Top ten food and drinks books to get your hands on this Christmas

Everyone can agree that food and drinks are one of the best things about Christmas, so what better way to spend the festive period than experimenting with cooking, mixing cocktails and drinking wine? A cookery book is the perfect gift for any foodie or drink lover to explore their passion, or get one for yourself and make the perfect festive drink or snack! Here are ten of our favourite recipe books that are perfect for Christmas.

Noble Rot Wine from Another Galaxy, £24

If you fancy yourself a bit of a wine connoisseur and are looking for the top tips on where to find the best bargains and exactly what to order in a restaurant, this book has everything you need and illuminates the very serious business of drinking wine. Explaining everything you need to know from how it’s made, to where to buy it – this could be the perfect gift for any foodie or wine enthusiast.

Septime, La Cave, Clamato, D’Une Ile, £28

This much-anticipated debut book celebrates French cuisine and is driven by the Bertrand Grébaut and Théophile Pourriat, the duo behind one of the most acclaimed restaurants in France, Septime. This book presents a modern air of simplicity to French cooking and includes an easy step-by-step guide on how to replicate their favourite dishes.

Claridge’s Cocktail Book, £16.99

Since first opening its doors, Claridge’s has enveloped guests in the most luxurious levels of comfort and care – and when it comes to cocktails, they’re unparalleled. This celebrated guide contains all the inspiration you’ll need for every cocktail hour. This bartender’s bible will help you to share the magic of Claridge’s with family and friends, from your own cocktail cabinet. 

Bread Ahead, £26

Cosy up at home this Christmas with the warm smell of baking bread filling the air. Learning to bake like a professional is easy with the guidance of baking champion Matthew Jones. Featuring over 90 classics, there’s something to please everyone’s appetite.

Take One Fish, £26

Niland’s previous cookbook The Whole Fish changed everything we know about fish and revealed the blueprint to an entirely new kind of fish cookery. Now, his highly anticipated follow-up brings inspiration and shows us that there are no rules to cooking fish, only an endlessly inventive world of mind-blowing culinary possibilities with 60 glorious scale-to-tail recipes.

The Irish Cookbook, £26

 

This is acclaimed Irish chef Jp Mcmahon’s cookbook, dedicated to the culinary origins – and influences – of Irish cuisine. It talks about the land and the sea, and features 480 recipes that can be cooked at home. The book looks at Ireland’s food heritage, which dates back to more than a thousand years ago.

World Atlas of Wine 8^th Edition, £32

The first edition of The World Atlas of Wine made publishing history when it appeared in 1971, being called the most essential and authoritative wine reference work available. This eighth edition reflects all the changes in the global wine scene over the past six years and will bring readers, both old and new, up to date with the world of wine. A perfect gift for any wine lover!

Dishoom Cookbook, £26

This recipe book is an eccentric and charming cookery book, with over 100 recipes for the Bombay comfort food and drink that we love. Through the course of the pages, readers are taken on a day-long tour of south Bombay. Starting at breakfast, through to lunch, dinner and nightcaps, and include beloved dishes such as Masala Chai, the Bacon Naan Roll and House Black Daal.

Grind: A Modern Guide to City Living, £16.99

Celebrating the tenth anniversary of this iconic London coffee house, this cookbook has everything to offer with a decade’s worth recipes. The book includes a sometimes questionable (always entertaining) guide on contemporary urban life from how to make a flat white or a killer avocado toast brunch to how to politely bail on a date. Keep reading and you might even find out the secret to their infamous Espresso Martini!

Home Cocktail Bible, £20

Is it really Christmas if you don’t have a cocktail or two? This book is the go-to-guide on mixing up your own festive concoctions. Whether you want to find out what goes into a Japanese Slipper or stick to a classic martini, with the recipes divided up by type of spirit, there’s something for every drink lover to enjoy.

Bonus entry: Urban Farmers the Now (and How) of Growing Food in the City, £22

Although we said top ten, we wanted to feature this unique book that explores the rich world of planting, growing and harvesting in modern cities through the lens of acclaimed photographers Valery Rizzo and Monica R Goya. Urban Farmers explores the fascinating and diverse world of urban agriculture, giving you the opportunity to learn from the best practices and get your hands dirty – be it in your balcony, a community garden, or even starting a business around it. This could be the perfect gift for any nature-loving foodie.

Jayda Bilal