Our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon shares her favourite picks for cooking and gardening books released this month.

Ostro by Julia Busuttil Nishimura

Julia Busuttil Nishimura is a Melbourne-based Italian food writer, and the creator of Ostro, an online space where she shares her recipes – and the most endearing home images ever! Her book includes interpretations of dishes from Italy and the Mediterranean that are both recognisable and innovative. As Busuttil Nishimura shows us, some of the best recipes have been passed down the generations and streamlined to perfection along the way, such as the perfect lemon olive oil cake. Julia guides us through the experience of making pasta or pizza dough from scratch, with recipes such as ricotta tortellini with butter, sage and hazelnuts, or taleggio and potato pizza. It seems to me that this beautifully presented cookbook screams ‘I’m from Melbourne’ all the way through. It’s classy, quirky and perfect for any of us wanting to remember that life is about friendships and family. This is my pick for cookbook of the month.

Los Angeles Cult Recipes by Victor Garnier

Victor Garnier Astorino grew up in France, but hankered for a Los Angeles life. It was in LA that he discovered his two great loves: photography and hamburgers. He returned to Paris and opened Blend, his first hamburger joint (he now owns three). This cookbook is clearly written by someone who has made it his life’s work to take the very best from the American menu and give it some French pizazz. Think recipes for chilli hot dogs like you’ve never tasted before, sensational avocado cheeseburgers, and of course, an array of healthy green juices.

Ramen-topia by Deborah Kaloper and Alice Oehr

California native Deborah Kaloper is a psychology graduate turned chef whose eye for detail led her to food styling – but this cookbook delivers so much more than pretty pictures and an understanding of why we yearn for certain food at certain times. It’s an ode to the wonderfully diverse range of Japanese ramen soups. Usually made with wheat noodles and served in a slow-cooked beef or pork broth with various toppings, this dish has attracted a cult-like following. Ramen-topia explores the unprocessed, original Japanese comfort food. This is a treat of a book: as beautiful as it is practical. I’m all in.

5 Ingredients by Jamie Oliver

Honestly, how does Jamie Oliver find time to sleep? He’s got his television show, his campaigning around the world, restaurants, charities, his family and his cookbooks. I mean, when is enough enough? Clearly, he’s not done with showing us all how easy cooking is. This book is all about guiding you to simple fast, friendly and tasty meals. Again, Oliver shows us that delicious can be easy. There are over 130 recipes, each with a visual ingredient guide, serving size, a short, easy-to-follow method, and quick-reference nutritional information. This book is probably his best. The concept is simply genius.

At My Table by Nigella Lawson

I understand that opinions about Nigella are divisive. They can break dinner parties into opposing groups. It can bring loving partners head-to-head. So I need to state for the record: I’m a fan. I think she is fantastic. I use her cookbooks often. She is a champion of the home cook, and her new book celebrates the food she loves to cook for friends and family. The recipes are easy, comforting, and most importantly, the ingredients are easy to find.

Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh

With my hand on my heart, I promise there is something in this wonderful book for every single taste. Even if you’re not a fan of baked goods, or sweet-afters, there will still be a dish here, filled with vibrant colours and flavours, that will make you swoon. This collection is reminiscent of Ottolenghi’s salad dishes, in that there are exotic spices and complex flavourings: including fig, rose petal, saffron, aniseed, orange blossom, pistachio and cardamom. There’s even a nod towards hummus, with Tahini and Halva Brownies. I’m incredibly impressed by the array of possibilities and know that this book will become essential for every home cook and chef out there.

The Complete Guide to Baking by Rodolphe Landemaine

I’m fortunate enough to live near one of the greatest bakeries in Melbourne. I often stand in the queue on a Saturday morning dreaming of actually baking the goods, rather than spending my money on multi-layered cakes and flaky pastries. This book could give me the necessary motivation and knowledge to get me rolling up my shirt-sleeves and donning an apron. The Complete Guide to Baking shares all the technical know-how required to become an expert in the fine, yet frustrating, art of baking. Each of the recipes features a full-colour cross-section illustration, step-by-step photography and an end-image, to both inspire and demystify the intricacies of baking bread and other classics.

Ferment by Holly Davis

Even as a teenager, Holly Davis was fermenting food in her mother’s linen cupboard. I tell you this to illustrate her lifetime of devotion to the fine art of fermenting. Ferment provides details and step-by-step instructions for the process of fermenting foods. There are simple and complex recipes for culturing cheeses, drinks and pickles. There is even a step-by step-guide to creating your own Scoby. This book is a gift for anyone wanting to line their pantry with jars of vegetables and fruit, or indeed anyone wanting to create a three-day loaf of sourdough.

Urban Botanics by Maaike Koster and Emma Sibley

Open this beautifully presented book on any page and find a stunning hand-drawn picture of a plant – and on the other side, a paragraph listing practical information for looking after it. Included are 75 plants, all suitable for indoor use and all relatively easy to care for long-term. This book is pretty much indispensable for anyonewho no longer has the need for, or the space to have, a back garden. Urban Botanics shares top tips for bringing the outside inside

Grow. Food. Anywhere. by Mat Pember and Dillon Seitchik-Reardon

The Little Veggie Patch blokes are back, with more ideas for turning every single spare bit of space you have into a veggie patch. I love this idea of greening Melbourne, and certainly this book shows you that there is no excuse for not contributing to a greener city. Whether you’ve got a balcony, a tiny courtyard, or a patch of reclaimed dirt in a shared neighbourhood space, this book offers inspiration – and instruction – for growing good things to eat. Spring is in the air: its time to get digging!

Chris Gordon is the events manager for Readings.