A new year calls for fresh inspiration in the kitchen, and where better to look than at next year's most exciting new cookbook launches? Here are the best of the bunch.
Easy Wins by Anna Jones
Since securing a space on Jamie Oliver’s apprenticeship programme almost twenty years ago, Jones has done wonders for pushing the vegetarian conversation forward with trusty tomes including A Modern Way To Eat and One: pot, pan, planet. Now, she’s tackling the everyday, with 125 simple, delicious recipes designed around twelve essential, hardworking ingredients, including lemons, olive oil, mustard, capers and tahini, designed to take the slog out of each day.
The Tinned Tomatoes Cookbook by Samuel Goldsmith
Whether you’re an own-brand bargain hunter or a Mutti millionaire, no kitchen is complete without a stash of tinned tomatoes – something BBC Good Food editor and recipe tester Goldsmith knows all too well. A timeless, instant classic, his debut book is an invaluable tool for all things comforting, from pasta sauces, to stews, pies, and more. Our standout? The ‘Cheat’s Chicken Pomodoro’, which is *chef’s kiss*.
8 February. £18.99 (Murdock)
The Gourmand's Lemon
The highly stylish food and art magazine gave us its dedication to the egg earlier this year, and now its team brings us their ode to the king of citrus. Half coffee table book, half practical manual, alongside predictably brilliant visuals, inside provides segments of insight into the lemon’s history, and place in society within the writings of Joan Didion, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Joyce – all alongside tempting recipes to whip up at home. Juicy.
23 January. £40 (Taschen)
Sift by Nicola Lamb
Ever wondered why your bakes won’t behave? Look no further than Lamb’s upcoming bible, which you’ll have covered in sticky fingerprints in no time. Insightful and approachable, the pastry chef decodes everything you need to know about the intricate science of baking while sharing 100 creative recipes for everything from speedy miso, walnut and chocolate-chip cookies to a stage-stealing mocha passionfruit opera cake.
2 May. £30 (Ebury)
Max's World of Sandwiches by Max Halley and Benjamin Benton
The wonderfully wacky founder of Finsbury Park stalwart Max’s Sandwich Shop is back – accompanied by Benton – with a third book delving even further into his fascination with wonderfully wacky sarnies. This time, he’s travelled the world to unpick what makes a truly brilliant creation, offering recipes and advice on bread, sauces, fillings and adornments to get creative at home. Spiderman garlic bread, anyone?
Microwave Meals by Tim Anderson
Being a snob about the – Nigella voice, please – micro-wav-ay is so pre-cozzie livs, and Masterchef winner Anderson is here to prove it. Expect delightfully creative recipes for impressive dishes of crab and artichoke gratin, pork with miso and stem ginger syrup, overnight cinnamon rolls and even spaghetti carbonara which not only save time, but knock pounds off your energy bill, too.
25 April, £16.99 (Hardie Grant)
Desified by Zaynah Din
Based around the fundamental principles of Ramadan, during which one meal is eaten before sunrise and another after sunset, social media star Din’s debut cookbook promises a vast, delectable array of south Asian inspired fare. Expect recipes for traditional classics such as lamb biryani and papari chat, alongside others with a sprinkling of her trademark quirkiness, including chai churros and strawberry falooda bubble tea.
Spain: The Cookbook by Simone and Inés Ortega, and Ferran Adrià
No, this is not new, but it is essential to any home cook’s collection. First published forty years ago, this hefty number is finally set to be back in print. Containing an astonishing 1080 recipes from mother-daughter duo Simone and Inés Ortega, and El Bulli founder Adrià, you’ll never need to buy another book on traditional Spanish cooking ever again.
Tucking In by Sophie Wyburd
The chef, Instagram sensation, podcast host and ex-Mob-fluencer’s first foray into cold, hard print promises to be ‘a very comforting cookbook’, which makes whisking up harissa braised cod or a chipotle vodka gnocchi bake on a Tuesday a seamless affair. What’s not to love?
14 June. £22 (Ebury)
I’ll Bring Dessert by Benjamina Ebuehi
As a Great British Bake Off finalist, Ebuehi is always the designated dessert person, so for her second book she’s dreamt up recipes that are not only easy to concoct, but seamless to transport across town – whether that be in one dish or your trusty tupperware. Broken up into sections titled something fruity/ chocolatey/ creamy/ nutty/ on the side, there truly is something to satiate any and every sweet tooth.
11 April, £24 (Quadrille)
Doma by Spasia Pandora Dinkovski
A celebration of the ‘contemporary flavours from the Balkan diaspora’, it’s well worth delving into the Mystic Burek founder’s exploration of north Macedonian food culture, in which she shares the rich history of the area’s food and innovative recipes which blend tradition with modern culinary techniques. And yes, it does include the closely guarded secrets to her grandmother’s famed cheese and egg filo pie.
Bahari by Dina Macki
Touted as the first ever Omani cookbook to be written by an Omani chef, Macki’s game changing tome is a vital resource for anyone aiming to expand their knowledge on Middle Eastern food. Bursting with storytelling and traditional recipes, many of which were originally influenced by the country’s vast coastline, as well as Pakistan, Iran, India, the Swahili coast, and Portugal, this is more than a book – it’s journey of discovery.
1 February. £26 (DK)
Good Eggs by Ed Smith
Dependable, delicious and (usually) accessible, the humble egg can make many a brilliant meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s not always easy to imagine them as more than scrambled, boiled or fried, however, and so Smith saves the day with 100 classic and creative ways to reimagine it. Simply put? Eggcellent stuff.
14 March. £22 (Quadrille)
