December 2024 New Cookbook Review

We are at the end of another year of cookbook publishing. Our 2025 Cookbook Preview Post is live and will be updated regularly. Don’t forget that you can create a wishlist and share it with your loved ones.

Our December 2024 EYB Cookbook Club Summary and January 2025 Great Big Cookbook Club Summary can be found at the links provided.

Last May we announced that we have connected the EYB database to ckbk’s library of digital cookbooks. ckbk is a cookbook subscription site where you can access the full content of 921 great cookbooks, the majority of which are indexed here on EYB (and more will be indexed every week). For all the details, please see Jane’s post. If any of this month’s books are a part of the ckbk library, we have identified them as such: ckbk.

If you would like to order any of these titles (or preorder/order any other books or items) using our affiliate links below or BUY BOOK button on the book details page, earns Eat Your Books revenue as an Amazon Associate from qualifying purchases when using our links:

USA * Canada * UK * Australia 

Please also remember your local bookstores – for preorders as well – authors state that preorders really help with their budgets for publicity, etc.

If there is an   available for a cookbook, look for the orange icon in the blurb. Clicking on that link will take you directly to the Preview.

Lastly, if events are planned for particular books/authors, I have included a link. Be sure to check our Calendar frequently for new entries there are loads of events around the world as more in-person and virtual events are being planned.

To jump to a particular country’s listing, please click on the links below.

• United States
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Australia
• New Zealand

United States

Spirits Distilled : A Guide to the Ingredients Behind a Better Bottle by Nat Harry. Harry is a San Francisco World Spirits judge and spirits educator who travels the world from Oaxaca and Islay to Okinawa and Louisville to showcase elixirs from the ground up ­from the raw ingredients and skilled hands that form the backbone of the world’s most popular (and underappreciated) spirits. Filled with maps, photos, infographics, and bottle and cocktail recommendations.

Napa & Sonoma – A Wine Legacy by Liza Gershman is a rich visual story of Napa and Sonoma, featuring interviews with top producers from legacy wine families. Liza Gershman takes the reader on a beautiful journey of understanding each winemaker’s legacy, the history of the vineyard, how the vintners have survived decades of challenges, their successes, and how they see the future of their winery and its legacy. What sets this story apart is also a dedication to featuring beautiful imagery of the terroir, seasons, and workers who help to make the industry exist and who have done so for many years. Every glass of wine takes artistry, collaboration, and many hands. This book celebrates the process from start to finish and commends the legacy families for their dedication to preserving history, the land, and community through sustainable practices.

Proper Healthy: 80 Plant-based Recipes with a Boost by Calum Harris (UK publication date is January 2025): Eating healthy means missing out on the food you love, right? Wrong. If you’re looking for a no-nonsense way to eat well, then Proper Healthy has you covered. Calum Harris has done all the hard work for you, working with a registered dietician to create easy, plant-based dishes that come packed with up to four health benefits to boost your meals. Whether it’s helping your gut health, upping your protein-intake, restoring energy levels or eating lower-calorie meals, these unapologetically tasty, hassle-free recipes are guaranteed to deliver.

Simple Goodness: No-fuss, Plant-based Meals Straight from Your Pantry by Makini Howell: Welcome to flavor, comfort, and simplicity! Makini Howell shares 125 recipes full of the simply good ingredients you can find in your kitchen. Whether you’re sharing a meal with your loved ones or packing a lunch for your kids, Simple Goodness offers a wide range of plant-based dishes for every time of day.

Miette and the Swedish Midsommar: Cookies, Cakes and Breadbaking Recipes from Scandinavia by Meg Ray is a collection of very traditional Swedish treats and some variations that include a Miette twist, assembled from the last three summers author Meg Ray spent running a café on the small island of Rödlöga in the Baltic Sea. The recipes were written and tested in the author’s bungalow house in Oakland, her tiny apartment in Paris and the kitchen on Rödlöga. Miette and the Swedish Midsommar is organized in chapters by breads, cookies, and cakes and a dozen stories entwined. It is also about the author’s personal journey and how she got to the island.

The Rebel Diet: Feed Your Appetite and Lose Weight with 100 Defiantly Delicious Recipes by Benji Xavier: The author is beloved by millions of fans for his sardonic humor and enthusiastic approach to cooking, but he’s best known for his creative recipes and realistic approach to healthy eating. By swapping high-calorie ingredients like sugar, full-fat dairy, and fatty meats for healthier, lower-calorie ingredients, he creates lighter versions of your favorite recipes that are delicious but also less calorie dense. Benji’s approach to cooking is proof that it’s possible to eat leaner and lighter, and also develop a healthier relationship with food. Here, Benji shares the recipes that fueled his weight-loss journey, including healthier versions of burgers, pizza, desserts, and more. Healthy food can taste good, and Benji is here to show you how to satisfy those comfort food cravings with lighter, leaner, protein-packed dishes that deliver all the flavor of the originals.

Trap Kitchen: Wah Gwaan: Jamaican Cookbook by Malachi Jenkins and Roberto Smith: With a collection of diverse cookbooks now in their aprons, former rival gang members turned famous chefs Malachi “Spank” Jenkins and Roberto “News” Smith are back with a nod to their Jamaican heritage, fusing Caribbean cuisine with their signature Trap Kitchen sensibilities and flavors. This title combines the soul of Trap Kitchen with the flavors of Jamaican cuisine. And just like last time, the cookbook will take another deep dive into the journey of Trap Kitchen’s growth since they first made their mark in the literary world.

The Italian Daughter’s Cookbook by Cathy Coluccio Fazzolari is an ode to authentic Calabrese cuisine. In this captivating journey through the vibrant and often undiscovered southern regions of Italy, Cathy – daughter of the pioneer purveyor of high-end and top quality Italian foods in New York City, D. Coluccio & Sons – welcomes readers into her family’s kitchen. Through heartfelt familial memories, authentic Calabrese recipes (both with the traditional chili peppers and without), and tantalizing images by Feast of the Seven Fishes author Daniel Paterna, the eclectic essence of Calabrese food comes alive.

Smooth Life: Fun and Delicious Recipes from the Blender and Beyond! by Ashley & Taylor Johnston. The authors share their creative, colorful smoothies with the world as Twin Coast, and now, they’re welcoming you to the smooth life with over 100 nourishing, mostly plant-based recipes for smoothies, smoothie bowls, light bites, snacks, and desserts.

The Sourdough Bible: The Ultimate Resource for Great Bread at Home by Elaine Boddy is a packed, complete guide to making sourdough bread. The author spares no detail as she guides readers on how to make easy, no-knead artisan bread; from explaining what sourdough starter is to laying out the instructions for artisanal freeform loaves, she takes anyone who is interested in sourdough baking and guides them through the process. From novice to expert, all will find something in here they feel excited to make.

Instant Loss Quick and Easy: 125 Recipes That Are Big on Flavor When You’re Light on Time by Brittany Williams: The bestselling author is back with a new collection of 125 recipes that make it easier than ever to enjoy delicious, healthy meals every day!

Sri Owen’s Indonesian Food by Sri Owen is being released in the US this month and was published in the UK in November. Sri has updated this version from the 2008 Sri Owen’s Indonesian Food with 20 new recipes. The book is split into two parts – in part one a series of introductory chapters examine the role of food in Sri’s life and in Indonesian culture and society, with recipes to accompany. Part two explains the essential ingredients and techniques of Indonesian cooking, with notes on availability and substitutions and discussions of modern developments, again with the relevant recipes and variations to accompany each technique. Painstakingly researched and the product of decades of expertise and recipes passed through generations, this is a must-have book for any curious cook.

Bowls – 100+ Recipes for Healthy, Vibrant Bowls by Ayesha Singh is a collection of more than 100 healthy-yet-heartening recipes that are easy to prepare and help you recharge in a hurry. Plucking beloved preparations from cuisines across the globe, these dishes soothe every craving – whether it be a light and nourishing bowl built around local vegetables, a bowl of noodles in a revitalizing broth, or a bright, boldly flavored bowl that transports you to the tropics.

Feasts of Good Fortune: 75 Recipes for a Year of Chinese American Celebrations, from Lunar New Year to Mid-Autumn Festival and Beyond by Hsiao-Ching Chou and Meilee Chou Riddle shares 75 recipes for a full year of celebrations with family and friends the Chinese American way in this deeply personal intergenerational cookbook, cowritten by mother and daughter. Events

Island Vegan: 75 Fresh & Bold Recipes from the Caribbean: Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic & More by Lloyd Rose delivers the best dishes from Caribbean cuisine accessible to everyone looking to incorporate more plants into their diet by adding his own vegan twist. Dive into Lloyd’s family’s kitchen and celebrate Caribbean culture adapted to suit a modern, plant-based lifestyle.

The Trigger Kitchen: Dismantling Diet Culture One Unapologetic Recipe at a Time by Emma Myles: If our dysfunctional relationship with food and our bodies is the tower we’ve been trapped in our whole lives, then Emma Myles may have just built the delicious ladder to get us out. Featuring over 55 recipes, this one-of-a-kind cookbook offers a way back to food enjoyment and is filled with candid personal stories that remind us how we lost sight of it in the first place. Speaking from experience, Emma carves a tunnel through the unrelenting maze of diet culture and provides all of us with a clear pathway to break free.

What’s For Christmas Dinner? by Sarah Rossi (US pub): Take the stress out of Christmas cooking with the master of meal planning, Sarah Rossi! This beautiful festive book is your new one-stop-shop for all things Christmas, including meal plans for the run up to, and weeks after, the big day itself; timings plan; extra equipment needed; shopping lists; tips to get ahead; and inclusive recipes for fussy eaters, veggies and vegans too! Chapters cover: Nibbles and Party Food; Cosy Nights In; Freezer Fillers; The Big Day; Gorgeous Gifts; Festive Feasts; Christmas Breakfast and, of course, Baking. For delicious dishes to please the whole family and save your sanity, Sarah’s got you covered.

Canada

The Feel-Good Meal Plan: A Fresh Take on Meal Prep with Over 100 Nourishing Recipes to Feed Your Family with Ease by Lindsay Pleskot: Flexible meal planning for your busy life! With weekly meal prep done in under two hours, you’ll have flavorful, nutrition-packed meals on the table quickly every night of the week. This book has a fresh, flexible, and unfussy solution to get you ready for the week—with less than two hours of prep and meals on the table every night in 30 minutes or less.

United Kingdom

Foolproof Microwave: 60 Innovative Recipes to Make the Most of Your Microwave by Amy Stephenson: Microwaves are a staple piece of kitchen kit at work, home, and university. Better yet, they’re reliable, efficient and cheap to run, meaning that you can have lunch sorted in minutes. With 60 delicious, easy recipes, and all the tips and tricks you need to get the most out of this humble appliance, Foolproof Microwave is here to save you from sad lunches and transform meals on-the-go.

Foolproof Veggie Air Fryer: 60 Simple and Speedy Vegetarian Dishes by Louise Kenney: Discover everything you need to know about cooking in an air fryer, with 60 veggie-friendly recipes and clear, step-by-step instructions. Air frying is a miraculous cooking method: you get all the satisfaction of fried food, without the mess, it’s versatile (as well as “frying”, you can bake, roast, steam and more), and it makes simple and satisfying dishes in minimal time.

Twochubbycubs Air Fryer Cookbook: Delicious, slimming recipes under 500 calories by Paul and James Anderson: Slimming blog sensations, Twochubbycubs, have sold hundreds of thousands of copies of their books – they are loved for their super simple, accessible and healthy recipes for all. They’re back this time with meals that can be made in the nation’s favourite new kitchen gadget – the air fryer! Including 80+ new breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack recipes – big on flavour and 500 calories or less – that ensure time spent in the kitchen is as faff-free and speedy as possible.

Bored of Lunch – Six Ingredient Slow Cooker by Nathan Anthony is a collection of calorie-counted recipes for your slow cooker. Say farewell to mealtime mayhem with recipes easier than ever before, guaranteed to be used time and again. From fakeaways to desserts and throw-and-go dinners to midweek meals, Nathan has all your favourites covered with pies, pastas, curries, soups, risottos and more.

Slimming and Speedy: 100+ Quick, Easy and Tasty Recipes Under 600 Calories by Latoyah Egerton: Discover 100+ new simple recipes which can be either prepped or cooked in just 15 minutes, so you don’t have to spend your life in the kitchen. Packed with creative ways to save time cooking, you’ll find recipes which are ready in a flash for breakfast on-the-go, or speedy midweek dinners for busy evenings. There are also life-changing ideas for ‘speedy-prep, slow cook’ meals which you can whack in a slow-cooker (or oven on low) in the morning, so you can come home to a delicious feast after a long day. And when you’re in meal-prep mode there are plans for batch cooking at the weekend so you can cook once for speedy meals all week; and recipes which are perfect for popping in a freezer bag for quick reheating on another day.

Australia

Middle Eastern Feasts: Modern Classics from the Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea by Michael Rantissi and Kristy Frawley (UK release January 2025): From Mediterranean-inspired salads to mezzes from across the Arabian Peninsula, welcome to this collection of over 90 classic recipes from Michael Rantissi that are ready made for feasting. From abundant brunches to weeknight dinners and long weekend lunches, this title is a fully photographed, gorgeous hardback celebrating food for sharing with loved ones.

Weber’s Ultimate Veggie Barbecue by Jamie Purviance is a complete guide to barbecuing with veggies, fruit and seafood – full of techniques, skills and expert recipes to elevate your grill game. In this essential collection, it’s time to define barbecuing outside the old expectation that it’s a hunk of meat or nothing. Even if steak is still on the menu, we’re all after more diverse and healthy meals. For decades, Weber has been a trusted source of no-fuss knowledge, and in this best-of volume, Weber’s Ultimate Veggie Barbecue offers a masterclass for veg-lovers as well as everyday cooks who want to expand their repertoire, and bring fruit and veg towards the centre of their plate.