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August is proving to be a bumper month for food books. Here’s a selection of the best ones to get stuck into this summer, from chef memoirs and recipes, to local initiatives.
Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger
Lisa Donovan
Renowned southern pastry chef Lisa Donovan presents her memoir of cooking, survival, and the incredible power in reclaiming the stories of women. Donovan helped establish some of the South’s most important kitchens, and her pastry work is at the forefront of a resurgence in traditional desserts. Yet she struggled to make a living in an industry where male chefs built successful careers on the stories, recipes, and culinary heritage passed down from generations of female cooks and cooks of colour. This remarkable book tells her story as she reclaims the acclaim she is entitled to.
Childfood - Recipes for Young Coolinary Explorers
Childfood - Recipes for Young Coolinary Explorers, available exclusively on the Kickstarter platform, brings together 23 of the world's best chefs, now known as the 'Coolinary Explorers'. Each of them offers a recipe that consists of an adventure throughout the history of cooking, in which the main actors are the children. Chefs included in the project are Andoni Luis Aduriz, Massimo Bottura, Dominique Crenn, Gaggan Anand, Virgilio Martínez and many, many more.
It was conceived as a solidarity project in collaboration with the international projects Charity: Water and Share The Meal World Food Program. In this sense, every 5 sales of this book leads to guaranteeing access to drinking water for a child in a vulnerable situation.
With Love, Beyond 21 Virtual Cookbook
On 10 August, Beyond 21 release their virtual cook book, With Love, Beyond 21, involving local businesses, artisans, restaurants, food trucks, and 'celebrity' recipes. Over 60 delicious recipes have been included in the cookbook and range from drinks, soups, salads, appetisers, main dishes and desserts.
A Table for Friends: The Art of Cooking for Two or Twenty
Skye McAlpine
Over 100 simple and wonderfully inviting recipes that allow you to relax with your loved ones while the cooking takes care of itself.
Drawing on years of cooking for more people than it ever seemed possible to squeeze into her kitchen, Sunday Times columnist and cookery author Skye McAlpine shares the secrets to her stylish and relaxed way of hosting, setting you up for success whether you're cooking for two or twenty.
The Official F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Cookbook
With the New York comedy enjoying its second wind at the moment, fans of the show can get their hands on the official show cookbook. Due to be released next month by publishers Simon & Schuster, it is believed to be the first official cookbook (since there have been many other unofficial versions in the past). It has been written by chef Amanda Yee and includes iconic recipes for ‘Just for Joey Fries’ to Chandler’s ‘Milk You Can Chew’, and Janice’s ‘Oh. My. Gawd’ pancakes and Ross’ 'Mist Maker' turkey sandwich.
Foster Farms – Loves & Fishes
The beloved Loaves & Fishes cookshop on Long Island’s East End pays tribute to local farms and seasonal produce in what will be an eventual 12-volume set of smart, stylish, handsomely photographed clothbound books.
Loaves & Fishes proprietor Sybille van Kempen—who opened the original store alongside her mother, the legendary Anna Pump—worked with local chef Licia Kassim Householder to showcase wonderful things to prepare using berries, tomatoes, summer squash, radishes, peppers, and ginger.
John Burton-Race: The Man, The Magic and The Mayhem
Michael Cowton
In a new biography of flamboyant Michelin-star chef and TV personality John Burton-Race, the chef talks for the first time about the bad boy antics which led to the break-up of his second marriage, including his infamous stint on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! The book is a fascinating account of everything, from his early years in late 1950s Singapore, to working under renowned chef Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, going on to open his own restaurant, L’Ortolan in Berkshire.
