Little known treasures

July 13, 2014 by
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Cookbook covers

Some cookbooks become instant classics and profoundly influence generations of cooks. In the 1960s, Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking became a bestseller and improved the cooking skills of legions. More recently, Ottolenghi took the world by storm, expanding the range of countless cooks. These and other classics sit on thousands of EYB members’ Bookshelves. But other great cookbooks languish in relative obscurity, yet are indispensable to those who have discovered them.

The Telepgraph provides us with a top 10 list of little known cookbooks that they turn to again and again, even though the books may not have made the bestseller list. The first cookbook mentioned is The Scandinavian Kitchen by Camille Plum. Britain shares a lot of ingredients with Scandinavia, so why not expand their use? The second book is Lucas Hollweg’s Good Things To Eat. While noting that this is not a revolutionary cookbook, the authors posit that if you have this book, you will “find yourself turning to it more and more, for a family supper, or lunch for friends. Hollweg writes with self-deprecating charm about the food that makes him feel hungry and happy.”

It will come as no surprise that many “hidden gems” on The Telegraph’s list are quite popular among EYB Members, who know a thing or two about cookbooks. The first of these is Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison, which is highly rated on this site. The same goes for A Platter of Figs by David Tanis, which graces many EYB Bookshelves. And while Paula Wolfert may be better known for other books, The Food of Morocco is fairly well-known to EYB Members.

Naturally, The Telegraph’s list is skewed to British readers. What do you think of their list, and which cookbooks in your collection would you add to it?

Category: Antipasto

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7 Comments

  • veronicafrance  on  July 13, 2014

    The Jenny Chandler book is really excellent. Such a shame EYB hasn't indexed it 🙁 I would add Leaves from my Tuscan Kitchen and the Roux brothers' French Country Cooking. Both oldies but goodies, both unindexed.

  • Jane  on  July 13, 2014

    One of my favorite books, which isn't as huge as it should be, is 'Cook This Now' by Melissa Clark.

  • PatriciaScarpin  on  July 15, 2014

    "Good Things to Eat" is a fantastic cookbook – it is beautiful beyond words and the recipes work and are delicious (I've made many, many recipes from it).

  • janecarrick  on  July 16, 2014

    I'm with Patricia on this one – Lucas Hollwegs book is gorgeous, and the recipes are imaginative and delicious, they really let the ingredients shine.

  • veronicafrance  on  July 16, 2014

    That Lucas Hollweg book has been in my Amazon basket for months, maybe I should click the Buy button!

  • Jane  on  July 16, 2014

    I'm going to the UK next week so I think I should look out for 'Good Things to Eat' given all the love it's getting here.

  • hillsboroks  on  July 17, 2014

    My "Little Known Treasure" is Savannah Seasons by Elizabeth Terry. I bought it at the restaurant many years ago while on vacation after reading about it and her restaurant in Bon Appetit. Even though it is an older cookbook I find I use it often. It is full of sticky notes and page markers for what are now family favorites. We make her Grilled Fish with the Light Lemon Dill Marinade all the time. Alas, it is not indexed but if I could find the time it would be the first cookbook I would try to index.

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