Sejal Sukhadwala

This groundbreaking, highly influential vegetarian classic is one of the first that I bought. It had a huge impact on my cooking, and set me on the path to becoming a food writer. It got me curious about ingredients like Yukon gold potatoes and collard greens that were unavailable in the UK at the time; and made me aspire to the sort of idyllic lifestyle where I’d spend hours making elaborate soup stocks from scratch.

I have countless regional Indian cookbooks, but this one stands out for the clarity, accuracy and ‘authenticity’ of its recipes, and the utter deliciousness of the end results. The pictures are enticing, too.

This book was a game-changer; it revolutionised vegetarianism in Britain. The way in which meat-free dishes were perceived, cooked and eaten was transformed as a result of Ottolenghi’s Guardian recipes (collected in this book). British dinner parties were never the same again.

I have dozens of excellent Middle Eastern cookery books, but this reliable classic is the one I turn to time and again.

If you’re already familiar with Japanese cookery (I learnt the basics through other Japanese cookbooks), this stunning and informative book will help take it to the next level.

This one's packed with traditional and modern Mediterranean dishes that are practical yet impressive. Even if you’ve cooked Mediterranean food dozens of times before, there’s plenty to inspire here.

I’ve been cooking from this unique book for many years, and the recipes never fail to get a compliment. They’re suffused with tropical fruit and veg, herbs and spices, and dreams of a more exotic life. The mango and ginger cake, which I make during the alphonso season each year, is an edible masterclass in how to win friends and influence people.

If you’re an experienced Middle Eastern cook and confident about the ingredients, you’ll have fun with this fabulous cookbook. The recipes are highly imaginative; and the more ‘cheffy’ ones are perfect as weekend projects.

This is the book from which I first learnt to cook Thai food. There are wonderful, traditional recipes for Thai curry pastes, regional curries, rice and noodle dishes and condiments.

This exuberant book came into my life like a blast of sunshine, at a time when sun-dried tomatoes and pesto were newly fashionable. In the grey, early ‘90s England, when cookery writers cautiously instructed you to use one clove of garlic and half a teaspoon of dried herbs, Spieler came along and encouraged the use of half a dozen garlic cloves and a whole bunch of fresh herbs.