Caroline Eden

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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