Lizzie Kamenetzky

I have my own beloved, tattered, second hand copy of this wonderful book, to match the one I learnt from when i was a child. Carrier taught me to make brioche aged 6 and i've been learning from him ever since, his are classic French recipes with all the techniques anyone could ever want to learn.

I adore Nigel Slater for both his writing and his recipes, the Kitchen Diary books speak to me so strongly about the way I cook at home, but something about the way Slater makes even the most simple hunk of bread and cheese sound is truly magical. If ever I need inspiration for what to cook i grab one of this series of books at random and see what Slater cooked around the day in question. Invariably i then get lost in his words and the surrouding recipes and loose track of time but i alwasy alwasy come away inspired. I know I am cheating putting all three together, and this wouldn't be allowed on Desert Island Discs, but i'm greedy.

An ethos to live by. I love this ground breaking book for its honest truth, its humour and its respect.

There HAD to be a Diana book on my list, and i was hard pressed to chose my favourite. As an author her recipes are both delicous and elegant without ever being fussy. These are dishes i want to eat again and again. In the end I have to choose Food from Plenty as it is the one pick up most of all her wonderful books. It is perfect.

Fuchsia opened my eyes to the wonders of chinese cookery, its flavours and complexities but also how simple and light and elegant it can be. Her recipe for mapo doufu is magnificent.

Baking is as much a therapy as eating cake. The Violet Bakery in East London is definitely one of my happy places. Claire's recipes are both modern and classic at the same time with wonderful use of seasonal ingredients and unusual flavours making for some of the best cakes i have ever baked.

During my year studying at Leiths school of food and wine this was my text book and constant companion, i cooked from it every day, obeyed its rules - It's not flashy or full of pictures but this book has taught me more than any other.

I'm a bread head, i love it - making it, eating it, id be lost without it. This book taught me so much about the ways of bread, it took my baking to a whole new level.

As a food stylist i've worked on a LOT of books, all of them wonderful, but this, as the first book i did when i went freelance 3 years ago, will always have a special place in my heart. The recipes are stunning, I know them all inside out and return to them again and again.

Simple combinations of beautiful fragrant flavours, this book captures sunshine in its recipes.