Read, cook, eat: our pick of the best cookbooks to buy this Christmas

The Extra Virgin Kitchen By Susan Jane White (Gill & Macmillan, €27.99)

Just the thing for those contemplating a January detox, but more than that, it’s a way of living healthily without taking the joy out of eating. Susan Jane White’s debut is one of the most original releases of the year. Must cook: Those spiralizer courgette noodles, of course. The Natural Food Kitchen By

Jordan Bourke

(Ryland Peters & Small, £16.99) London-based Irish cook, food writer and stylist Jordan Bourke’s books are things of beauty, as well as veering towards healthy eating, but always with a smart, cool cosmopolitan feel.

Must cook:

Pad Thai – a quick and simple flavour bomb.

Persiana By Sabrina Ghayour (Mitchell Beazley, £25

)

This wonderful book of accessible and interesting Persian recipes by young London supper club host and food writer Sabrina Ghayour has won more prizes than perhaps any other this year, including the

Observer

Food Monthly book of the year. Must cook: Chargrilled aubergines with saffron yoghurt, parsley and pickled chillies – Ottolenghi-style, but dare I say it, a bit younger and hipper. My Paris Kitchen By

David Lebovitz

(Ten Speed Press, $35, available from Amazon) One of my favourite books of the year, probably because it’s as good an armchair read as it is a recipe book, and of course it’s about Paris. Ten years on, and the former Chez Panisse pastry cook is as sharp and witty as ever in his pithy observations of life in the French capital.

Must cook

: Chicken with mustard – old-school Parisian and it’s the cover image too.

The Bread Exchange By Malin Elmlid (Chronicle Books, $35)

Another one for those who like a good story to go with their recipes. The author’s idea of bartering with her homemade bread takes her all over the world from San Francisco to Kabul. Beautifully written.

Must cook:

The Bread Exchange sourdough – who knows where it might take you.

A Change of Appetite By Diana Henry (Mitchell Beazley, £25)

An early in the year release date means this might have slipped from your mind if you weren’t among us hard core fans who snapped it up as soon as it was released. Don’t overlook it; it is an exciting, globally influenced collection of light, fresh, highly original, seasonally arranged recipes that are beautifully styled by the author and

Miranda Harvey

and photographed by

Laura Edwards

. My book of the year, no doubt.

Must cook:

Japanese ginger and garlic chicken with smashed cucumber – just because they’re flavours I adore, but you won’t go wrong with any of the recipes here.

The Pleasures of the Table: Rediscovering Theodora FitzGibbon Selected and photographed by Donal Skehan (Gill & Macmillan €24.99)

Whoever decided to team the youthful Donal Skehan with the late Theodora FitzGibbon, food writer for

The IrishTimes

for nearly 20 years, was really on to something. The selection of recipes is well judged, and the photography, while bright and fresh, respects the era in which this great cook was the authority in so many Irish kitchens through her newspaper column and books.

Must cook:

lemon marshmallow cake – light sponge, lemon curd, melted marshmallow and lemon water icing. And why not?

A Year in 120 Recipes By Jack Monroe (Michael Joseph, £24

) Monroe, who shot to fame with her blog, A Girl Called Jack, a searingly honest personal account of feeding herself and her young son on a very limited budget, is back, and she’s in a far happier place. Now a newspaper columnist and food activist, she’s got a bit more cash to spend on ingredients, but her recipes are still grounded and accessible.

Must cook

: kale pesto – a novel and clever way of using the veg du jour.

Jamie’s Comfort Food By Jamie Oliver (Michael Joseph, £30)

Ignore the naysayers, this is a terrific book from the Jamie Oliver book factory production line. His 16th volume is subtitled “100 Ultimate Recipes – Treat The Ones You Love”, and that’s the premise: popular dishes pimped to within an inch of their lives.

Must cook

: Crispy duck lasagne – unusual, rich and indulgent.

Fresh Spice By Arun Kapil (Pavilion, £25)

A hotly anticipated debut from the Green Saffron spice maestro, and it doesn’t disappoint. Under Kapil’s tutelage you’ll learn how to layer building blocks of spice and add zing to every day dishes, not just curries.

Must cook:

Aloo Tikki – fried potato cakes with sizzled tomatoes.