In The British Cookbook, food historian and writer Ben Mervis tells the story of British food through 550 home-cooking recipes. Tasty, diverse, and inextricably linked to its roots, British cuisine is steeped in history and is a varied as the landscape to which it belongs. The book is the culmination of several years of research by Mervis, an American who arrived in the UK as a student and remains enamoured with British food – its rituals, its history, and the myriad stories surrounding the dishes. Today, Mervis still calls the UK home.

The British Cookbook is organised following traditional ingredients and dishes with introductive texts. The dishes appear alongside stunning food images and beautiful landscapes of the countryside of the UK by photographer Sam Harris. There is a foreword by Jeremy Lee, head chef of Quo Vadis and a true champion of British food. 

The design of the book reflects the very essence of British culture and provides the perfect complement to the dishes inside.

The British Cookbook features more than 550 classic recipes from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Well-known favourites – Lancashire Hotpot, Roast beef, Chicken tikka masala and Victoria sponge are detailed alongside lesser-known regional specialities such as Welsh cheese pudding; Scottish clapshot and Northern Irish treacle bread. Mervis has unearthed the dishes steeped in history: junket, haggis and devils on horseback and others which were originally created abroad and then adapted to local tastes and adopted into the canon of British cooking including Curried goat, Lamb Vindaloo and Sesame prawn toast. 

Readers are invited on a culinary tour of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with dishes from the various regions and counties. Mervis consulted a number of food writers, chefs, bakers and home cooks for recipes, dishes and stories which have all been curated and presented by the author. The book records the stories behind beloved British dishes, the origins of their names and the rich and varied history that links them all. 

For a long time, British food has been overlooked and often derided. Yet in recent years there has been something of a revival, a new-found pride in this interesting, innovative and diverse cuisine. Part home-cooking bible, part visual and cultural tour of the UK, The British Cookbook brings together the vast range of dishes – new and old – encompassed in this wonderful cuisine.

The British Cookbook 

Author: Ben Mervis

Price: £39.95

Who better to take inspiration from than the Pasta Grannies who have spent their lifetimes plating up comfort and connection. Vicky Bennison, the author of the bestselling Pasta Grannies cookbook and creator of the hugely popular YouTube channel of the same name, is back to bring you more recipes and stories from the much-loved Italian grandmothers that shows you how to make authentic Italian food that everyone will enjoy.

In this second volume Pasta Grannies: Comfort Cooking Vicky introduces you 60 of the most popular nonne from the YouTube channel and their recipes to bring you a double dose of soulful food, made with love. Discover 91 year-old Pina’s chestnut gnocchi with walnut pesto, lovingly made with ingredients she grows around her home in Liguria; or 99 year-old Marietta’s special tagliatelle recipe, which is not really a recipe at all but a reflection of her vegetable garden, the Calabrian countryside and the changing seasons. As well as meat, seafood and vegetable pasta recipes, chapters also cover pizzas, pastries and pies, rice and pulses, dairy and herbs, nuts and spices.

And every recipe is accompanied with a QR code which will take you directly to the YouTube videos so you can see these remarkable women in their kitchens. Complete with stunning location and recipe photography throughout, and a clear guide to pasta making by hand and the best tools and ingredients, Pasta Grannies: Comfort Cooking is not only a celebration of cooking and feasting together, it’s an insight into their lives, and a joyous slice of Italian life. Buon appetito!

• Carolina BBQ Sandwich
• Chicken and Waffles
• Ham and Greens Soup
• Creole Jambalaya
• Bourbon Pecan Pie with Maple Whip
• Signature cocktails from Handsome Hog including Coffee-Infused Boulevardier, a Smoked Absinthe Rinse, and a Bourbon Slushy
• Lots of spice blends, sauces, rubs, and, as they do it in the South, pickled everything!