If you’re anything like me, over time you accumulate cookbooks and through a process of natural selection some float to the top and get read often. Some gather dust at the back, never fulfilling their promise. A select few make it to the hallowed ground of the recipe book stand, where they deliver gold each and every time.
I feel like 2010 was a great year for cookbooks; almost all the big hitters pumped out a new book, some of them two! Self-publishing was all the rage that brought home cooks to the fore, and restaurants also gave us a peek on how to recreate their favourites.
With so much to choose from, selecting my favourites was pretty tricky. But here’s my top 3 cookbooks of 2010:
3. Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals – Jamie Oliver
On top of that, it’s amazing value for money. For the above reason, each recipe gives you 3 or 4 different dishes. That’s loads of different components you can bring together.
Jamie has done it again, and I can’t recommend this brilliant book highly enough.
Standout recipe: jools’s pregnant pasta with frangipane tart
2. Plenty – Yotam Ottolenghi
Not even mentioning the food, I have to mention the design of this book. The pristine white is gorgeous, peppered with neon line-traced veg. A padded cover and gold embossing just sets this one out on your shelf.
It’s a real gem, even for a hardened carnivore like me. Much like Jamie’s book, it’s encouraged me to think in different ways.
Standout recipe: leek fritters
1. Leon 2, Naturally Fast Food – Henry Dimbleby & John Vincent
This book dropped on to my desk in the Autumn and pulled me away from my work for quite some time. I was bowled over at first by the design. No heading-recipe-full-page-photo for this tome. It was more a scrapbook, a collage of random holiday snaps, upside-down bits, fold-out bits, crazy layout… it was a typesetter’s nightmare and a fortune to publish I’m sure but the result is completely distinctive. As far from bland as you can possibly get, it bellows character from every page. It’s utterly charming and clearly a deeply personal book.
And I haven’t even mentioned the recipes. They’re so closely aligned with the way I like to cook it makes me punch the air with joy. Every time I open it humour and joy drip from the pages, bringing familiar flavours with original tweaks. There really is a little of everything in here, from great snacks, to delicious desserts and cracking party food. There’s lovely twists on bland veg dishes, pot-roasts galore and just plain-feel good food with every turn. Just last week I made a Winter vegetable pot-roast which was little more than root veg casseroled in white wine. Hardly revolutionary stuff, but just the kind of spark that makes you come back again and again.
It’s split into two parts: the first deals with genuine fast food, solving midweek dinner woes. The second is fast food, but with long cooking times. In other words, a small amount of prep then leave to bake / casserole / stew / whatever. So it’s all covered.
You can feel the love and effort that has gone into the book, and with the hugely enjoyable recipes to match I can’t get enough of this brilliant thing.
Standout recipe: crispy roast cauliflower (honestly, I’ve made it about 15 times in 4 months)
(EDIT: I cleared up some confusion from the comments by editing a bit of the text above)
So there’s mine; what were your favourite cookbooks of 2010? I’d love to know about any gems I haven’t caught up with yet.
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15 replies on “my favourite cookbooks of 2010”
I loved Nigel Slater’s Tender Vol II… Both volumes are not only wonderful reads but really inspiring when deciding what to grow in the garden or on the allotment. I also discovered Baked: New Frontiers in Baking.
Why am I not surprised you went for a book that helps feed the allotment?!
Nigel Slater is always readable though. Brilliant.
I was just about to comment that my favourite book too was Nigel Slater’s Tender Vol. II. Beautiful book.
Sounds like I’m missing out with Tender II!
You rated Leon as the top cookbook of 2010 and you haven’t tried a single recipe from it yet?
I’ve just got what you meant: “And I haven’t even started on the recipes”
I was simply saying in my write-up, “hey it looks beautiful etc etc AND I haven’t even started telling you how great the recipes are!”
Sorry for any confusion, I’ve tried dozens!
Agree with jamie and plenty, both ones I use a lot. After trying that gorgeous winter pot roast at yours will have to get the leon one. Looking forward to hearing what you think aboutvthe restaurant at bluewater too!
Think I would have to add nigella’s kitchen to the list; her usual passionate recipes of course, but also a lengthy interesting and informative introduction that made me consider how I use my kitchen and the items in it.
Thanks Cathy.. Glad you enjoyed the veg roast!
I wondered what the Nigella book was like, the TV series was uninspiring and it felt like I’d seen everything before.
I have the first Ottolenghi book which was probably my favourite of the year (I only bought it in February) but I didn’t realise Plenty was vegetarian only? Intriguing, I must take another look.
I’ve got Nigella’s Kitchen which was my most eagerly awaited publication of the year although I’ve not had time to read it properly yet.
Yeah, all veg recipes. Well worth a look!
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