Category: Recent picks

Our picks of the new material in different subject areas. Find your next read! See also our full lists of what’s new, and our other lists that feature a mix of old and new material.

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Don’t spend all day cooking: New recipe books

Rachel

Cooking over summer should be fast, easy and delicious, making sure there is still plenty of time left to sit back and enjoy the warm evenings. Here are some the latest cookbooks released this month to make meals quick and stress free this summer.

The plain cake appreciation society / Pamment, Tilly
“Welcome to The Plain Cake Appreciation Society. Where 52 simple, seasonal cake recipes inspire you to pause throughout the year, bake something delicious, and reflect on all that’s good in your world.  Find your own slice of joy in the Weekday Lemon Cake or Raspberry-studded Tea Bars at the height of a breezy summer, or the Rainy Day Chocolate Loaf and Ginger and Rose Madeleines for when the weather sets in. Uncomplicated and easy to make, these recipes will provide delicious inspiration all year round.” (Catalogue)

Classic : a timeless recipe collection / Goodwin, Julie
“Author, presenter, MasterChef, mum and nan – Julie Goodwin is also Australia’s most trusted home cook. In this ‘best of’ collection she shares tried and trusted recipes you’ll want to make again and again for your own family and friends. With comfort food, hearty family feasts, quick mid-week meals and the bakes and treats she is known for, as well as celebration show stoppers and an indispensable collection of condiments and sauces, this is classic Julie Goodwin at her best.” (Catalogue)

Do yourself a flavour : 75 easy recipes to feed yourself, your flatmates and your freezer / Freeborn, Fliss
“If you’re a young(ish) person who wants to expand their kitchen repertoire beyond pesto-pasta and beans on toast, then you’re in luck. Do Yourself a Flavour is full of ways to take your cooking to the next level. Brimming with over 75 recipes, plus tips and tricks for turning leftovers into fabulous meals in their own right, you’ll be covered for all situations, from those quick fridge-to-face moments, through to making a delicious dinner to feed your plant-based pals and raging carnivores alike.” (Catalogue)

Rick Stein’s simple suppers / Stein, Rick
“From bestselling cook and food writer Rick Stein, comes the iconic Simple Suppers – a joyful collection of over 100 genuinely easy and delicious recipes paired with stories that celebrate the simple things in life.” (Catalogue)

Mary makes it easy : the new ultimate stress-free cookbook / Berry, Mary
“In this brand-new collection of 120 recipes, Mary shares her tips and tricks to make home cooking stress-free, easy and – of course – delicious. Divided into clear chapters, featuring one-pot recipes and 5-ingredient meals, easy bakes and desserts as well as prep-ahead and store cupboard favourites, this book contains fuss-free, crowd-pleasing food that everyone will enjoy. Each recipe is beautifully photographed and accompanied by no-fuss tips and advice on preparing ahead and freezing. ” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Jeremy Pang’s simple family feasts / Pang, Jeremy
“Easy feasting is back on the menu with this new collection from TV’s Jeremy Pang. Bringing together the best flavours from across East and South East Asia, Jeremy Pang’s Simple Family Feasts includes more than 80 irresistible recipes for the whole family to enjoy. Nine of the ten chapters in the book are dedicated to a different country in East and South East Asia, each one offering a range of dishes inspired by that particular cuisine.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Modern Chinese : 70+ easy, everyday recipes from the winner of MasterChef NZ / Low, Sam
“Sam Low demystifies modern Chinese cooking with a collection of accessible, simple recipes that can be cooked with ingredients from the supermarket. He describes in detail how to build your pantry of classic Chinese ingredients, setting the foundation for cooking. Having grown up in a diasporic Chinese household, Sam creates recipes with a unique take on nostalgic traditional classics, while adding a new narrative to what it means to cook modern Chinese.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Air fryer magic : 75 easy recipes for frying, roasting, & baking
“In this ultimate cookbook, the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen shows just how versatile air fryers can be with dozens of tested, perfect recipes for delicious mains, easy appetizers and sides, decadent desserts and super-fast breakfasts. Plus, the experts share their lab-testing notes about which type of air fryer to buy, the best ways to clean and maintain your machine, as well as top-tested tools and techniques for successful air frying (psst…make sure to not crowd the basket!).” (Catalogue)

Good food fast: Latest cookbooks

Rachel

The month of March can sometimes feel like a busy one. Autumn is here, the universities have started back, and the evenings are slowly getting darker. This selection of new cookbooks share the same theme; quick, easy and delicious. There’s a new recipe to try for everyone in our collection!

Is this a cookbook? : adventures in the kitchen / Blumenthal, Heston
“Well, it’s full of Heston’s typically brilliant, delicious and inventive recipes. Every recipe is simple, straightforward and totally do-able. This is Heston at his most accessible. But there’s so much more. Each of the 70 recipes is accompanied by Heston’s thoughts, stories, insights and hacks, turning each cooking session into a journey that will excite and inspire and reveal a whole world of culinary possibilities and fresh perspectives. It’s the next best thing to having Heston as your sous-chef. So why not get in the kitchen and have an adventure?” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Good food fast : delicious recipes that won’t waste your time / Jonzen, Emily
“Discover over 80 simple recipes that can be thrown together in a flash, from speedy mid-week meals to relaxed weekend feasts for friends. Most can be on the table in 30 minutes tops.”–Back cover.” (Catalogue)

 

Real life recipes : fantastic fuss-free food / Kerridge, Tom
“The ultimate cookbook for simple everyday recipes that fit your needs and won’t break the bank.” (Catalogue)

 

 

 

The edgy veg : easy eats : quick, tasty, vegan / Hutchings, Candice
“In her follow-up to the bestselling The Edgy Veg: 138 Carnivore-Approved Vegan Recipes, Candice Hutchings, returns with Edgy Veg Easy Eats, a collection of brand new recipes that don’t sacrifice creativity or bold flavour for ease or time. In these delicious pages, you will find vegan food built differently.   Flip open to any page, and each recipe will take you no longer than 45 minutes to make, while never compromising your need for great taste. No more backbreaking, long-haul, wallet-robbing treks to the fancy health food store for you. In no time at all you will be serving up dinner with an attitude and a cheeky side.”– Provided by publisher.” (Adapted by Catalogue)

Pimp your air fryer / Grigg, Jake
“Pimp Your Air Fryer goes against what you think a cookbook is. Written by Jake Grigg, aka the Air Fryer Guy, it is a recipe book that is not only fun and light-hearted, but one that promotes creativity and challenges the fundamentals of cooking. The Air Fryer Guy is a TikTok and Instagram sensation. His videos went viral after he started making wacky recipes in his air fryer.  So, if you have just bought an air fryer and you are still learning the tricks of the trade, or if you are an air fryer OG and looking for some next-level hacks and creativity, this is the book for you!”–Publisher’s description.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Fool proof veggie one-pot : 60 vibrant and easy-going vegetarian dishes / Rosenthal, Alan
“Celebrate the essence and simplicity of one-pot cooking with everything from creamy pastas and risottos to fragrant curries and stir-fries, with 60 delicious and modern vegetarian recipes that are full of flavour”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

 

Go-to dinners : make ahead, freeze ahead, prep ahead, easy, assembled / Garten, Ina
“Cooking during the pandemic inspired Garten to rethink the way she approached dinner. Here she shares strategies for making delicious, satisfying, and uncomplicated dinners. Many of the recipes are freeze-ahead, make-ahead, prep-ahead, or simply assembled from leftovers from another dinner. She even shows you how to assemble amazing boards using store-bought ingredients! — adapted from front flap” (Catalogue)

Sweet treats and drinks: Recent cookbooks

Rachel

February may be the last month of summer, but there’s still time to sit outside and enjoy the warmer temperatures with a delicious snack! Here is a small selection of some of the new food and drink books on our shelves now — try out your baking skills and create something delicious, or add a drink to go with your sweat treat. We hope you find new recipes to enjoy below while the warm weather lasts!

Simply vegan baking : taking the faff out of vegan cakes, cookies, breads and desserts / Cox, Freya
“70 fun and accessible recipes for all your favourite classic bakes made vegan – from Great British Bake Off‘s young vegan star, Freya Cox.  Try any of the 70 reassuringly familiar recipes and you’ll be amazed that they’re so effortlessly vegan.  Recipes include: salted caramel cupcakes; carrot cake; triple chocolate cookies; cinnamon rolls; white chocolate and raspberry blondies; banoffee pie slices; lemon meringue pie; black forest gateau.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

What’s for dessert : simple recipes for dessert people / Saffitz, Claire
“What’s for Dessert includes lots of make-ahead, no bake, and simple stove top desserts, while still combining Claire’s trademark of dependable recipes with wow-factor ingredient combinations to create show stopping and viral-worthy recipes. Filled with a variety of recipes, including chilled and frozen desserts, easy cakes, pies, tarts, galettes, cobblers, and crisps, soufflés, stirred custards, and bars, cookies and candy.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Celebrate! : bake every day special / Dunn, Jane
“100 simple recipes to make every day a celebration, from […] bestselling author Jane Dunn, the blogger and baker behind Jane’s Patisserie. Celebrate! is packed with simple bakes, mouth-watering flavours and moreish treats that will make every day special. Good things come to those who bake!” (Catalogue)

The great British bake off : favourite flavours
“A feast for both the eyes and the taste buds, these flavourful bakes will leave you inspired to mix and match different combinations, or to indulge yourself with some classic tastes and textures. Whether you’re looking for a tart blackcurrant millefeuille, a fresh passion fruit trifle, a sticky ginger treacle tart or a rich chocolate and speculoos cake – Paul, Prue, the Bake Off team and the 2022 bakers are here to show you how to get the perfect result. From earthy to spicy, and from tangy to creamy, this book showcases how to bring out the very best flavours in whatever you create.” (Catalogue)

Mocktails, cordials, syrups, infusions and more : over 80 delicious recipes for alcohol-free drinks
“It’s time to reclaim alcohol-free drinks from the bland and the boring, and instead elevate the cordials, infusions, syrups and mocktails to unprecedented heights of deliciousness.” (Catalogue)

60-second cocktails : amazing drinks to make at home in a minute / Harrison, Joel
“60-Second Cocktails: Amazing Drinks to Make At Home in a Minute is the latest book from award-winning drinks writers and TV presenters Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley. These simple-yet-delicious cocktails are divided into three chapters: ‘No Shake, Sherlock’ – the easiest to make, requiring little or no preparation, and using standard spirits and mixers; ‘Shake It Up’ – slightly more complex concoctions that need a quick shake or stir; and ‘Magnificent Mixes’ – special drinks for the more decadent drinking occasions which require a little more prep, or an unusual ingredient here and there.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

How to make the best coffee at home / Hoffmann, James
“The author demonstrates everything you need to know to make consistently excellent coffee at home, including: what equipment is worth buying, and what isn’t; how to grind coffee; the basics of brewing for all major equipment (cafetiere, aeropress, stovetop etc); understanding coffee drinks, from the cortado to latte and the perfect espresso.” (Catalogue)

The curious bartender : in pursuit of liquid perfection : recipes for the finest cocktails / Stephenson, Tristan
“The Curious Bartender: In Pursuit of Liquid Perfection is the sixth book by master mixologist, spirits entrepreneur, award-winning bar owner and bestselling author Tristan Stephenson. Tristan’s back to shake up the cocktail world once more, crafting classic cocktails and offering his signature reinventions using his world-renowned mixology skills.” (Catalogue)