Cookbooks to Give This Christmas

Let’s face it, it’s time to get the Christmas shopping underway. The cookbook aisle at your local bookstore is likely heaving with titles for every type of foodie. We’ve sifted (excuse the baking pun) through the lot to unearth the real gems. Give one of these and your culinary pals with be forever grateful ?

For the eclectic cook

The K Club Cookbook: Producer to Plate by Finbarr Higgins (Cork University Press, €39)
Beautifully bound, this hardback features The K Club’s best dishes presented simply so you can reproduce them at home.

For the traditionalist

Home: Recipes from Ireland by Trish Deseine (Hachette Cuisine, €28)
A tribute to Irish cooking if ever there was one. Trish profiles the nation’s food heroes while whipping up traditional Hibernian dishes you’ll savour.

For the experimental cook

Nopi: The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi (Ebury, approx €18)
Let’s face it, everyone knows and loves Ottolenghi by now. This recent tome highlights the best recipes from his Soho hotspot.

For the seafood lover

Sea Gastronomy: Fish & Shellfish of the North Atlantic by Michael O?Meara (Artisan House, €30)
No one knows seafood quite like Michael O?Meara. The Galway chef and owner of the award-winning Oscar’s Seafood Bistro has put together his best dishes all featuring the fruits of the sea and photographed them beautifully in this encyclopaedia-sized hardback.

For the sweet-toothed health nut

The Virtuous Tart by Susan Jane White (Gill & Macmillan, €24.99)
Susan Jane White has become one of Ireland’s most influential leaders in the healthy eating stakes, and we love her recipes. Here, she offers tasty alternative treats that are wheat-, dairy- and sugar-free. And truly delish.