Cookbooks

If you have ever dreamed of picking fresh salad leaves for the evening meal, gathering vine-ripened tomatoes or pulling up your own sweet carrots, this is the book for you. Follow in the footsteps of one of Australia's best-loved cooks and food writers as she reveals the secrets of rewarding kitchen gardening. Be encouraged by detailed gardening notes that explain how adults and children alike can plant, grow and harvest 73 different vegetables, herbs and fruit, and try some of the 250 recipes that will transform your fresh produce into delicious meals. Whether you have a large plot in a suburban backyard or a few pots on a balcony, you will find everything you need to get started in this inspiring and eminently useful garden-to-table guide.

Jamie trys real American food and meets the most interesting cooks and producers that the vast country has to offer. His epic journey takes him to the heart of America: its people, culture, music and, most importantly, its food. Along the way Jamie gets his hands dirty — meeting hunters, cowboys, fishermen and local producers — as he finds out about the best (and strangest) ingredients on offer. He's not just sampling, he's involved: entering a gumbo 'throw-down' in Louisiana, fishing in California and sampling bison in Montana as he joins life on a ranch.

As well as being a visually stunning journey Jamie's America is a practical cookbook, with each chapter focusing on the food and recipes of a different state. And the food is as varied as the landscapes — from spicy Mexican in the desert to freshly caught Alaskan salmon. With 120 brand new recipes, and Jamie's diary narrative running alongside, this is a celebratory cookbook of a country with a wide food heritage.

It's hard to imagine a more knowledgeable and inspiring guide to the vibrant world of Thai street food than internationally renowned chef and Thai food expert David Thompson. Join him on a whirlwind tour of the curry shops and stir-fry stalls of Thailand: afloat on the canals of Bangkok, on the streets and in the markets – then try your hand at cooking the fast, fresh, and irresistible food that sustains a nation. With Earl Carter's photo essays of Thai street life and exquisite food photography, Thai Street Food so effectively captures the atmosphere of Thailand's streets and markets — it's as if you were actually there.

David Thompson is widely recognised as an authority on Thai food and culture. Through his previous book, Thai Food, and his acclaimed restaurant in London (nahm was the first Thai restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star), David has increased the awareness and appreciation of authentic Thai cooking worldwide. He lives in Bangkok and London.

“It’s all about the food. Even a fleeting visit to Thailand can leave you in no doubt of this. Thais are obsessed by food, talking and thinking about it, then ordering and eating it. Streets often seem more like busy restaurant corridors than major thoroughfares for traffic.”

Luke Nguyen, of Secrets of the Red Lantern fame, is going home. Travelling on a personal and culinary tour through Vietnam, Luke visits his family and friends, and is invited into the homes of local Vietnamese food experts and cooks, to learn more about one of the richest, most diverse cuisines in the world.

Starting in the northwest of Vietnam, in the villages and hills around Sapa, Luke explores the roots of traditional cooking. Moving south, he travels to the capital, Hanoi, renowned for its French-Vietnamese cuisine. He explores the imperial cooking of Hue, discovers the famed cau lau noodles in Hoi An, and tastes a host of simple seafood dishes of coastal Nha Trang and Quy Nhon, his journey culminating in Saigon, where he is reunited with family.

The Songs of Sapa is a vibrant, visual essay of Luke's journey, the stories and recipes from each region, with stunning photographs bursting with colour and texture, capturing the beauty of Vietnam, her people and their deep connection to food.

Jane Kennedy has long been known for her radio and television career. Something less known is that Jane loves food. Both cooking it and eating it. But Jane can't eat anything she wants to. That's because she gets FAT.

After having five children in six years and trying every fad diet known to man in an attempt to shift excess weight, Jane decided to take matters into her own hands. A lifetime love of cooking, teamed with a refusal to give up the flavours of her favourite meals, led Jane to develop her own dishes that are delicious but also good for you.

In Fabulous Food, she shares the recipes that allowed her to lose weight and feel fantastic: meals for every day in the home, for entertaining, for nights when you couldn't be bothered cooking and just really want takeaway, and even some pretty deceptively delicious desserts. Fabulous Food Minus the Boombah is your new way of cooking — packed full of flavour but minus the boombah!

Welcome to the Hellenic Heart. The taverna is the kitchen table of the village or the street — a place for family and friends to gather; a watering hole; a debating hall; a gambling den, and a café rolled into one.

George Calombaris’ Hellenic Republic restaurant captures that mood and combines it with a menu that champions the full breadth and myriad influences on peasant cuisine across the islands, territories and regions we call Greece. From breakfast rich in yoghurt and Cypriot sausage, move onto plates of tzatziki and peppered figs. Taste the slow cooked pork, moussaka and wash down the saganaki with crisp white wine.

Then sit down with George’s family and taste his Mum’s fabulous authentic recipes that have been handed down through the generations - from Cypriot pies, meat balls and hummus to the tender Afelia that is braised pork and coriander and the fabulous Kolokassi with pork and taro.