Roden

For being so readable as well as inspiring to cook from.

Bread: River Cottage Handbook No. 3

Daniel Stevens

One of the River Cottage handbooks. The whole series is excellent but this one is the one I use most, full of good advice, easy to follow recipes, and portable. Just a really good book.

Salt, Sugar, Smoke

Diana Henry

All her books are excellent but this one makes preserving in all its forms seem so accessible to the home cook as well as being full of things that are easy enough to make but hard to buy off the shelf.

Picnics

Claudia Roden

I love the way it changed my idea of picnics from oranges with sand on them and hard boiled eggs to something less reminiscent of a 70's childhood.

The Art of the Tart

Tamasin Day-Lewis

For curing my fear of pastry.

North Atlantic Seafood

Alan Davidson

For reading, travelling, and eating from.

Seasonal Cookery

Claire Macdonald

When I first came across it around 1990 the idea of going back to seasonal and local food had a bit of novelty to it. As someone just developing an interest in cooking at the time it was really inspiring. The way it break things down into menus was great too, for a beginner it really helped with working out how a meal goes togeth