Good basic recipe book please

I started married life with Mrs Beetons and I have since gravitated to various well known cooks, but I always go to Good Housekeeping if I want something more complex and tasty. I don’t think their recipes can be beaten.

I think that a good grounding in what was called domestic science at school helped enormously, in understanding the basics like a good bechamel, stock making and soup, the different sorts of baking and very pastry imaginable I can turn my hand to - no problem. Except now I’m gluten free☹️

Katie Stewart the Sunday Times Cookbook.

Hello everybody!
Ectually, I using Joy of Cooking, often known as "The Joy of Cooking", Author- Irma S. Rombauer.
Great book for people who love cooking.

I agree that Delia is great for basics, but the one I find I go to time and again, is Nigella's first book, How to Eat (!)
As she is now such a celebrity with glossy books full of photos, and fashionable ingredients, you might find this surprising. This is the only one of hers that I have, and it is packed with really good basic recipes.
I'd also suggest using BBC Food as a great on-line resource. Search for almost any recipe, and you will get a great choice, from really simple, through old-fashioned and modern-with-a-twist. I don't think there is a site to match them for recipes, and they include 'how to' links as well.
Many of us remember our mothers sending off for the Be-Ro recipe book when we left home, and it's still going strong (although you actually have to pay for it these days!)

The old Sunset magazines have great recipes ..

Another oldie but goodie ..

Readers’ Digest Cookery Year, the original edition, not the revised version. It’s a bit hard to get hold of these days, but you occasionally find one in a secondhand bookshop or car boot sales.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202012/medium-539869-81ydmwmrsjl.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202012/medium-547540-91m7dripjal.jpg

I'd recommend these two old standards that have been around since the dawn of time!

Delia’s complete cookery is a bible.
Perfect results every time and straightforward recipes.
I buy lots of good cookery books in charity shops.

I’ve still got my Good Housekeeping cook book as well, it’s my go to book in my kitchen, newer books are on the bookshelves, they have nice pictures in them but I rarely use them for recipes.

I have two old Hamlyn Books. Every recipe with a photo. Although I lots of other books I still go back to these. Mary Berry has written the forward in one of them. Lovely photo of her aged about 30?

www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/books/hamlyn/best-of-hamlyn-all-colour-cooking/9780600570721

Check out worldofbooks for good bargains. Free delivery and discounts if you buy more than one.

AbeBooks will have an old cookery book that will not have modern ingredients.

The Good Housekeeping Cookbook that I’ve had for 45 years (omg) is a bit worse for wear but covers everything. I don’t think the latest editions are quite so good or comprehensive. I bought a new one last year but ditched it in favour of my old trusted version.