Rowan Yapp

Rowan Yapp

Editor

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.co.uk/publishers/vintage/square-peg/
Editor at Square Peg, Random House

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Rowan's favorite cookbooks

English Food

English Food

Jane Grigson

For me it's an epoch defining book that stands for all that is good about the cooking of the past and also preempts all that is good about the cooking of today.

Arabesque

Arabesque

Claudia Roden

I love all Claudia Roden's books but for me the format of Arabesque - with its modern nod to having food photography, and its triptych of fascinating countries - makes it the perfect balance of form and function.

The Kitchen Diaries

The Kitchen Diaries

Nigel Slater

The first cookbook to make me think about seasonal cooking, and in terms of my gain as well as wider reasons. The genuine quality of his enthusiasm is infectious. This book first taught me the elegance of simplicity and the joy of either high or low brow cooking so long as it matches the moment.

A Modern Way to Eat

A Modern Way to Eat

Anna Jones

For me this is a seminal book in that it is vegetarian but there's no sense anything is missing. The package is great and I love the way it gives lots of substitute ingredients an alternative cooking suggestions for realistic and intuitive modern cooking. The depths of flavour are spot on for me.

Ottolenghi: The Cookbook

Ottolenghi: The Cookbook

Sami Tamimi and Yotam Ottolenghi

All his books have had an impact on me but I have picked the first as that was the original game-changer; it caused a revolution by stealth. As well as getting me excited about a whole new region of food it also made me think about salads and baking with new eyes. No mean feat for one single book.

Moro East

Moro East

Samantha Clark and Samuel Clark

I love Moro East for its sense of place. It is the precursor to the explosion of Hackney-based cookbooks in recent years and I love the photography. After Claudia Roden, Moro was my first taste of the now ubiquitous Middle Eastern flavours.

Week In Week Out

Week In Week Out

Simon Hopkinson

There's something about the blend of the playful and the obsessional about Week in Week Out that I find a great draw. In this book Simon Hopkinson wrote recipes that were unapologetically 'trad' way ahead of the game.

A Change of Appetite

A Change of Appetite

Diana Henry

Straightforward, relatable, attuned to the world. I think cookbooks which are likeable and aware of their readership are an important thing. Plus the recipes are delicious and achievable.

Curry Easy

Curry Easy

Madhur Jaffrey

Her books have influenced generations and I cook her recipes on a weekly basis. I choose Curry Easy from her many great books because I love authors who adapt as times change. The simplicity of these recipes feels relevant to modern life.