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East Winds<\/span> by Riaz Phillips (\u00a325, DK)<\/p>\n West Winds: Recipes, History and Tales from Jamaica<\/span> was one of my favourite books from last year. And East Winds, Phillips\u2019s follow-up, is every bit as good. In it, he charts the foods of the Eastern Caribbean, and immigrant influences from North India, South China, West Africa and Europe. Beautifully written, it\u2019s deeply personal, endlessly enlightening and makes me want to cook things I\u2019ve never tried before.<\/p>\n Ramen Forever<\/span> by Tim Anderson (\u00a326, Hardie Grant)<\/p>\n What is ramen, asks Anderson in his latest work on Japanese culinary genres. It is, as he admits, a \u2018complicated subject\u2019. But the book has everything you\u2019ll ever need to know about this great noodle dish. Good recipes, too. In short, the English-language ramen bible.<\/p>\n Fronti\u00e8res<\/span> by Alex Jackson (\u00a330, Pavilion)<\/p>\n What a clever, fascinating book this is, with Jackson delving into France\u2019s borderlands, taking in everything from the Alps and Alsace to North Africa, the Riviera and the Southwest. These are permeable borders, the recipes often interchangeable with Germany and Tunisia, Italy and Spain. The writing is wonderful, the recipes sublime.<\/p>\n The Upstairs Delicatessen<\/span> by Dwight Garner (\u00a321.50, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux)<\/p>\n This very funny book, partly autobiographical and wholly delectable, was recommended by a novelist friend. Which is fitting, as Garner is a book critic for The New York Times and he writes of the endless pleasures of food and reading. His writing is as cool and elegant as a tall glass of milk, his literary references both sacred and profane. For me, he\u2019s up there with A J Liebling and Calvin Trillin as an American food-writing master. More, please.<\/p>\n Brutto <\/span>by Russel Norman (\u00a332, Ebury)<\/p>\n Polpo<\/span>, the late author\u2019s first book, was one of the great works on Venetian food. And with Brutto<\/span> (meaning \u2018ugly\u2019 in Italian, but in a beautiful way), his final book is a triumph. Named after his wonderful restaurant in London\u2019s Smithfield, this is a tribute to the city of Florence and its cooking. I love the prose, the design, the photographs and the recipes. As simple and satisfying as a bowl of ribollita.<\/p>\n Invitation to a <\/span>Banque<\/span>t <\/span>by Fuchsia Dunlop (\u00a325, Particular)<\/p>\n I devour every word Dunlop writes on the cooking of China, and her new book is no exception. Each chapter takes a classic dish (steamed rice, loving mother\u2019s red braised pork) and delves deep into the ingredients, history, philosophy and technique. The writing is as fine as ever, the scholarship exemplary and the depth profound. This is, perhaps, her masterpiece.<\/p>\n The Secret of Cooking<\/span> by Bee Wilson (\u00a328, 4th Estate)<\/p>\n As much a work of gentle contemplation as a cookbook, this is a beautiful, soothing distillation of a lifetime of cooking, writing and thinking about food. \u2018Cut yourself some slack\u2019 is one chapter heading, \u2018Treat cooking as a remedy (because it is)\u2019 is another. Wise, pragmatic and quietly learned, this book is filled with recipes you\u2019ll use time and time again.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/06\/11\/78637793-12831975-Ramen_Forever_by_Tim_Anderson_26_Hardie_Grant_-a-1_1701861780695.jpg\")
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