Must Read: Cookbooks

Every Wednesday on the Sarah Brett show we hear about some of the best books around.

This week, book blogger Simon Savidge told us about his top five cookery books, and he was joined by his husband, chef Chris Savidge.

They suggested The Roasting Tin, Where the Wild Cooks Go, The Land Where Lemons Grow, The 12 Bakes of Christmas and anything by Nigel Slater!

Have you read any of these books or have another favourite to recommend? Comment below to let us know what you think.

The Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer

Chris said: "The recipes in these books are just a joy - putting the ingredients into a tray then straight into the oven is so simple. My only complaint about the books is that they've made me go out and buy new roasting tins because you need a beautiful roasting tin to go straight to the table.

"Our favourite dish is the baked feta - I find that feta from the shop is like tile grout. But feta when it's been baked becomes this white fluffy cloud floating over a Greek island. It's salty and zesty with a lovely flavour.

"Until this book came along, Simon only had one dish in his repertoire, it consisted of eggs baked in cream, then covered in cheese then more cream, put it in the oven for a couple of hours then serve with a salad to be healthy!"

Simon said: "We use all three of the roasting tin books religiously. Chris is obviously the cook in our household but a while ago my mum and stepdad came to visit and I was left to make the food. I made three courses from the roasting tin books and Mum said it was really good!

"What I really love about this book is how there's a picture for every recipe. I don't trust cookbooks without pictures!"

Where the Wild Cooks Go by Cerys Matthews

Simon said: "This isn't just a cookbook, it's Cerys' travel memoir where she takes you on a journey around the world. She weaves in folklore, her own personal stories and fascinating facts. 

"The idea of the book is to immerse yourself in it - there is a Spotify playlist to accompany the book so you can listen to the right music when you cook.

"My favourite recipe in the book is 'death by chocolate' which is the most amazing cocktail I've ever had."

Chris said: "The top recipe in there for us is the Welsh cawl, which is a lovely warming broth, akin to a stew.

"You can do most of the recipes with or without meat which is brilliant."

The Land Where Lemons Grow by Helena Ramsay

Simon said: "I bought this for Chris when we went to Sicily with my family this year because he's a real nightmare to get to read anything. He devoured this book then promptly made marmalade in the villa!

Chris said: "This is a bit like Cerys' book where it's not really a cook book, it's a historical book about Italy, told through a history of citrus fruit. It's a lovely, engaging book full of amazing stories, great facts and recipes.

"We were sitting in this house in Sicily with an orchard of lemon trees and I just went picking lemons and made marmalade and limoncello.

"You wouldn't believe there are so many amazing things about lemons, but there are!"

Various books by Nigel Slater

Simon said: "We really wanted to put all of Nigel Slater's books in as a recommendation. He has his Greenfeast series of books out which are utterly stunning. The books are cloth-bound and beautiful and they follow you through the seasons of the year.

"Nigel also has his Christmas Chronicles which are full of his memories of Christmas. They have folklore, stories and all the proper Christmas food. The book starts with Bonfire Night food and follows you through the festive period.

"Also his memoir 'Toast' is brilliant. We went to the live reading and we got fed the whole way through - there was a jam tart on all the chairs when we got there - what more could anybody want?!"

Chris said: "There's something about Nigel Slater that just makes you feel warm and cosy, he's instantly amiable and friendly. 

"You don't normally read cookbooks from start to finish, but you can do that with Christmas Chronicles."

The 12 Bakes of Christmas by John Whaite

Simon said: "John Whaite, 2012 Great British Bake Off winner, has released an e-book with 12 recipes to raise money for LGBT homeless people.

"It's the 12 Bakes of Christmas and you can choose how much you donate in order to get this book. Because it's a charity e-book, you have to download it instantly because the link you buy stops working after 24 hours."

Chris said: "We met John after he won the Bake Off, he's been on an incredible journey since then and has an amazing cookery school in Lancashire.

"He does a pavlova trifle... a combination of my two favourite deserts. Imagine a giant pavlova filled with trifle!"