Holly Bell

Being given a copy of this slim little booklet (is it a book or a booklet?) is a rite of passage. I remember poring over my Nanna's copy, all brown and curly at the edges. My mother had a suitably 70s edition and I have one from the 90s that's covered in flour, butter and egg stains. Full of no nonsense recipes written in plain English.

I won the Home Economics prize at school back in 1993. I know, I know, quite an accolade. I was incredibly excited at being given book tokens to choose a book with. This is what I chose. Of course, the recipes are all very grown up, mainly aimed at the dinner party generation, but I loved this book, re-reading it obsessively. For it was the first recipe book I'd owned that devoted more space to the description of the recipe, the very reason for it existing, than to the actual method.

Doesn't Queen Nigella conjure up with the best book titles? This is a tome of a book that's just so incredibly useful. A chapter for feeding little ones, a chapter for losing weight, one for feeding just yourself, one with meals for two... I could go on. No pictures, just writing. Let your imagination do the rest... and with Nigella's writing that's easy.

A dear friend bought me this after a long visit to Australia. I'd never heard of Stephanie Alexander but have since found out she's a VERY famous chef in Oz. This is a book that helps you use whatever you have in the house. If there's a glut of apples then simply turn to the apples section and away you go. It's amazing how inspiring a change in indexing can be.

I first read this at university; a time when I was in control of what I ate every evening for the very first time. I loved (and still love) the way Nigel makes us all believe in the magical things that happen in a saucepan when sausages and onions are introduced to one another. Such simple recipes, with lots of suggestions for deviation. Nigel is not a dictator in any way.

This was bought for me by a boyfriend for my 18th birthday. I have no idea what he's doing these days but my copy of Delia's Complete Cookery Course is still going strong. I often consult her when developing recipes to see what the 'correct' method is, before I meander off on my own merry way.

After leaving London I missed the wonderful coffee shops and international delis, so abundant in their wares. The pictures in this book make me London-sick. The recipes always result in enquiries for more.

This book has taught me more about bread than any other. Quite simply, if you want to make and eat excellent bread, invest in a copy.

Classics explained in absolute, painstaking detail. Worth the cover price for the croissant recipe alone.

My maternal grandmother's copy sits on my shelf, glorious in it's 1960's technicolour. I admit I've never made a recipe - I read it more as a historical document.