Which cookery book have you used most over the years?

I started off with Marguerite Patten, circa 1970. From their I have collected a variety of cookery books, a few French/Provençal, a couple from favourite restaurants in town whose menus I like. Also a binder of plastic sleeves containing cut outs from cookery recipes found in magazines, sectioned off for meat, fish, veg. etc.

I will have a look for Anna del Conte absent. I have asked a few Italian chefs for recipes, some are willing, some are absolutely not. Understandable they don’t want to divulge their culinary secrets.

Be-ro
I have my nannas brown one, my mum's 1970s, my 1980s and my daughter has a newer edition too.
I also have a couple of Stork books which have great graphics.
Now it's mainly BBC online for dishes, I just type in ingredients and voila!
Pity they don't come ready made

Delta’s Complete Cookery Course, given to me as an engagement gift 55 years ago. Have used many others since but she’s still my ‘go to’ when I can’t remember the odd thing.

3dognight

The Pauper’s cookbook, by Jocasta Innes. First cookbook in 1977.
A few of Jamie’s over the years.

I always loved the Pauper's Cookbook too. I can't find it at the moment, but I think there was a Swedish meatball recipe and a couple of other favourites.
I had an "Oxo book of Meat cookery" and a book of Fish Cookery which were very useful to a new cook. There was a meatloaf recipe made with liver which I make to this day.

I don`t use cook books.
And i am beginning to think iv`e missed out.

M&S Preserves and Jams.

You can't go wrong with Delia Smith or Mary Berry.

Perfect Cooking by Margeurite Patten reprint 1972- the year I got married. I still use it as a check up reminder for basic "blueprint" recipes like scones, pancakes and jam making. I had the good sense to back it with vinyl when it was new and it is still going strong. My favourite recipe is Granny's spice cake.

I love the old BE RO books. It has to be the old ones though as the new editions aren't as good for some reason. I also have a very old Times cookery book from 1978. I use this quite a bit.

Cranks Vegetarian Recipe Book by David Canter 1985. My son was brought up on its recipes.
Anyone in their GH Cookery Book got the recipe for Sultana Cake?

A really ancient hard back from Marks and Spencer. I’ve probably made just about everything in it. I’ve never found a barbecue sauce that comes near it! It’s quite interesting looking at it now how much salt they advised. Also the diary cook book from the milkman, long since disintegrated. When I moved I gave loads of cookery books to charity shops if I only used a couple of recipes. I mostly look on line now if I need inspiration.

Dairy cook book. It got me through 'O' level cookery and 40 years as a cookery teacher. Sadly very out of date now. Now I either make up recipes or use the internet.

Definitely Delia here too. I have all Jamie's books though. I don't always cook from them but lovely to read.

I bought my Good Housekeeping on instalments when we got engaged in 1961. It's literally falling to bits now but still the one I go to most even though I have a host of others, predominantly Mary Berry. Its rich fruit cake is a no fail for Christmas and so many old favourites.

rockgran

Perfect Cooking by Margeurite Patten reprint 1972- the year I got married. I still use it as a check up reminder for basic "blueprint" recipes like scones, pancakes and jam making. I had the good sense to back it with vinyl when it was new and it is still going strong. My favourite recipe is Granny's spice cake.

Rockgran I'm delighted to see Perfect Cooking is still going strong. I worked for its publishers in the 70s and learned about cookery by painstakingly typing up the manuscript

Probably Delia's Complete Cookery Course. Still use it occasionally. I remember her comments on pancakes "if your pancake is thick enought to toss, the only place to toss it is in the bin"! My first cookery book was "Cooking in a Bedsitter", a paperback which I bought as a student in the 1960s. It eventually fell to pieces and had to be thrown away - a pity as it was quite an insight into how we lived and ate in the 1960s.

Mrs Beetons Family Cookery from 1972, My mother's BeRo book, and my Grandmother's cookery books and handwritten recipes.

I'm another who tends to wing it, though I don't cook much now, Mr M does most of our day to day cooking, I do the fancy stuff.

But I go back to my 1970s copy of the Good Housekeeping book for some things, and The Pauper's Cookbook (though sadly some recipes are no longer cheap enough for 'paupers'). For hot cross buns I use my mother's copy of the Regulo Cook Book, which must date from the 1950s and for jam, the wartime Domestic Preservation of Fruit and Vegetables! (which is now falling apart...)

Delia Smith, Mary Berry and The Molly Weir (remember her!) cookbook xx

Blossoming

A very old Reader’s Digest Cookery Yesr. My favourite pages have a few splash marks!

I’m also a fan of The Readers Digest Cookery Year, also Creative Cooking from the same publisher for a few fancy dinner party ideas.
Also much used The Paupers Cookbook Jocasta Innes
Delia’s tome already mentioned by other GNs but Delia always gave cooking times much too long for my oven.
Ten Talents, an American quasi religious, semi vegetarian cookbook that I favoured in my hippie days
The Dairy Cookbook, great recipes
I’ve loved all those at different stages in my life along with many others but for me the cook whose recipes always, always work and are always fabulous is still the Great Mary Berry. I can’t name any of her books because I’ve never owned one, I get her recipes from tv and online but think it’s time to buy one of her books but which one?

M0nica

The Penguin Cookery Book by Bee Nilso.n.

I am on my third or fourth copy. It is long out of print. DiL swears by the same cook book

Me too MOnica. I’ve still got my original copy from 1976. It’s held together with a rubber band now but I still use it and wouldn’t part from it, even from a new copy.

Evelyn Rose's international cookery book.

I also discovered Mary Berry through Home and Freezer magazine, which I used to buy when I lived in South Africa in the 70s. I still have some recipes from those magazines which I use today. Also MB's Cooking for your Freezer which was an M&S book, also bought in South Africa. I use plenty of MB recipes today. During lockdown, I went through all my MB cookboks and marked 'interesting' recipes with post-its. My go-to book for cakes and bakes is a great South African 'bible', Cook and Enjoy It. The cakes are never-fail and I wouldn't use anything else.

Cookbooks, not boks!

Delia’s Frugal Food, The Pauper’s Cookbook by Jocasta Innes, The Penguin Cookery Book by Bee Nilson and Constance Spry’s cookery book.
Now the internet.