Food and gardening
The best new cookbooks in November
Chris Gordon, our monthly food and gardening columnist, shares four of her favourite cookbooks out in November.
Just Desserts by Charlotte Ree
These are all the things I love about Charlotte Ree’s debut book: the way it looks, the way it feels, and the possibility it offers that all these cakes and slices could be mine. Instagram sensation Charlotte Ree is famous for her delicious cooking and luckily for us mere mortals, she is sharing thirty of her most popular…
We test out recipes from Just Desserts
Today we tested out a selection of recipes from Charlotte Ree’s adorable and yummy new cookbook, Just Desserts, and we invited Charlotte to come in and select the best one! Here are the results…
Rosalind McClintock made ‘Peach & Raspberry Tray Cake’ (pg. 88):
I didn’t have any peaches, I ran around the shop in a panic. I laid my eyes on a mango and thought peaches? Mangoes? Let’s do it. So I did. The baking was quick, the…
The best new food & gardening books in October
Our monthly food and gardening columnist shares four of her favourite new books in October.
TLV: Tel Aviv - Recipes and stories from Israel by Jigal Krant
Dutch author Jigal Krant is a culinary journalist, filmmaker, and radio producer based in the Netherlands. He produces and presents a television program titled The Kosher Dilemma, in which he searches for the secrets of Jewish cuisine. This is his first cookbook. Amongst gorgeous recipes for Tel Aviv’s unsurpassed fast food like…
Four home and style books to inspire you in June
Gloriously Gluten Free: Sweet Treats, Cakes, Tarts and Desserts by Frederique Jules
Before you turn up your nose at this title, consider this: the authors are French and all of the trulyscrumptious recipes come from their incredible Paris-based bakery, Noglu. Consequently, here are 80 easy, delicious, gluten-free recipes for sweet treats and celebration cakes. Get this book because you want to make your kids birthday cake to share at their school and because your Great Aunt June is coming for…
Cookbook highlights
byWho’s hungry? We’ve rounded up some of our favourite cookbooks to tickle the tastebuds.
Warndu Mai (Good Food): Introducing native Australian ingredients to your kitchen by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard
This gorgeous illustrated, informative and contemporary cookbook and compendium of native foods will show you how to create truly Australian food and drinks at home using ingredients such as Kakadu plum, finger lime and pepperberry to create unique dishes and treats – from wattleseed brownies to kangaroo carpaccio. It’s…
Four cookbooks to inspire you in May
From beginners to foodies, from familiar flavours to new tastes, our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon rounds up the cookbooks this month that will inspire you in the kitchen.
Good Food: Favourite Recipes edited by Ardyn Bernoth
This wonderful collection contains over 100 recipes chosen by Good Food editor Ardyn Bernoth that have been brought together from wonderful Australian chefs including Jill Dupleix, Helen Goh, Andrew McConnell (my favourite) and Katrina Meynink. There are inspirational, easy weeknight meals along…
The best new cookbooks in April
Just Add Love: Holocaust Survivors Share Their Stories and Recipes by Irris Makler (Available 8 April)
For the past four years Irris Makler has been recording the stories of Holocaust survivors living in Australia and photographing them cooking with their grandchildren. She learnt quickly that when a child cooks with their grandmother they learn much more than when they cook just from a recipe: they absorb culture and family history and start to discover their place in the world. Makler…
The best new cookbooks and gardening books in March
Dining In by Alison Roman
Alison Roman has amassed serious social media stardom because her recipes have three enviable traits: fun, simplicity and deliciousness. This collection of 125 ‘why didn’t I think of that’ recipes, including treats like roast chicken smeared with anchovy butter or crispy baked potatoes, are absolutely obtainable by even the most amateur of home cooks. This cookbook is perfect for anyone living life at a hectic pace but still wanting to ensure a home cooked meal…
Cookbook trends to look forward to in 2019
As world politics bring more despair to us all, our yearning for the simple things in life like meals with family and friends will increase. We will look for ways to make our life easier and more considerate. Consequently, the food we prepare will be kind to the environment and nurturing to our souls. This year the flavours will be unpretentious, the ingredients will be local and you will be using cooking techniques that your great, great grandparents used. Proof…
A quick & breezy gift guide to this year's cookbooks
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.
Here, our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon shares a quick and handy guide as to what to gift foodies this festive Christmas.
For a cookbook that will sing Melbourne…
Are you looking to buy a cookbook for an out-of-towner and want to send a very clear message that you live in the foodie capital of Australia (if not the…
The best food & gardening books of 2018
Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 food and gardening books of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.
(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2018 here.)
Family by Hetty McKinnon
Hetty McKinnon is back with another cookbook bound to be used every single day and that rejoices in…
The best new cookbooks in November
Special Guest by Annabel Crabb & Wendy Sharpe
If, as I do, you love a good, solid cookbook with a sense of humour and exuberance, then Special Guest is the pick of this month’s cookbook bunch. Annabel Crabb and Wendy Sharpe share recipes perfect for the home cook who is juggling an enormous range of activities but still wants to share a home-cooked meal that caters to all needs. Each dish comes from the heart and is practical and delicious!
…
We test out recipes from Love, Laugh, Bake! by Silvia Colloca
Earlier this week we tested out a selection of recipes from Silvia Colloca’s delicious and joy-filled new cookbook, Love, Laugh, Bake!, and we invited Silvia to come in and select the best one! Here are the results…
Bronte Coates made ‘Parmesan and sesame seed spelt diamonds’ (pg. 222):
If you’ve ever imagined what it would be like to forego filling and simply eat the crust of a pie – these are the biscuits are for you. A decadent combination…
The best new cookbooks in October
Our resident foodie Chris Gordon selects eight new cookbooks to inspire you in the kitchen this month.
The Cook’s Apprentice: Tips, Techniques and Recipes for New Foodies by Stephanie Alexander
This informative book is full to the brim with everything new ‘foodies’ need to know to become relaxed and confident in the kitchen. I would buy this book for kids who are watching food shows, smelling lime leaves and questioning what type of tofu you are buying. Not only are…
The best new cookbooks in September
Ottolenghi SIMPLE by Yotam Ottolenghi (available 7 September)
Every recipe in this gorgeous new book has fewer than 10 ingredients, will take fewer than 30 minutes to prepare, and will be so delicious and beautiful that you will find yourself returning to it time and time again. Ottolenghi SIMPLE is his best cookbook yet, and it’s perfect for anyone who wants cooking flair, but doesn’t actually have a lot of time. This wonderful cookbook feels like it’s been written especially…
We test out recipes from Family by Hetty McKinnon
Earlier this week we roadtested different recipes from Hetty McKinnon’s brand-new cookbook, Family, which featuring simple, mouthwatering recipes passed down through generations and shared among family and friends.
We invited Hetty to come in and select the best one! Here are the results…
Ellen Cregan made ‘Sushi Salad’ (pg. 68):
This recipe appealed to me because it uses edamame and avocado, two of my favourite things in the whole world. This recipe was easy to make up – the…
The best new cookbooks in August
Family by Hetty McKinnon
Drum roll please: wonderful Hetty McKinnon is back with another soon-to-be-used-every-single-week cookbook that rejoices in gatherings and innovative, simple recipes. There are pastas to make, soups to comfort, salads that scream for crowds to enjoy and all with that familiar sense of warmth, colour and delicious tastes. There is something very liberating about McKinnon’s cookbooks and I think it’s because she understands the way families move through the week. This is a wonderful, big-hearted collection of…
Five tempting new cookbooks in July
This month, our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon recommends two cookbooks that celebrate the versatility of cauliflower and nachos, as well as a gorgeous new edition of a classic.
The Margaret Fulton Cookbook: 50th Anniversary Edition by Margaret Fulton
Our Margaret once said that she thought her recipes were so popular because ‘part of the thing that women liked about my recipes was that I would get them doing the maddest things’. Join me in celebrating the wonderful work…
Q&A with chef and author Nancy Singleton Hachisu
Our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon chats with acclaimed chef and author Nancy Singleton Hachisu about her stunning new cookbook, Japan: The Cookbook.
First, congratulations on the success of your beautiful new cookbook. What a treat it is. Did it really take you three years to write and research? Was that because you wanted to include every possible part of Japanese cuisine?
Yes, it did take about three years from planning to editing: planning from Nov 2014 to…
Five cookbooks to inspire you in winter
Our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon recommends five new cookbooks for battling seasonal blues.
Three Decades On: Lake House and Daylesford by Alla Wolf-Tasker
If you are reading this column, then you already know about the great Alla Wolf-Tasker, the award-winning creator of the Lake House dining experience and champion of local produce and Australian cuisine. Do not be daunted by her reputation, instead, open this book in the same way you would explore a Stephanie Alexander or Maggie…
Four new cookbooks for the home cook
Our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon recommends four new cookbooks this month that will transport you from India to Tokyo.
The Indian Vegetarian Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant
Professor Pushpesh Pant’s first book, India: The Cookbook was a comprehensive guide to Indian cooking, with over 1,000 recipes covering every aspect of India’s rich and colourful culinary heritage. In this gorgeous book you can expect the same expertise and diligence, but here the choices are not so overwhelming. Pant has simplified…
Go vegan with one of these terrific cookbooks
Readings bookseller Ellen Cregan shares some of her favourite cookbooks for going vegan.
For a good cause
Edgar’s Mission is an animal sanctuary that cater to creatures of all sizes, from guinea pigs to regular pigs. At the end of 2017, Cooking With Kindness was released to help raise funds for the organisation. This cookbook brings together dozens of recipes from some of Australia’s favourite vegan restaurants, food trucks and chefs – Smith and Daughters, Woking Amazing and Transformer, to…
We test out ANZAC biscuit recipes
Our staff tested out recipes for Anzac biscuit recipes to find the best one. Here’s what happened.
Lian Hingee tried to replicate her Nana’s recipe
My Nana used to make Anzac biscuits, which she’d keep in a tin for when we came to visit. They were very crisp, very caramelised, and very very thin with lacy edges – almost more like a Florentine than an Anzac. She must have made them so many times that she knew the recipe by…
Five new cookbooks to whet your appetite
Our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon recommends five new cookbooks this month.
One Knife, One Pot, One Dish by Stéphane Reynaud
Much-loved French chef Stéphane Reynaud is well-known for making French fare convivial for all (except vegans). This book shows us the tricks of the trade and celebrates Reynaud’s considered approach to family cooking. This is a perfect book for cooks at all levels and will become a firm favourite in your home kitchen.
Barcelona Cult Recipes by Stephan…
We test out hot cross bun recipes
With Easter around the corner, three of our staff have tried their hand at making their own hot cross buns.
To inspire our competitors, we were happy to offer an advance copy of Liz Harfull’s beautiful cookbook, Tried, Tested and True, to whoever made the very best buns. This cookbook is due to arrive in-store in April, and is one of the most anticipated for the year.
Ellen Cregan made vegan buns
Hot cross buns are one of…
Three new cookbooks for the home cook
Our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon shares three new cookbooks that are perfect for home cooks.
The Zero F*cks Cookbook by Yumi Stynes
Usually I do not enjoy cookbooks written by media celebrities. I do not consider people in the media to be reliable sources for my meal inspiration. Well, let me sing a different tune about this truly wonderful, practical cookbook by Australian television and radio presenter Yumi Stynes. The Zero F*cks Cookbook is filled with laugh-out-loud moments…
We test out recipes from Sticky Fingers, Green Thumb
Earlier this week we roadtested different recipes from Hayley McKee’s inspiring new cookbook, Sticky Fingers, Green Thumb, which demonstrates how to use vegetables, herbs and edible flowers in baking.
We invited Hayley to come in and select the best one! Here are the results…
Kara Nicholson made ‘Honey for Ray’ (pg. 113):
The ‘tastes of nature’ in this cake were fennel, honey and lemon myrtle. I love fennel but I’ve never put it freshly grated in a cake batter…
Cookbooks trends to look for in 2018
This year we are all embracing food sustainability and humane food experiences; we are going be eating flowers and we will be eating the entire vegetable, root to tip. We are eating plants of any colour, we are eating meat from animals that run free, and we are all, apparently, going to be looking very well and feeling as if we could change the world with a single tweet.
Cookbooks that reflect the 2018 trends include beauties like Celia Brooks’…
The best food & gardening books of 2017
Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 food and gardening books of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.
(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2017 here.)
Ostro by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Melbourne-based Italian food writer Julia Busuttil Nishimura provides the most wonderful interpretations of dishes from Italy and…
We test out recipes from Poh Bakes 100 Greats
Earlier this week we roadtested different recipes from Poh Ling Yeow’s new cookbook, Poh Bakes 100 Greats, and invited Poh to come in and select the best one!
Here are the results of our final Readings bake-off for 2017…
Michael Wallace made ‘Flourless Chocolate Cake with Guinness Ice Cream’ (pg. 140):
Poh’s recipe proved pretty, pretty tasty. I’d baked flourless chocolate cakes with almond meal before, but never a completely flour (or flour-substitute) free recipe. Despite accidental overcooking the…
Eight inspiring new food & gardening books
Cooking with Kindness by Edgar’s Mission
This wonderful cookbook gives and gives. The recipes are gathered from all over Australia, representing the very best from the kitchens of our most famed chefs. Each recipe is sourced from a restaurant that serves amazing meals, without an animal in sight. Included are recipes from such Fitzroy favourites as Smith & Daughters, Transformer and more. All royalties go to Edgar’s Mission, a not-for-profit sanctuary that provides a safe haven for over 450 rescued…
We test out recipes from Mr & Mrs Wilkinson's new cookbook
Earlier this week we roadtested different recipes from Matt Wilkinson and Sharlee Gibb’s new cookbook, Mr & Mrs Wilkinson’s How it is at Home, and invited Matt and Sharlee to come in and select the best one. Here are the results of our office cook-off…
Anthony Shaw made ‘Zucchini & feta fritters’ (pg. 40):
The combination of flavours and the ease with which the recipe is put together make these fritters a winner. Basically you grate and drain some…
Seven delectable cookbooks to inspire you this month
Our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon shares seven delectable and inspiring cookbooks released this month
Maggie’s Recipe for Life by Maggie Beer and Professor Ralph Martins
Maggie Beer says, ‘I have two great passions – sharing my love of cooking delicious simple food and improving the health and nutrition of older people.’ Her enthusiasm is very evident in this wonderful new cookbook. Here she has joined up with Professor Ralph Martins (Professor of Neurobiology and Foundation Chair in Aging…
We test out recipes from Ostro
Earlier this week we roadtested different recipes from Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s new cookbook, Ostro, and invited Julia herself to come in and select the best one. Here are the results of our office cook-off…
Anthony Shaw made ‘Buttery leek soup topped with apple, pancetta and sage’ (pg. 103):
When I chose this recipe, I was thinking that it might be a mistake and that being spring in Melbourne, it could be so warm that soup might miss the mark…
The best new food and gardening books out this month
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…
Make your own salami with these terrific cookbooks
It’s salami time! Chris Gordon shares the three very best books to get you started making your very own preserved meat.
Let us start at the beginning…
The origin of meat processing likely began some thousands of years ago when humans learned that salt is an effective preservative. The procedure of stuffing meat into casings remains basically the same today, however, over time it has become highly skilled and competitive field.
It is true that I’m married to a salami…
Three fabulous new cookbooks for entertaining
Cooking with Craft Beer by Torsten Goffin and Stevan Paul
Goffin and Paul are from the home of the great home brew, and I don’t mean our own fine country, but Germany. These two beer loving blokes have scanned the entire world for beer inspired recipes. These are truly delicious and informal dishes that draw from the very best yeasty delights from all over the world including Italy, Australia, Germany and of course Belgium. The dishes are a hearty contrast…
Three delicious new Australian cookbooks
Tuck In by Ross Dobson
Dobson is famous for his wonderful cookbooks about the virtues of the humble barbecue. Here, in this easy-to-read, easy-to-follow collection of recipes, he includes methods made delicious by the humble fire, but also brings a new range of treats to his collection. Taking inspiration from all over the world, here is the guide to making friends and family happy over and over again. Tuck In provides a dish for every occasion, from Tuesday-night meals to…
Three delicious new cookbooks from around the world
So French So Sweet by Gabriel Gate
From the very first Melbourne celebrity chef comes a wonderful collection of recipes sure to increase your appetite for a sweet end to your meal. You already know that Monsieur Gaté’s recipes are easy to follow. I consider his food writing one of the most accessible of all instructions for the home cook. So French So Sweet will make it possible for you (and here I do mean anyone) to make cakes and…
Six delicious new cookbooks
Brae by Dan Hunter
Wonder man Dan Hunter is the award-winning pioneer of modern Australian cuisine. His restaurant Brae is listed in the top 100 restaurants in the world. This book shows you why. Essentially, this beautiful book is a collection of recipes using locally grown cuisine that will take you on a journey of great imagination, with wonderful flourishes. This book is perfect for those who have been to the restaurant, want to go to the restaurant or have…
Q&A with Annie Smithers
Chef, gardener and restaurateur Annie Smithers chats with our events manager Chris Gordon about her new cookbook, Annie’s Farmhouse Kitchen.
Your new cookbook is a collection of the menus you’ve cooked for your wonderful restaurant (du Fermier). I love this. How do you collect your ideas to pull such an such an impressive array of recipes together? Are you a note taker?
When I first thought of writing this book, it was because I had amassed a…
Four delicious new cookbooks
Our events manager Chris Gordon shares four cookbooks to love in April.
Also for foodies this month… Chris interviewed chef, gardener and restaurateur Annie Smithers, our staff tested out recipes from one of our favourite new cookbooks, and we’re offering 25% off a select range of our most popular cookbooks.
It’s Always About the Food by the Monday Morning Cooking Club
This group of delightful, passionate Jewish women decided to cook together every Monday morning 11 years ago, and…
25% off a select range of popular cookbooks
Throughout April, we’re offering a special offer on a select range of our most popular cookbooks!
Online customers will receive 25% off the full price of any of the cookbooks found here.
In-store customers will receive 25% off cookbooks that feature an orange ‘25% off ’ sticker.
This offer includes cookbooks from some of our favourite Australian cooks, such as Neighbourhood from Hetty McKinnon, Salads & Vegetables from Karen Martini and The Cook’s Companion by Stephanie Alexander.
Seafood lovers…
We test out recipes from the Monday Morning Cooking Club's new cookbook
Earlier this week we roadtested different recipes from Monday Morning Cooking Club’s new cookbook, It’s Always About the Food. We invited the sisterhood to come in and select the best one and were thrilled that three members of the club (Lisa Goldberg, Merelyn Chalmers and Natanya Eskin) obliged – coming all the way from Sydney.
Here are the results of our office cook-off…
Jan Lockwood made ‘Roasted Cauliflower and Pear Salad’ (pg. 78):
I chose this recipe as I’ve…
Best new food and gardening books this month
French Country Cooking by Mimi Thorisson
Just stop it. This book is too much: there are images of the French countryside, tales of successful parenting from a woman with 6 children and 14 dogs (!) who also has an ability to create feasts out of garden scraps and a little cheese. This book makes you realise that there are people out there living each day as if they were playing a part in the French Film Festival. You may already…
New food and gardening books for healthy habits
Our food and gardening expert shares four new food and gardening books to help you kick off the year with some healthy habits.
Challenge: Eat breakfast every day.
Breakfast Bowls by Caroline Griffiths
The good news is that this is not a book filled with 52 different varieties of muesli, but rather it’s a shake-it-all-up type of cookbook. It allows you to dream big in the wee hours of the morning – and that has to be a great way…
Roadtesting our best cookbooks of the year
We invited our staff to test out recipes from our top 10 cookbooks of the year for an office Christmas lunch. Here’s what ended up on the menu…
The Zen Kitchen by Adam Liaw
We made…
An adaption of ‘Chilled Tofu with Tomato and Ponzu’ (pg. 198)
‘“Spring Rain” Noodle Salad with Spinach and Shiitake’ (pg. 116)
‘Fruit Jellies’ (pg. 211)
Here’s our review…
The tofu was perfectly flavoured and its soft, silken texture made it easy and enjoyable to…
Recommendations for an Australian Christmas lunch
Our food and gardening columnist has some recommendations for home cooks who are looking to embrace the true nature of Christmas in Australia.
Planning your meal for the festive season? I can only hope that you have moved away from a European styled feast and are able to acknowledge that, yes, December 25 is nearly always hot and humid – and certainly not befitting a roast…
If you have finally seen the light, here is my list of go-to-guides for…
The best cookbooks of 2016
Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 cookbooks of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.
(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2016 here.)
The Cook’s Table by Stephanie Alexander
There is comfort in knowing what needs to be done when, where and how. Stephanie Alexander’s latest collection of…
Delicious new cookbooks in November
The Cook’s Table by Stephanie Alexander
Beautifully presented, this collection of recipes give us, the reader and the home cook, a view into the life of Stephanie Alexander. This is her most personal collection. Each chapter begins with a story from Alexander’s life and features a menu for a shared meal. There are timetables for preparation from weeks out right up until the dish is served – and there are photos to make you want to weep with hope that…
Browse our blog by category
