Mrs M's most loved cookbooks...

I'm a self-confessed cookbook addict, I have somewhere in the region of 300, maybe nearer 350, I'm not sure it's a long time since I counted (I keep meaning to write a list, maybe I'll do that this week.) but I do find I tend to turn to some old favourites time and time again and I thought I'd share those with you here.

I bought Gino's Pasta purely based on some reviews I read, as you can see on Amazon, it has great reviews. I'd never bought a Gino D'Acampo book before but I was looking for a pasta book hoping to find some thing different to do rather than the usual bolognese/carbonara regime and I was immensely pleased with this book and I've since bought a couple more of his books. There's still so much I want to try out of this book and the recipes I have made have become family favourites.

It was hard picking a single Jamie Oliver book as I've used them all quite a lot. I like Jamie's recipes and whilst some have needed a bit of tweaking, I've enjoyed everything I've tried. Ministry of Food seems to be a bit of a marmite book. Some people are a bit snobby about it claiming it's amateurish but that's the point of it I think? Anyhow I've could many things that I've truly loved from this book - the fajitas are a firm favourite.

I have all of Nigella's books (apart from the last one, there was something that didn't quite appeal) but Feast is probably my favourite, aside from Nigella Christmas but as a seasonal book I didn't think that warranted a place on my list. I don't cook a lot from Nigella recipes as they tend to be laden with fat and calories and I have enough of those going on already but think Feast is a modern classic. 

I've been a Mary Berry fan way before her currently popularity came about and her book Mary Berry Complete Cookbook is a must-have I think for all households. I think my mum bought me this one in the early 2000's. The recipes are simple and easy-to-follow and are good for both beginners and more experienced cooks.

Who doesn't love the Hairy Bikers? The Hairy Bikers Family Cookbook: Mums Know Best has been used lots in our house and I'm just exploring Mums Still Know Best. Traditional, down-to-earth food.

I know it's quite controversial to not have a Delia on this list but whilst I own quite a few of her books, I never use them. The recipes always seem too long and faffy. Sorry Delia! Another notable omission but one that deserves a mention are the Good Housekeeping cookbooks. I grew up using one of these as it was the only cookbook in the house and I now have several editions from over the decades but I do find I rarely pull these off the shelf these days. Maybe it's time to go back to my roots! 

I'd love to hear about your most loved cookbooks? Leave me a comment and let me know.