July 2023 New Cookbook Review

July is a very sleepy month for cookbook releases but there are still a few books to add to our wishlists. Soon I will be preparing the 2024 Cookbook Preview which I usually post in September, but until then the 2023 Cookbook Preview Listing is being kept up-to-date weekly.

In 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 more than 700 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.

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.

I have written short blurbs for those titles that I have reviewed and which are not reissued books or now being published in a different country. Any others are listed in the Other Titles of Interest section and you may click on the book’s record to see the publisher’s description. This month contains many books which I have yet to review so publisher’s descriptions are shared.

United States

Baking Yesteryear: Plating the Past with the Best Recipes from the 1900s to the 1980s by B. Dylan Hollis: Travel back in time on a delicious decade-by-decade jaunt as Dylan shows you how to bake vintage forgotten greats. With a big pinch of fun and a full cup of humor, you’ll be baking everything from chocolate potato cake from the 1910s to avocado bread from the 1970s. Having baked thousands of retro recipes from all kinds of antique cookbooks, Dylan’s selected the best of the best for this bakebook, sharing the shining stars from each decade. And since not every recipe Dylan bakes on his wildly popular social media channels turn out delicious, they’ve thrown in a few of the most disastrously strange recipes for you to try if you want to prank your friends, or if you’re simply a glutton for punishment. A few of Dylan’s favorites that are going to have you licking your lips and begging for more include: 1909 cornflake macaroons, 1918 Anzac biscuits, Great Depression peanut butter bread, 1940s chocolate sauerkraut cake, and 1970s potato chip cookies.

Still We Rise by Erika Council is a tribute to the glories of flour, butter, and buttermilk baked tall, tender, and flaky. Erika Council is the founder and head baker of the renowned Bomb Biscuit Company in Atlanta, Georgia. The granddaughter of legendary soul food chef Mildred (Mama Dip) Council and a teacher and activist who cooked and baked to support the civil rights movement, Erika knows all about the power of the persistent biscuit. Here, Erika has perfected traditional biscuit types alongside inventive new creations. Her recipes connect readers to stories of the family, friends, and Southern culinary icons who instilled in her a love of baking. Through over 70 unique recipes for biscuits, spreads, sandwiches, and a convenient home biscuit mix that will have you whipping up fluffy biscuits and bis-cakes in minutes, Erika takes us on a journey through Black excellence, resilience, and heritage in the American South. Events

The Jewish Deli: A User’s Guide by Ben Nadler is a delightful celebration of Jewish delicatessens in an accessible comics format, full of history and humor, and guaranteed to make you hungry. Beloved culinary and cultural institutions, Jewish delis are wonderlands of amazing flavors and great food – bright, buttery, briny, sweet, fatty, salty, smoky. In this fun title, comics artist and deli aficionado Ben Nadler takes a deliciously entertaining deep dive into the history and culture of this food and the places that serve it up to us across the counter. Chapters guide readers through the details and delights of each major food category, all playfully illustrated and each more irresistibly noshable than the last.

MIL by Virgilio and Malena Martinez and Pia León: This book invites the reader, through stunning photographs, stories, and more, to enter a journey that will forever and completely strengthen the link with what we eat. It will also help everyone understand that a dish represents more than its ingredients and recipe, but also reflects a deep and intricate relationship with the environment.

Annie’s The Cookbook: Recipes Everybunny Will Love by Annie’s Homegrown: Annie’s Homegrown has a mission to cultivate a healthier, happier world by spreading goodness through nourishing foods, like their Mac & Cheese and Bunny Grahams – and now in this cookbook of 70 yummy and comforting recipes. Chapters include fun dishes that are sure to be beloved by every bunny – kids and adults alike.

30-Minute Meal Prep: 100 Healthy and Delicious Recipes to Eat All Week by Robin Miller is the essential cookbook for busy families. Robin’s revolutionary meal prep strategies save you time and help you create mouth-watering dishes you and your family will love. This cookbook not only transforms leftovers into amazing second-night meals, it focuses on: cleaning eating with 100 recipes; budget-friendly meals; and fast and easy cooking.

Black Rican Vegan: Fire Plant-Based Recipes from a Bronx Kitchen by Lyana Blount: Growing up in a Puerto Rican and Black household, Lyana Blount knew from a young age that food was a love language, and it was one she intended to master. After going vegan, she set out to capture the flavor, vibrancy and love in her family’s recipes with lighter plant-based ingredients. And with that, her NYC pop-up Black Rican Vegan was born! In this personal collection of 60 recipes, Lyana shares the secrets behind the vegan, Latin soul food she’s famous for, so you can make her incredible meals right in your own kitchen and enjoy healthier versions of beloved classics.

United Kingdom

Do Yourself a Flavour: 75 Budget Recipes to Feed Yourself, Your Flatmates and Your Freezer by Fliss Freeborn: Brimming with over 75 recipes, plus tips and tricks for turning leftovers into fabulous meals in their own right, you’ll be covered for all situations, from those quick fridge-to-face moments, through to making a delicious dinner to feed your plant-based pals and raging carnivores alike.

The Arepa: Classic & contemporary recipes for Venezuela’s daily bread by Irena Stein shares over 50 recipes introducing and celebrating Venezuela’s irresistible and most popular street food. The arepa – a crisp round pocket made from corn flour – is one of Venezuela’s defining foods. Gluten-free and dairy-free, arepas are endlessly adaptable, unarguably delicious and fun to eat. Events

Lebanon: The Cookbook: Mezze, Manakish and Tabbouleh by Liza and Ziad Asseily: A celebration of Lebanese cuisine at its best, the authors reveal the richness of their culture and art de vivre by following a typical Beiruti day in 75 recipes. From breakfast, lunch and aperitifs, through to festive meals and street food, this cookbook offers a full gastronomic experience.

Time & Tide: Recipes from My Coastal Kitchen by Emily Scott weaves together all the strands that influence and inspire the author’s cooking – all the elements that make for incredible dishes infused with creativity and a sense of place. Each dish evokes something inherently special to Emily and the culinary delights of Cornwall. Find out more about this beautiful and enter for a chance to win a copy in our promotion. Events

Georgia’s Cakes by Georgia Green is an ultimate guide to making, baking and decorating jaw-dropping cakes from Instagram and Youtube sensation Georgia’s Cakes. If you’re looking to take your cake decorating skills to the next level then look no further. No other book guides you through every step of cake decorating with as much detail and explanation as this one, while keeping it as simple and accessible as possible. Georgia’s expertise, knowledge and teaching skills will transform the way you understand and approach modern day cake decorating. From baking a perfect sponge and explaining how the ingredients work, to mastering the palette knife; this isn’t just a recipe book, this is a masterclass in cake artistry. Cake decorating has advanced and modernised over the last few years – buttercream has trumped fondant, cake layers are taller and designs have become more contemporary. This is a gorgeous book!

Wasted by Conor Spacey is the 7th book published by Blasta Books in Ireland. Wasted is a capsule collection of recipes that have come from identifying some of the most wasted food items in our homes. This book will help you to stop wasting food and turn perfectly good ingredients into delicious dishes. And the key word here is delicious. The book’s ulterior motive may be to get us to think differently about ingredients and waste, but the driver for all these plant-based recipes is flavour. Wasted will change your mindset and reconnect you to real food, from the root to the tip.

Imad’s Syrian Kitchen: A Love Letter from Damascus to London by Imad Alarnab: This is the first cookbook from Imad Al Arnab, a renowned chef from Damascus. Imad now runs an acclaimed restaurant in London, which was named GQ’s ‘Best Breakthrough Restaurant 2022’. Imad’s Syrian Kitchen is a bustling, riotous tour through 90 traditional and adapted Syrian dishes that can be made in the comfort of your own home. Imad will introduce us to the delicious flavours and techniques of the Syrian kitchen – showing you just how easy this wonderful cuisine can be. Alongside delicious recipes, Imad will share the unforgettable details of how he came to settle in London, as well as the story of his home country, Syria. This book is a celebration of how food has the power to bring people together.

Bold Beans: Beautiful, Brilliant and Exciting Recipes by Amelia Christie-Miller: Beans have had it tough, but they’ve finally had the makeover they deserve. No longer confined to the back of the cupboard, and now celebrated by foodies, these protein-rich, sumptuous and satisfying marvels offer versatility, texture and heartiness. With contributions from the Bold Bean team as well as Anna Jones, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the team at Mob among others, these are 90 enticing, exciting recipes uncompromising in their deliciousness.

The Yogurt Cookbook – 10-Year Anniversary Edition: Recipes from Around the World by Arto der Haroutunian is the ultimate guide to cooking with yogurt and its significance around the world. This special reprint of the 1983 original The Yoghurt Book is filled with colorful new photography.

Recipes from Andalusia (Eat Around Spain) by José Pizarro is a reissue of Andalusia: Recipes from Seville and Beyond. José Pizarro takes you along on a journey through the cuisine of this southern Spanish region. Influenced by its Moorish past, and its proximity to the sea, Andalusia is becoming more known for its delicious food. The authentic recipes are accompanied by beautiful location photography.

Australia

My Family Kitchen: Easy Vietnamese Recipes and Other Asian-Inspired Dishes for the Whole Family by Tommy Pham: From MasterChef favourite, dad and teacher Tommy Pham, this book – jam-packed with 60 recipes and fun kitchen activities – will help families to develop a love of food through cooking and play.

New Zealand

The Lucky Taco Cookbook by Sarah and Otis Frizzell: The Lucky Taco food truck has been serving up fresh, authentic and delicious tacos to appreciative fans for 10 years. Now you can recreate their famous tacos, quesadillas and more at home, any night of the week. In this vibrant new cookbook, the Frizzells share the Lucky Taco story and over 60 secret recipes.

Who Made all the Pies?: The Ultimate Collection of Pastry Treats for Every Kiwi Household by Wendy Morgan was released in June and didn’t make our June review. Kiwis love their pies! Crisp, buttery pastry, gooey, piping hot filling – this brand-new collection has been put together by a pie expert who has lived and breathed pies her whole life! From the traditional Kiwi favourite (mince and cheese) to the more exotic (lamb and minted pea pie) to something for the vegetarians (cauliflower tart) to something for the sweet-tooths (choc orange tart) this cookbook is pure comfort food and it’s got something for everyone.

Mint Cakery by Michelle Morfett is a recipe book dedicated to the most popular treats at Mint Cakery, so now keen bakers can make them at home too. The vibe of the recipes is delicious but easy. From the dark chocolate, pear and salted caramel cake to classic jam and cream donuts or delicious cinnamon buns – there is something for everyone.

Post a comment

2 Comments

  • roxlet  on  July 28, 2023

    I bought Baking Yesteryear and promptly returned it. It had a ridiculous amount of photos of the author mugging. The book seemed to be more about him than it was about the recipes, very few of which appealed. Got it yesterday and it want back today.

    • Jenny  on  July 28, 2023

      Roxlet – I’m sorry you were disappointed in the book – I just got the physical copy of the book today – and I am loving it – I can overlook photos of the author if the recipes are different and unusual and enough recipes here interest me.

Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!