Gransnet forums

Food

Which cookery book have you used most over the years?

(122 Posts)
singingnutty Sun 09-Apr-23 16:35:01

Following posting on the Hot Cross Buns thread, and finding a fellow enthusiast for the Good Housekeeping Cookery Book, I would like to ask GNetters which cookery book they have used most over the years. Loopyloo said she uses the 1957 version of the GH book but, having checked, mine is actually 1972. I suspect the basic recipes are the same - just mine might have a few more exotic ones like Baked Courgettes and Aubergines or Lasagne Al Forno. Some ingredients for these may have been available in cities back in the 50's but probably not easily found elsewhere?

Nannylovesshopping Mon 10-Apr-23 15:43:55

Huge Nigel Slater fan here, have all his books, love them all!

Primrose53 Mon 10-Apr-23 14:27:38

Another one for Marguerite Pattens Every Day Cook book. It dates from 1977 when I got married. I have a whole shelf of cookery books but I nearly always return to this one. The brown cover has broken off the rest of the book and it’s probably twice it’s size because I used to clip recipes from magazines and pop them in.

Auntieflo Mon 10-Apr-23 10:40:40

GH cookery book from my parents Christmas 1958. I had only just met my future DH, so mum was preparing me for doing more than just cookery classes at school.
Also a very old Stork, paperback cookery book, that is falling to pieces. I have to keep it in a plastic bag now.

loopyloo Mon 10-Apr-23 10:30:05

Apologies ! My best of good housekeeping is 1973.
And as a book mark it has an old computer punch card.
How things have changed.

MiniMoon Mon 10-Apr-23 10:20:03

My favourite cookery books are a Cumbria WI book, Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Easy and the Covent Garden Book of Soup. I have a series of Hairy Bikers books which get used now and then.
These days I usually consult the Internet when I need a recipe.

JaneJudge Mon 10-Apr-23 09:29:56

The dairy book of home cookery, some of the recipes were pretty exotic for its time smile

GrannySomerset Mon 10-Apr-23 09:26:22

Good Housekeeping, a wedding present in 1962, augmented by an updated version in the mid-70s, Josceline Dimbleby’s Collection, 1984, and the occasional recipe from Clare Macdonald, Jamie Oliver and Nigel Slater. Cooking for one has made me very lazy indeed.

Redhead56 Mon 10-Apr-23 09:23:07

One of the first I bought Ismail Merchants Indian cookbook bought after watching him on tv about 1986. The Delia cooking compendium I have about seventy cook books vegetarian gluten free vegan. Jewish Polish Asian basically gastronomy from all around the world interests me.
My most expensive Larousse gastronomique I bought it when I did a cookery course. It’s not an easy pick up so I also have Michel Roux Sr sauces cook book I love sauces.

Mamardoit Mon 10-Apr-23 09:09:08

For basic baking it's hard to beat the BeRo book. I have a very old copy and a more modern edition that I laminated. The first cookery books I bought were the three Farmhouse Kitchen books that went with the Yorkshire TV series. Dorothy Sleightholme was the first tv cook I remember watching. Over the years I've made lots of things from those books. I still have all of the Delia Smith and some by Mary Berry, Jamie Oliver and the Hairy Bikers.

Norah Mon 10-Apr-23 08:57:22

Mum's recipes, adapted, and Good Housekeeping for timing and basic ingredient quantities. I'm an instinctive cook, and with the internet can always find interesting 'what's for dinner' ideas to modify.

absent Mon 10-Apr-23 07:30:06

Mostly the ones I wrote myself –at least I know what I am supposed to be doing. However, if you want to cook authentic fabulous Italian food, go for any book by Anna del Conte. A lovely lady and my hero.

Witzend Mon 10-Apr-23 07:29:31

My old GH ‘Cooking for Company’ published IIRC 1970 or 71, which was a present before I was married.
A few years ago it was falling to bits but I found a pristine 2nd hand copy courtesy of abebooks.

I can’t say I’ve used a great many of the recipes but certain pages had become very tatty and almost illegible here and there because of splashes! The Christmas cookery pages especially….

Same applies to the Hamlyn full colour cook book, similar vintage, with a photo of a very young Mary Berry at the front.
The front hardback is now detached from the rest - maybe time to trawl abebooks for a replacement, or else remove the recipes I do use and put in my recipe ring binder.

Whitewavemark2 Mon 10-Apr-23 06:52:10

I have The Good Housekeeping magazine, so a huge amount of my recipes have come from that. I tore them out and filed them over the years, and I had recipes from 1980 through to the present day. Then last year I had a clearance and threw them all away😮. Not sure why.

I use recipes from everywhere and every body. Easiest I think is Mary Berry, so she’s my go to for an easy day. GH can be more complicated, but almost always delicious. Everyone else others have mentioned.

Nannytopsy Mon 10-Apr-23 06:18:15

The Delia complete cookery course, a Christmas present from my in laws circa 1979 and the Marks and Spencer hardback cookery book, a first married Christmas present from DB & SiL in 1978.
Now have lots of books and two lever arch files of recipes from magazines. Like Kitty, I have a few favourites in each book.

NotSpaghetti Mon 10-Apr-23 04:32:07

This is one of the first books that I chose myself - bought in 1976 and still in use.

lixy Sun 09-Apr-23 22:05:23

Delia of course, though now have just her Christmas book. Then Jamie Oliver and Mary Berry. I have various volumes of the River Cottage series that I refer to often, especially for preserving.

My most used book is by the Medicinal Chef Dale Pinnock - at least three meals a week from this one.

aonk Sun 09-Apr-23 21:54:34

Although I cook nearly every day I’m mostly interested in making cakes. Mary Berry has the best recipes and I have most of her books.

Romola Sun 09-Apr-23 20:10:46

I got married in 1965, so it was Good Housekeeping for me. I still use it for traditional recipes like simnel cake, also jam.
My DH had an aunt who gave us Elizabeth David's French Provincial Cooking which was an absolute education and which I still use along with her other books.
In the 70s Sainsbury 's had some good little books by Josceline Dimbleby which ivecstill got. I've also got a copy of Mary Berry's big book, and of course nowadays I look online too

DaffyDill Sun 09-Apr-23 19:56:57

Another one who uses the BE Ro book
It’s a very old brown and cream one
I have a newer one .but always go back to mums book

Grayling1 Sun 09-Apr-23 19:36:41

My mum was a great cook and never used any recipe books and when I married and had my own kitchen I just followed what she had done. However when Delia Smith came on the scene I followed her recipes and I used to buy "Home & Freezer" magazine where I found Mary Berry. My personal favourite is Lady Claire MacDonald and I have a collection of her books which I refer to now and again.

kittylester Sun 09-Apr-23 19:36:33

Apart from the things like Delia, I have dozens on cookery books who I only use for a couple of recipes. Anyone else?

Maggymay Sun 09-Apr-23 19:16:36

Marguerite Patten Everyday Cookbook, I am on my second one the first one was used so much it fell apart.

Blondiescot Sun 09-Apr-23 19:16:21

I have lots of cookery books, and I'm not sure there's any particular one I use more than others. I'm quite an instinctive cook, so I tend to just wing it as I go, except when it comes to baking, which calls for precision - and then I often google a particular recipe. My favourite cookbook is probably Ozlem's Turkish Table by Ozlem Warren, which I use to recreate some of our favourite Turkish dishes.

Galaxy Sun 09-Apr-23 19:15:11

Delia, Jamie and online BBC good food

Blossoming Sun 09-Apr-23 19:10:57

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