Fans pick 89 books like Food In England

By Dorothy Hartley,

Here are 89 books that Food In England fans have personally recommended if you like Food In England. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of A Book of Middle Eastern Food

Elisabeth Luard Author Of European Peasant Cookery

From my list on cookbooks published at moments of change.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a home cook, not a restaurant chef. I add a pinch of this and splash of that. As a chronicler of other people's culinary habits, I need to understand why we cook the way we do. At its simplest and most basic, what goes into the ancestral cooking-pot depends on who we are, where we live, and where we come from. Which is why whenever we want to remind ourselves who we are, we look for traditional recipes in culinary bibles produced at moments of change. I was born at a moment of change myself, in bombed-out London in 1941, at the height of the Blitz.  

Elisabeth's book list on cookbooks published at moments of change

Elisabeth Luard Why did Elisabeth love this book?

After President Nasser expelled her family along with most of Egypt's Jewish population in the 1950s, young Claudia Douek, art student in London, began to collect memories and family recipes from her fellow refugees.

The subtext is what it means to be a woman - young or old - obliged to create a new life in an alien land. I once asked Claudia why it is that so many cookery writers are of Jewish descent (as am I): "Simple. We need to remember who we are." 

A stylish writer with an artist's eye who's also a serious historian, Middle Eastern is the book I treasure not only for culinary inspiration (authenticity guaranteed), but for the accuracy and accessibility of her beautiful prose. 

By Claudia Roden, Alta Ann Parkins (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Book of Middle Eastern Food as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

More than 500 recipes from the subtle, spicy, varied cuisines of the Middle East, ranging from inexpensive but tasty peasant fare to elaborate banquet dishes.


Book cover of Traditional Portuguese Cooking

Elisabeth Luard Author Of European Peasant Cookery

From my list on cookbooks published at moments of change.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a home cook, not a restaurant chef. I add a pinch of this and splash of that. As a chronicler of other people's culinary habits, I need to understand why we cook the way we do. At its simplest and most basic, what goes into the ancestral cooking-pot depends on who we are, where we live, and where we come from. Which is why whenever we want to remind ourselves who we are, we look for traditional recipes in culinary bibles produced at moments of change. I was born at a moment of change myself, in bombed-out London in 1941, at the height of the Blitz.  

Elisabeth's book list on cookbooks published at moments of change

Elisabeth Luard Why did Elisabeth love this book?

When Maria Lourdes, a popular tv chef, invited her audience to send in their household recipes, the response - at a time of political turmoil after the death of Portugal's dictator, Salazar, in 1968 - was overwhelming.

A fragile democracy and proposed membership of the European Union led to fears that the nation would lose its identity. Portugal's geography has led to historical isolation from her neighbours: on the one hand, a stormy Atlantic coastline, on the other a barren, mountainous interior. 

Portuguese housewives have always known how to make the best of what was available: out of some 8,000 contributions, half were for a left-over bread-dish, açorda, never found in restaurants. As a sea-going nation with strong culinary ties to her former colony, Brazil, Portuguese cuisine is surprisingly exotic.

By Maria de Lourdes Modesto,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Traditional Portuguese Cooking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Long before Jamie Oliver became the darling of British food or Julia Child was the most famous culinary presenter on American television, Portuguese cook Maria de Lourdes Modesto was making waves with the most popular live cooking show ever to be shown on national TV and which ruled the airwaves for 12 years (since 1958). Over her prolific career, Maria de Lourdes Modesto has published a number of cookbooks, such as her most acclaimed work – A Cozinha Tradicional Portuguesa (Verbo). The result of exhaustive research that lasted over 20 years, this bible of Portuguese cuisine enjoyed the precious assistance…


Book cover of The Talisman Italian Cookbook

Elisabeth Luard Author Of European Peasant Cookery

From my list on cookbooks published at moments of change.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a home cook, not a restaurant chef. I add a pinch of this and splash of that. As a chronicler of other people's culinary habits, I need to understand why we cook the way we do. At its simplest and most basic, what goes into the ancestral cooking-pot depends on who we are, where we live, and where we come from. Which is why whenever we want to remind ourselves who we are, we look for traditional recipes in culinary bibles produced at moments of change. I was born at a moment of change myself, in bombed-out London in 1941, at the height of the Blitz.  

Elisabeth's book list on cookbooks published at moments of change

Elisabeth Luard Why did Elisabeth love this book?

Ada Boni's culinary bible, Il talismano della felicità, first saw the light of day in 1928, six years after Benito Mussolini had succeeded in uniting Italy's quarrelsome regions under the banner of fascism.

Specifically targeted at the nation's housewives - ordinary folk on whose support El Duce rose to power in 1922 - this collection of nearly a thousand simple, practical traditional recipes for regional dishes became the dictator's favourite cookbook, as it did for generations of Italian women (still does). 

I first came across it on an Italian friend's recommendation while researching European Peasant Cookery and attempting to unravel the complicated traditions of a land that remains as fiercely partisan in the kitchen now as then. 

By Ada Boni, Matilde La Rosa (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Talisman Italian Cookbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Il Talismano is and has been for over 50 years the one great standard Italian cookbook. It is to Italians what Joy of Cooking is to Americans. Containing in simple and clear form the best recipes for all the foods that we associate with Italian cuisine, it covers all the regional variations of Italian cooking: Milanese, Bolognese, Venetian, Neapolitan, Sicilian, Veronese, and Florentine.

Appetizers range from the simply elegant, like Cantaloupe and Prosciutto and Artichoke Hearts in Olive Oil, to the sublime, like Tunnied Veal and Crostini of Mozzarella and Anchovies. Soups include Stracciatella, Fish Brodetto Rimini Style, and Tuscan…


Book cover of Catalan Cuisine

Elisabeth Luard Author Of European Peasant Cookery

From my list on cookbooks published at moments of change.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a home cook, not a restaurant chef. I add a pinch of this and splash of that. As a chronicler of other people's culinary habits, I need to understand why we cook the way we do. At its simplest and most basic, what goes into the ancestral cooking-pot depends on who we are, where we live, and where we come from. Which is why whenever we want to remind ourselves who we are, we look for traditional recipes in culinary bibles produced at moments of change. I was born at a moment of change myself, in bombed-out London in 1941, at the height of the Blitz.  

Elisabeth's book list on cookbooks published at moments of change

Elisabeth Luard Why did Elisabeth love this book?

Unusually for a non-native cookery writer - and particularly so for the Catalans - this encyclopedic work by one of the US's most distinguished scholar cooks has become the go-to in restaurant kitchens throughout Spain's least-conformist region.

Publication in the Catalan language of its predecessor, Josep LLadonosa's El Gran Libro de la Cuina Catalana in 1992 (translated into Spanish, but not into English) was only possible after the demise of General Franco ended a fifty-year dictatorship that followed a particularly bloody civil war.

In spite of all efforts by Spain's central government to suppress Catalunia's language and culture, her spirit lived on - not least in a very distinctive culinary habit. It's no surprise that the iconoclastic genius of Ferran Adria surfaced in the land of Guadi and Dali. And no accident that Spain's gastronomic revolution started in Barcelona.  

By Colman Andrews,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Catalan Cuisine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Catalonia, located in Spain's far north-east corner and centred around the port of Barcelona, has its own cuisine and culture which has spread to encompass Valencia, the Balearic Islands (Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza), Andorra, the ancient region of France formerly known as Roussilon, and a single city on the Italian island of Sardinia. Colman Andrews explores this whole territory of Catalan cooking, from its French, Roman and Moorish roots to today's modern interpretation. Along the way he creates a portrait of the food, wine, history and culture of the region.


Book cover of The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook

Gina Meyers Author Of From Muggles to Magic: The Complete Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook

From my list on cookbooks for kids and parents.

Why am I passionate about this?

Gina Meyers is well known for her popular culture television trivia and cooking expertise books related to Harry Potter, Twilight, and the iconic television show Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. Gina's Love At First Bite, The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook was featured on the NBC hit show, The Office. Gina's goal is to reignite the spark of imagination and creativity in the kitchen, introducing youth, teens, and fans of magical sitcoms to the culinary arts.

Gina's book list on cookbooks for kids and parents

Gina Meyers Why did Gina love this book?

With this cookbook, dining a la Hogwarts is as easy as delicious. If you are looking for a unique themed cookbook and want a lot of British-inspired recipes, look no further. With more than 150 easy-to-make recipes, tips, and techniques, you can indulge in spellbinding meals drawn straight from the pages of your favorite Potter stories.

By Dinah Bucholz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Synopsis coming soon.......


Book cover of The Unofficial Hogwarts For The Holidays Cookbook: Pumpkin Pasties, Treacle Tart, and Many More Spellbinding Treats

Bridget Thoreson Author Of The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook For Kids: 50 Fun and Easy Recipes for Tricks, Treats, and Spooky Eats Inspired by the Halloween Classic

From my list on pop culture cookbooks for fans of just about anything.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a writer based in Brooklyn, NY. My books include The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook, XOXO: A Cocktail Book, and consulting for Are You My Wine? Clearly, I am very interested in drinking, eating, and pop culture. When we started talking about a follow-up project for The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook, my mind first went to my daughter Beatrice. I was excited for the day when she could watch the movie with me and share a part of my own life as a kid. I knew that many other millennial parents probably felt the same way, and so I knew I wanted to do a book that would enhance that experience. 

Bridget's book list on pop culture cookbooks for fans of just about anything

Bridget Thoreson Why did Bridget love this book?

Food might not be the first thing you think of when you think about the Harry Potter series, and it really doesn’t star that much in the films. But if you read the books, every school year starts out with a detailed description of the start of term feast, and throughout the year, every holiday and celebration is marked by another feast chock-full of pumpkin juice, treacle tart, puddings, bouillabaisse, and more.

This cookbook shows you how to make all of the wizarding world’s favorite dishes, and it is perfect if you love the books or films. It is a great way to relive and celebrate your favorite moments of these incredible stories.

By Rita Mock Pike,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Unofficial Hogwarts For The Holidays Cookbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Make every day a spell-tacular celebration with the cookbook mugglenet.com calls "beautiful, well-laid out, and easy to read" andfeatures "a large variety of recipes – something for every event".

What better way to celebrate than by whipping up a magically delicious meal in your kitchen? From sumptuous fall and winter feasts to delectable desserts and tea-time treats, this book has all of your holidays and special occasions covered, with an extra magical twist. Celebrate in true wizard style with recipes like:

- Pumpkin Pasties
- Cauldron Cakes
- Roast Beef
- Yorkshire Pudding
- Chocolate Gateau
- Bath Buns
-…


Book cover of Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger

William Lee Adams Author Of Wild Dances: My Queer and Curious Journey to Eurovision

From my list on surviving dysfunctional families.

Why am I passionate about this?

I sometimes joke that the greatest gift my parents gave me was a troubled childhood. Difficult circumstances taught me about patience and gave me the grit to persevere. My mother’s mood swings and my brother’s violent outbursts turned me into a shrewd observer of people and their unpredictable behavior. That led me to study psychology at Harvard, where so much research seemed to boil down to one goal: giving people context to understand why they act and behave in particular ways. As a journalist who has interviewed thousands of people across dozens of countries, the theme of family – and how we sometimes have to overcome them – remains as salient as ever.

William's book list on surviving dysfunctional families

William Lee Adams Why did William love this book?

Nigel Slater was already one of the U.K.’s most celebrated chefs when he released his memoir Toast in 2003.

When I read it more than a decade later, it was like diving into a prequel to his many cookbooks, columns, and TV shows that I’d followed for years. The book is hilarious and heartbreaking. It beautifully illustrates how interests and passions can save people from unhappy childhoods and toxic people, like his coarse stepmother and distant father, both of whom are vividly drawn.

As a memoirist, I took inspiration from his narrative arch and how he persevered. The darkness and isolation of my own childhood is what prepared me to embrace the glitz and glamour of Eurovision. 

By Nigel Slater,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Toast as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

TOAST is top food writer Nigel Slater's eat-and-tell autobiography. Detailing all the food, recipes and cooking that have marked his passage from greedy schoolboy to great food writer. In December 2010 the BBC will bring out a film of Toast starring Helena Bonham-Carter and directed by Lee Hall, who won an oscar nomination for Billy Elliot.

Britain's most popular cook describes his personal culinary odyssey, from dangerous encounters with his mother's weevil-seasoned cakes to being harangued by readers who think he deliberately styles Yorkshire puddings to look like a woman's private parts.

Hilarious, irreverent and mouthwatering, TOAST captures thirty years…


Book cover of The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy

Jenny Linford Author Of The Missing Ingredient: The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavour

From my list on that help us explore the world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a food writer who has long been interested in seeing food in its cultural, historical, and social context. Food is too often put in a neat little box, whereas actually it offers a fascinating prism through which to explore the world. Researching and writing The Missing Ingredient – in which I explore the role of time as the universal, invisible ‘ingredient’ in the food we grow, make, and cook brought this home to me.

Jenny's book list on that help us explore the world

Jenny Linford Why did Jenny love this book?

First published in 1747, this cookbook was a bestseller of its day. One of the things I love about it is the way that Hannah Glasse’s forthright voice leaps off the page across the centuries. Aimed at servants, she begins by explaining that she has not written ‘in the high, polite stile’, but instead written it clearly in terms that can be easily understood by her audience. She is scathing about the extravagant tricks that fashionable French cooks resort to: ‘I have heard of a cook that used six pounds of butter to fry twelve eggs, when everybody knows, that understands cooking, that half a pound is full enough, or more than need be used. But then it would not be French.’ In its approach to ingredients, its language, its recipes, this is a wonderful glimpse into the past.

By Hannah Glasse,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first American edition of this staple of the American household during the Revolutionary War. How to market. How to roast and broil and fry. Gravies, sauces, hashes, fricassees, ragouts.


Book cover of Martha Lloyd's Household Book: The Original Manuscript from Jane Austen's Kitchen

Roy Adkins Author Of Eavesdropping on Jane Austen’s England: How Our Ancestors Lived Two Centuries Ago

From my list on Jane Austen.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was brought up in Maidenhead in Berkshire, a town on the River Thames to the west of London. After studying archaeology at University College, Cardiff, I worked for many years as a field archaeologist. I met my wife, Lesley, on an excavation at Milton Keynes, and we have worked together ever since, both in archaeology and as authors of archaeology and history books. It was only after studying the Napoleonic period, which was when Jane Austen lived and wrote, that I understood the context of her novels and came to a much deeper appreciation of them.

Roy's book list on Jane Austen

Roy Adkins Why did Roy love this book?

Martha Lloyd was a close friend of Jane Austen and a relative by marriage. She lived with the Austen family at Chawton in Hampshire when Jane was there with her mother and sister, and much later Martha married Jane’s widowed brother, Francis. Her household book shows us the recipes and homemade medical remedies that they used at that time. This book has a facsimile of the original manuscript, along with various notes, as well as a section on Martha Lloyd that is the best available summary of her life.

By Julienne Gehrer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Martha Lloyd's Household Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is the first facsimile publication of 'Martha Lloyd's Household Book', the manuscript cookbook of Jane Austen's closest friend. Martha's notebook is reproduced in a colour facsimile section with complete transcription and detailed annotation. Introductory chapters discuss its place among other household books of the eighteenth century.

Martha Lloyd befriended a young Jane Austen and later lived with Jane, her sister Cassandra and their mother at the cottage in Chawton, Hampshire, where Jane wrote or revised her novels. Martha later married into the Austen family. Her collection features recipes and remedies handwritten during a period of over thirty years and…


Book cover of Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book: Elizabethan Country House Cooking

Lizzie Collingham Author Of The Hungry Empire: How Britain's Quest for Food Shaped the Modern World

From my list on food and history.

Why am I passionate about this?

I first became interested in food when I was researching my PhD on the use of the body as an instrument of rule in British India. The British in India developed a language of food to demonstrate their power and status. I discovered that food is a rich subject for the historian as it carries a multitude of stories. I have since written five more books exploring these complex stories, always interested in connecting the broad sweep of historical processes to the more intimate level of everyday life and the connections between the food world of the past with the food world of the present.

Lizzie's book list on food and history

Lizzie Collingham Why did Lizzie love this book?

In among the diaries and photographs, medal collections, old-fashioned games and mother of pearl counters that Hilary Spurling helped her husband clear from a great-aunt’s London house in the 1970s, she found the seventeenth-century, leather-bound manuscript cookbook of Lady Elinor Fettiplace. Lady Elinor lived with her husband in Appleton manor a few miles south-west of Oxford from 1589 until her death in 1647. The book is one of very few manuscript cookbooks to have survived from this time and from the marginal annotations noting timings and quantities, as well as extra ingredients, it is clear that Lady Elinor used it as a working cookbook. Spurling decided to do the same and followed Lady Elinor ‘round the calendar’ making her ‘Oringe Marmalad’ in January, pickling ‘cowcumbers’ in July, and preparing mutton and rosewater mince pies in December. Through Spurling’s cooking adventures we are transported into the familiar yet strange, rose-water flavoured…

By Hilary Spurling,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Brilliantly compiled and presented by the celebrated biographer, Hilary Spurling, Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book has become a classic in the history of English cooking, and an extraordinarily intimate glimpse into the fabric of everyday Elizabethan life.

'Hilary Spurling has done brilliantly ... Being both a scholar and a cook seems to be a rare combination than one might have expected.' Jane Grigson

'Few cookery books are as important or as fascinating as this ... (Hilary Spurling's) scholarly and practical skills combined make the book much more than an antiquarian curiosity. It is a cookery book to use.' Victoria Glendinning, The…


Book cover of A Book of Middle Eastern Food
Book cover of Traditional Portuguese Cooking
Book cover of The Talisman Italian Cookbook

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