5 cookbooks we're loving right now

I like to take my time paging through a good cookbook. Page after page, I let the flavour inspirations wash over me. There is something wondrous to learn in every tome, even if you are sure you know exactly how you like your spaghetti bolognese. Plus, the fun thing is that there is always a new cookbook out there to be discovered.

Here are five of my current favourites:

BEER COUNTRY’S BEER. FOOD. FIRE.

by Greg Gilowey and Karl Tessendorf

There are few food pairings as marvellous as fire-charred meat and beer. The guys behind iconic TV show Beer Country have rounded up beloved recipes from their adventures in this book, ready and waiting to be taken with you on your own adventures. Fire up that braai!

THE DIRTY DISHES: 100 FAST AND DELICIOUS RECIPES

by Isaac Carew

Although we have been told never to trust a skinny chef, how about a model? Chef-turned-model-turned-chef-again Isaac Carew is as easy on the eye as his dishes are on time. They are fast, delicious and surprisingly simple. In addition, I'll never say no to a whole new bunch of salad and pasta recipes.

SET A TABLE

by Karen Dudley

Popular Cape Town lunch spot, The Kitchen, holds a permanent place in my heart, as founder Karen Dudley makes her dishes with love and serves them up with sweet generosity of spirit.

This, her third cookbook, has a host of recipes from the days of her beloved, but now defunct eatery, The Dining Room, so be sure to make the duck salad and invite a few people into yours.

THE NOMA GUIDE TO FERMENTATION

by René Redzepi and David Zilber

Fermentation is one of the biggest “it” words in the food world at the moment. And now one of the biggest names in food, Noma's René Redzepi, has created a beautiful bible to showcase the best that pickling and fermentation has to offer. Beware, it might get a bit smelly — but a lot delicious.

SUQAR: DESSERTS & SWEETS FROM THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST

by Greg and Lucy Malouf

The world's love affair with Middle Eastern flavours continues in Suqar by Greg and Lucy Malouf. As much as we all love famed chef Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes, the Maloufs have his desserts beat. Rich in imagery and flavours, you can’t look through this book and not immediately be hungry for baked figs, halva ice cream and all the sweet nothings that deep honey hues can muster.