Heading into quieter times as we are, I ran a straw poll through our Bird community for a Top Ten of Desert Island cook books.
What is the one cook book you’d choose to take with you, I asked if you were about to be holed up with time on your hands?
These were the replies that made our top ten. Read on for inspiration, comfort and very good eating.
- The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit.
“It’s the only one I travel with,’ says recipe developer, Dorothy Barrick.
- How to Eat a Peach by Diana Henry.
“A book to curl up with ad remember meals I’ve eaten joyfully surrounded by people I love,” says chef Naomi Devlin, “It would make any desert island bearable.”
- Ballymaloe Cookery School Book by Darina Allen.
“I’ve carried this book all around the world,” says chef Rhiannon Lewis, “It was my saviour whilst private cheffing for a few years.
“From being presented with a freshly caught octopus whilst sailing off the coast of Italy, to cooking home comfort food for various nationalities when touring with the circus. It’s completely comprehensive.”
- From the Oven to Table by Diana Henry.
“It’s full of wonderful one pot recipes that are easy to prepare and you can cook without great amounts of pretentious technical skills,” Little Apple Seed
- The Gastronomical Me by M F K Fisher.
Recommended by food writer, Matt O’Callaghan
- How to Eat by Nigella Lawson
“It would keep me company,” says chef Helen Collier, “I love the conversational tone and it’d just be so comforting.”
- The Silver Spoon
“It would be amazing to simply have the time to read this tome from cover to cover,” says home cook extraordinaire, Zoe Wright.
- Honey from a Weed by Patience Gray.
“She’ll transport me back to the smells and tastes of the landscape I adore,” says chef and cookery tutor, Marcia Barrington.
- The first (blue) River Cafe Cook Book by Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray
“It’s the whole ethos,” says chef, Jon Bray “And it inspired a whole generation of chefs.”
- The Complete Illustrated Cookery Course by Delia Smith.
“My first and still most trusted,” says home cook and super mum, Lou Rees, “Many have come since that I loved but my heart belongs to Delia.”