During the festive season, New York City pulls out all the stops, puts on its lights and gets ready to feast. German-born authors Lisa Nieschlag and Lars Wentrup brilliantly capture that sense of anticipation, and the photographs show off the city at its snowy, wintry best. Recipes cover the whole festive period, from Christmas baking to Christmas dinner and New Year’s Eve drinks. Slickly packaged and beautifully shot, it’s a book that’s bound to rouse the festive spirit.

Christmas played an important role in ‘Downton,’ and this book is a sumptuous showcase for festive food and trimmings. Meticulously researched, it traces the holiday’s roots far back, beyond English Victorian traditions. Alongside ‘traditional’ roast turkey and gingerbread are long-forgotten dishes such as Whitby Cake and Hackin Pudding. Thoroughly delicious edible history.

Seasoned cookbook author and cooking teacher Rick Rodgers turns his attention to the indulgent desserts of the coffee houses of central European capitals, where comfort can be sought, and always found, in a good strudel or a well-made torte. The recipes are well explained (no surprise given the author's teaching credentials), making impressive cakes and pastries within easy reach of the home cook.

Tuscan-born Valentina Harris, who describes herself as “an ambassador for Italy’s culinary riches” has spent her professional lifetime travelling to every nook and cranny of Italy, studying the country’s deeply ingrained food history, and meeting the home cooks and chefs at the heart of Italian cuisine. All that food wisdom is distilled into this, her magnum opus.