1. Moro: The Cookbook - Sam & Sam Clark
Mr and Mrs Clark pioneered modern Spanish and North African cuisine in Britain. Their first book is easy to use, and packed with favourites from the Moro menu. Good for soups and seafood. And chorizo, come to that.
Ebury - £15
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2. Garden Cookbook - Sarah Raven
A strong contender for food book of 2007, this is invaluable for anyone who gets a weekly veg box. If you find yourself with a glut of kohlrabi or kale, she’ll show you how to turn it into something yummy. Eco-fabulous.
Bloomsbury - £30
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3. River Cafe Two Easy - Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers
Rose and Ruthie’s books are often dismissed as gastro-porn for metroplitan Tuscanistas, but their recipes are authentic, straightforward and delicious. The chapter on things to do with mozzarella is totally Zen.
Ebury - £20
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4. Modern Mezze - Anissa Helou
The dishes in this book aren’t quite as cutting-edge as the title suggests, but they’re decent interpretations of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern classics. Dips, salads and things wrapped in filo take centre stage.
Quadrille - £18.99
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5. Food and Travels: Asia - Alastair Hendy
Eastern cookbooks usually focus on a single cuisine, but this one’s more wideranging. Hendy’s recipes are a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds. Selections from Laos, Burma and Bali sit alongside more familiar fare.
Mitchell Beazley - £25
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6. Summer Cooking - Elizabeth David
You might expect David’s books to feel a little dated by now. But more than 50 years on, this one simply proves what a genius she was. The recipes here are timeless and essential; the writing is simply sublime.
Penguin - £9.99
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7. Real Greek Food - Theodore Kyriakou & Charles Campion
No, it’s not all souvlaki and moussaka. Kyriakou has done more for Greek food in Britain than anyone alive, and as this book of recipes from his restaurant shows, going Greek is a subtle art.
Pavilion - £14.99
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8. Seafood - Rick Stein
Say what you like about Stein (and plenty of us do), but the man does know his onions. Organised into techniques, recipes and an A-Z of species, it’s a pleasure to use. His best book by miles – if you like fish, you’ll love this.
BBC - £15
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9. Biba’s Italy - Biba Caggiano
As much a culinary travel guide as a recipe collection, this is a tour of bars, restaurants and cafés in five cities. The writing’s warm and wise, but it’s a US publication, so many of the measurements are in cups rather than grams.
Artisan - £20
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10. West of Ireland Summers - Tamasin Day-Lewis
A nostalgic meander, drawing on the author’s childhood in Connemara and Mayo. Irish and British recipes are combined with Mediterranean cuisine. Soul food for the Boden Set.
Weidenfeld & Nicolson - £12.99
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1 August 2007, Chosen by: Adam Leigh
