Gift Guide — 4 Cookbooks to Bring Joy to Any Foodie (2019)

Looking for the perfect cookbook to gift or add to your own holiday wish list? Use this holiday shopping guide to light your way to the right book, from the mindful cook to the person with an indelible sweet tooth.

All cookbooks are tried and tested favorites in our home that make up many of our most celebrated family meals and sweet dishes. We’ve prepared at least ten recipes per book — so you’ve got our guarantee in terms of yumminess and recipe execution.

Have a scroll below, and don’t forget to add to your own list too. Enjoy!

The Little Library Year by Kate Young

For the cook who can always be found with a book in hand.

For just as there is a right time for deliciously ripe strawberries and a season when gingerbread takes center stage, there are perfect moments for re-reads of our favorite titles. It’s all very seasonal. And for anyone who’s ever been in love, there’s nothing like bringing two loves together.

The Little Library Year joins this love of food and books. It’s a literary and culinary almanac, a celebration of literature, the seasons, and each season’s most extraordinary ingredients. It’s a way to experience the year to the fullest, through great books and food, and sharing a meal around a table. Discover dishes inspired by your favorite reads that capture and honor the shifting seasons, celebrating their transient nature.

If you’re getting or gifting only one cookbook this year — this is the one. The Little Library Year speaks to the heart and soul of foodies and bibliophiles alike.

For those long winter nights, try Fish Suppers in Narnia.

For the first signs of spring, try the Blueberry and Cardamom Dutch Baby. This huge, puffed pancake is a breakfast staple in our home.

Making Saturday lunch? Try the Rösti Florentine (don’t fear the hollandaise — the recipe here is a winner and allows you to succeed even on your first try).

Jamie’s Friday Night Feast by Jamie Oliver

For the culinary globetrotter, looking for that pinch of Jamie magic when whipping up veg, fish, and meat dishes from around the world.

Jamie’s Friday Night Feasts is about family and friends and gathering around an epic feast cooked from scratch. Based on Jamie’s cooking show Friday Night Feasts, in which he cooks with, feeds, and interviews A-list celebs out at sea (at the end of the world’s longest pier), this book is a collection of some of Jamie’s favorite recipes and photos, created and taken over the years. It’s a greatest hits list if you will. Everything here is made from scratch — we are talking down to the flatbread. So bring time, and get ready to celebrate and create good food.

Try the Brilliant Veggie Burger With Spiced Vegan Mayo & Crispy Onion Rings.

Goldie Hawn’s Fettuccine Alfredo With Fresh Truffle or Nutmeg.

Or Tom Daley’s Sweet & Sour Chicken Teamed With a Rainbow of Veg.

Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh

For everyone you know who’d happily order two desserts and for those dreaming of that perfect chocolate chip cookie.

Forget about hitting up the almighty search engine the next time you’re lusting after a piece of home-baked chocolate cake or are on bake-sale duty, for we all know how fickle those search engine recipes can be. In this not love, but Sweet is all you need. And let’s be honest, the two are closely linked. This book is a celebration of the sweet things in life and the best foundation upon which to build your home-baking library.

The Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies here are so good, I’ve sent tins to friends cross-country. And the tip to keep some in the freezer is gold. Split the dough and make a few nut-free for kiddos (like mine) who like their cookies less protein-rich and, yes, even sweeter. Gluten-free and nut-free recipes abound in this book or can be easily adapted.

Try the Coconut, Almond, and Blueberry Cake — full of superfood goodness, and a total treat when it’s time for tea.

WHOLE — Bowl Food for Balance by Melissa Delport

For vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters alike who enjoy mouth-watering, mindful food.

Centered around bowl eating, WHOLE — Bowl Food for Balance is all about treating your body to real, fresh food, cutting out the processed stuff, eating mindfully, and leaving your body feeling energized. It’s about becoming mindful of what we eat, where our food comes from, and how it is prepared. Packed with 90 recipes (many of which are vegan or vegetarian or can be adapted to suite either), WHOLE will show you that nourishing meal-prep from scratch can be easy.