Ed Smith

Far more useful and inspiring than his (still excellent) "Roast Chicken and Other Stories"

The book that created a thousand copy cats. It's beautiful, tactile and written evocatively. I'm not sure I've actually cooked anything directly from it. But I turn to it more often than any other, as inspiration for what to cook when.

The best book I've bought for a decade. Probably the best for the next decade too. A rare cook book in that it sets out how to do and make so many things from scratch, that would only otherwise have been gathered from years in professional kitchens. Does so without being a nerdy textbook, nor a coffee table picture book.

Essential

The only sweet cook book you really need. Also, rights many of the quirks in Beyond Nose to Tail

As with Kitchen Diaries, I regularly dip into this for inspiration. Beautiful in design and prose.

A bible. I should use it more.

I think this gets over by the later released (and when better known) Meat Book. This is such a comprehensive and well written piece of work.

Pretty much all you need to know about prepping and cooking fish. No need for photos.

A go to for preserving. I visit many charcutiers around Britain. They're professionals at what they do … and this simple home cooking text sits alongside the classic Ruhlman Salumi, and Charcutería: The Soul of Spain by Jeffrey Weiss on each and every one of their shelves.