Books for Cooks

I'm fortunate enough to work in the publishing industry. It's a pretty small world, but luckily it is a gateway for so many other things. I don't think there are many people I've met whose great passion in life is books. What I've found is that people have other passions that are explored and accessed through books. Today I spent the day at the London Book Fair. Thanks to the nice folks at the Gourmand stand there is a cookbook corner. This is an area where there is a kitchen in front of a seating area where people (me) can sit in the front row and yell for more chillies in the Thai curry (I have a cold, such excesses are necessary when you can't even breathe). It is through publishing that I get to explore what I like in life.
I like cooking: I like reading about cooking. I like watching other people cook. I like browsing book shops for hours until I have found the next book that I would like to add to my already overwhelming collection. There are some which are astronomically priced and others which are small and beautiful. I would like to share with you my favourite books that I have, perhaps they can lead to further inspiration. As Raymond Blanc says - in a ridiculously strong French accent - "Cooking is about curiosity, and if I can inspire you to be curious, I will be a very happy man." Incidentally, he has a very good book out at the moment called Kitchen Secrets volume II...
So here are my favourite cookbooks that have helped me along the way:

1. Jamie's Italy is wonderful. I have never made something from this that wasn't delicious, my culinary failings have attempted to thwart the recipes but even a botched rice tart went down a treat as rice pudding. Not all of it is very easy, but it turns things like making soups and pizza from scratch exciting and altogether a whole lot more interesting. 2. The Pooh Cook Book. What can I say? The bear likes honey, I like honey, there is a lot to love in this one. 3. Pasta is something that I rarely go a week without in my house, hence carbs featuring heavily in my favourite book selection. This brings it back to basics and shows you how to make it all by hand. It's the kind of cooking we should be doing more but is currently practiced by a select few. 4. Fergus Henderson is a genius and pig's trotters are delicious - who knew! Well, probably Mr. Henderson, along with everyone that has worked for him or eaten at his restaurant or bar.

5. This book is the most underrated book on the market. Fact. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of fruit and vegetables. If I had been given a book solely on this section of the food pyramid that was particularly splendid, it would be in my top five. This book made me love fish as well as teaching me that burgers are in fact a Russian invention (you need to go pretty far back though).

I have plenty of other wonderful tomes that people have been kind enough to give me, "I Know How to Cook" is an indispensable reference guide as well as a very pretty book to own. There are also several folders full of cuttings and recipe cards that I have collected over the years but a list has to start somewhere, so I started with the above.

If you want to get better at cooking then I suggest you start reading.