Comparing to neighboring countries’ gastronomy on the continent like France or Italy, British food is sometimes commented bad and not often received praise. Unlike the sophistication of French cuisine or the comfort and indulgence of Italian cuisine, British food is synonymous with its weather, which is boring, dull, and sometimes gray.
However, across the U.K., many mouth-watering dishes make you fascinated and satisfied. Here is a list of 9 British cookbooks recommended by leading culinary experts. You can consult and choose for yourself the most favorite book to help create official British dishes at home instead of spending time going to restaurants in the U.K.
Traditional Cooking of the British Isles: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales: 360 Classic Regional Dishes With 1500 Beautiful Photographs
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“This book is well put together. I love the organization of the recipes but I also like the history and tidbits of information. The pictures are gorgeous, and the recipes easy to follow. I couldn’t have envisioned a better book! This book was exactly what I was looking for and more!” – AndAngelia
In the original introduction of the book, the author gives you a lot of information about British Food origin. This book offers a collection of classic regional dishes with gorgeous photographs that have made this book worthwhile. Here are all the best-loved dishes that you can find in this cookbook: Cornish Pasties, Lancashire Hotpot, Bara Brith – and lesser-known delights.
About the author: “Traditional Cooking of the British Isles: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales: 360 Classic Regional Dishes With 1500 Beautiful Photographs” was completed thanks to the contributions of three authors: Annette Yates, Georgina Campbell, and Christopher Trotter. Here are some other impressive books by these authors:
- Traditional Welsh Home Cooking: 65 Classic Recipes
- A Taste of Wales: Discover the Essence of Welsh Cooking with Over 30 Classic Recipes Shown in 130 Stunning Colour Photographs
- The Combination Microwave Cook: Recipes for Combination Microwaves and Microwaves with Built-in Grills
- English Traditional Recipes: A Heritage of Food and Cooking: 160 Classic Recipes To Celebrate England’S Great Culinary History
- Irish Country House Cooking: The Blue Book Recipe Collection
- With Delicious Dishes To Represent The Best Of Every County And Region
- The Best Of Irish Breads & Baking: Traditional
British Table: A New Look at the Traditional Cooking of England, Scotland, and Wales
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“An excellent read, nice graphics, and utilitarian recipes…” – tom Hembree
“The British Table: A New Look at the Traditional Cooking of England, Scotland, and Wales” is a book honoring the best of classic and modern British cuisine.
This cookbook includes more than 150 recipes with irresistibly simple modern dishes in modern British menus and traditional regional specialties of the depth and breadth of Britain’s culinary heritage. The recipes in this book blend these tradition-based reinventions by some of the finest chefs in England, Wales, and Scotland. In particular, many dishes forgotten in the past through this book will also be rediscovered.
About the author: Colman Andrew co-founded Saveur and was its editor-in-chief from 2002 to 2006. He has also received eight James Beard Awards, including the 2010 Cookbook of the Year award for The Country Cooking of Ireland. He is considered a Spanish culinary expert and authored the first-ever Spanish Culinary Curriculum, in collaboration with Jose Andrés, for New York’s International Culinary Center.
Colman Andrew has also been awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi, the highest civilian title granted by Catalonia’s government, to recognize his services in the dissemination of Catalan cuisine around the world. He currently lives in Connecticut.
The Great British Baking Show: The Big Book of Amazing Cakes
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“Beautiful pictures and great recipes!”- Felici
This book provides a collection of The Great British Baking Show, which aims to excite and inspire, as well as to introduce you to the season 10 bakers. When the Baking Show celebrates its tenth birthday, the authors included selecting the best cakes from previous seasons. This book will give you lots of new recipes that will capture your attention.
There will be chapters on classic, chocolate, fruit, and nuts and free-from cakes. Each of these recipes will be followed by a table that provides recipe quantities for alternate sizes and shapes of that cake, so you can adjust it to create something that’s right for you.
Moreover, you will also be provided with instructions on baking chemistry, storage information to help you keep cakes longer, and critical techniques. Easy-to-follow recipes for all shapes, sizes, and delicious flavors of cakes will be presented in this book. Finally, the book is packed with useful tips for expert decoration.
About the author: The Great British Baking Show: The Big Book of Amazing Cakes contains exclusive recipes from season 10 bakers and the favorite cakes of the contestants in all ten seasons with contributions from Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, and the season 10 bakers.
The London Cookbook: Recipes from the Restaurants, Cafes, and Hole-in-the-Wall Gems of a Modern City
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“This cookbook is part culinary history, part character study, and all delicious.”- Shipani
This book is a compilation of 100 recipes from the city’s best restaurants, cocktail lounges, tea and coffee houses, dessert boutiques, and hole-in-the-wall gems.
This timeless cookbook helps you explore London’s incredibly diverse cuisine via an eclectic mix of dishes, from Tramshed’s Indian Rock Chicken Curry to Nopi’s Sage and Cardamom Gin, and from The Cinnamon Club’s Seared Aubergine Steaks with Sesame and Tamarind to the River Cafe’s Tagliatelle with Lemon.
About the author: Aleksandra Crapanzano is the author of this book and the James Beard M.F.K. Foundation recipient. It is known as Fisher Award for Distinguished Writing, and her work has appeared in several anthologies, including Best Food Writing. In addition, she has written extensively for the New York Times, Food & Wine, Saveur, Gourmet, Departures, Travel & Leisure, and The Wall Street Journal.
Aleksandra has spent most of her life in Europe and now resides with her husband, the novelist John Burnham Schwartz and their son in Brooklyn.
Great British Cooking: A Wellkept Secret
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“This is the book I was looking for as a basis to describe all the foods one encounter while traveling in England & wondering about the whimsically-named items on the menu. I particularly wanted something to help with planning theme dinners for family & friends & this fits the bill. Recipes are well written & have interesting sidelines.”- Carol Hodge
This book will be for Americans who have never tasted the real Cornish Pasties, Scotch Woodcock (a splendid version of egg rolls), or Brown Bread Ice Cream. You’ll find recipes for sumptuous breakfasts that make England famous for the method of steaming puddings, snacks, meringues. Moreover, soups, fish, meat and games, vegetables, sauces, high teas, baked goods, pies, hotcakes, salty foods, preservatives, and sweets of all kinds can be found here clear and simple recipes with ingredients and tools translated in American terminology.
About the author: Jane Garmey is a British food writer and the author of “Great British Cooking: A Wellkept Secret.” She is currently producing a public art drama for children. Here are a few other books of Jane Garmey:
- Great New British Cooking
- Private Gardens of the Hudson Valley
- Private Gardens of Connecticut
The Great British Bake Off: Everyday
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“Beautiful cookbook. Beautiful illustrations and matches show. Remember, in America that you need a scale to weigh instead of a cup to measure volume. They are very inexpensive & well worth it!”- BeautifullyBrainy
This book is the snaps of some of the best home-bakes collected for you. The recipes in this cookbook use straightforward, easy-to-follow techniques. You will also find great recipes for cakes, traybakes, biscuits, tarts, pies, puddings, bread, and desserts.
The book is divided into chapters, including chapters about the best recipes, including Mary and Paul’s Signature Bakes, Technical Challenges, and Showstoppers, along with the best baking recipes. The unique thing that makes this book so appreciated is the accompanying illustrations. Next to each recipe, there are step-by-step photos to guide you through more sophisticated techniques.
It’s an excellent book for bakers who want to whip up a cake for an office party, a child’s birthday party, or pudding to follow a simple supper.
About the author: Linda Collister is the author of this book and many other cookbooks. Some books can be listed with the following title:
- Brownies
- Cooking with Kids
- Country Breads of the World
- Sensational Sauces
The Official Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook: Teatime Drinks, Scones, Savories & Sweets (Downton Abbey Cookery)
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“It’s a beautiful book. It’s made to look like an old book. It’s well made and has a satin ribbon bookmark attached. The photos in the book are beautiful, and the food looks great.”- F. Hawver
Afternoon tea is a revered and treasured tradition of the British, and probably no one knows more appropriate how to prepare and enjoy a tea than the residents of Downton Abbey. With this alluring and vibrant cookbook, you can stage every stylish element of this cultural staple of British society at home.
This elegant book captures the teatime’s essence at Downton Abbey with classic recipes for etiquette notes, sweets and savories, tea service knowhow, and lavish imagery to recreate the British tradition. Especially in this book, you can find sweet and savory classics such as Bakewell Tart, toffee pudding, Battenberg, cream scones, and tea sandwiches.
About the author: Downton Abbey is the author of this book. It not only has experience in afternoon tea but also cocktail with the book titled “The Official Downton Abbey Cocktail Book: Appropriate Libations for All Occasions (Downton Abbey Cookery)”
The Ritz London: The Cookbook
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“The London Ritz is one of the world’s most beautiful hotels, and its stunning restaurant and magnificent Haute Cuisine is the jewel in the crown. This sumptuous book, with its outstanding recipes and gorgeous photographs, is a worthy tribute.”- Illuminatus
“The Ritz London: The Cookbook” – the first cookbook to share the recipes served in the restaurant. The book includes 100 delicious recipes, such as Roast scallops bergamot & avocado, Saddle of lamb belle époque, and Grand Marnier Soufflé, and is split into four seasons.
You will be sharing recipes with the seasonal dishes of meat, fish, shellfish, or poultry. And indispensable is the recipe of desserts such as pastries, perfectly-risen soufflés, mousses, ice creams, and spectacular. You will find both simple recipes and other recipes for more ambitious cooks. Especially helpful tips are included to guide you to follow at home.
About the author: John Williams is an executive chef and has overseen The Ritz restaurant since 2004. Today, he is considered as one of the most respected chefs in the U.K. John’s food is relished and savored by royalty (often the Queen), presidents, and prime ministers. He had seventeen years of experience in the kitchens of Claridge’s.
John has also won many honors during his time at The Ritz, including a Chevalier de l’Ordre du Merite Agricol (the first British chef to receive such an honor), M.B.E., and a Michelin star (2016).
Baking with Mary Berry: Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Pastries from the British Queen of Baking
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“Beautiful book with nice instructions. I am so excited to try some of these recipes.”- Alicia A. Hadden
This book is a delicious, savory, and sweet collection of over 100 wonderful recipes from the reigning “Queen of Baking”.
“Baking with Mary Berry” is the result of more than 60 years in Mary’s kitchen, with tips and detailed step-by-step instructions for beginner bakers. Included in the book are colorful pictures of the completed dishes throughout the process. You’ll figure out that Mary’s recipes are no-fuss from breakfast to cakes, pastries, cookies, and pies, to desserts such as cheesecake and soufflés, to British favorites might inspire.
About the author: Mary Berry is one of the U.K.’s most beloved and respected cooking writers and bakers in the U.K. Her focus on family food with fussy, practical, and foolproof factors has won her a legion of fans around the world. More than 80 books are in her name, and more than 6 million copies have been sold.
She is also a judge on the PBS series The Great British Baking Show, based on the hit BBC TV program (The Great British Bake Off) and the primetime A.B.C. series The Great Holiday Baking Show. Mary Berry has five grandchildren and now lives in England.
The Cottage Kitchen: Cozy Cooking in the English Countryside: A Cookbook
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“This is a lovely cookbook for people who love cookbooks. While the recipes are good, the best part is the narrative and the pictures.”- L. Wagner
Coming to the book “The Cottage Kitchen”, you will be immersed in the scenery of the beautiful, thoughtful life in the charming countryside of England. In particular, a collection of great recipes and the author’s story will also be shared with you.
About the author: Marie Forsberg is a Norwegian culinary and lifestyle professional. She is also the creator of the blog My Cottage Kitchen. Marie currently lives in a small house in the English countryside.
The Official Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook: Teatime Drinks, Scones, Savories & Sweets (Downton Abbey Cookery)
No products found.
“It’s a beautiful book. It’s made to look like an old book. It’s well made and has a satin ribbon bookmark attached. The photos in the book are beautiful, and the food looks great.”- F. Hawver
Afternoon tea is a revered and treasured tradition of the English, and probably no one knows more appropriate how to prepare and enjoy a tea than the residents of Downton Abbey. With this alluring and vibrant cookbook, you can stage every stylish element of this cultural staple of English as well as British society at home.
This elegant book captures the teatime’s essence at Downton Abbey with classic recipes for etiquette notes, sweets and savories, tea service knowhow, and lavish imagery to recreate the English tradition. Especially in this book, you can find sweet and savory classics such as Bakewell Tart, toffee pudding, Battenberg, cream scones, and tea sandwiches.
About the author: Downton Abbey is the author of this book. It not only has experience in afternoon tea but also cocktail with the book titled “The Official Downton Abbey Cocktail Book: Appropriate Libations for All Occasions (Downton Abbey Cookery)”
Traditional Cooking of the British Isles: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales: 360 Classic Regional Dishes With 1500 Beautiful Photographs
No products found.
“This book is well put together. I love the organization of the recipes but I also like the history and tidbits of information. The pictures are gorgeous, and the recipes easy to follow. I couldn’t have envisioned a better book! This book was exactly what I was looking for and more!” – AndAngelia
In the original introduction of the book, the author gives you a lot of information about English Food origin. This book offers a collection of classic regional dishes with gorgeous photographs that have made this book worthwhile. Here are all the best-loved dishes that you can find in this cookbook: Cornish Pasties, Lancashire Hotpot, Bara Brith – and lesser-known delights.
About the author: “Traditional Cooking of the British Isles: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales: 360 Classic Regional Dishes With 1500 Beautiful Photographs” was completed thanks to the contributions of three authors: Annette Yates, Georgina Campbell, and Christopher Trotter. Here are some other impressive books by these authors:
- Traditional Welsh Home Cooking: 65 Classic Recipes
- A Taste of Wales: Discover the Essence of Welsh Cooking with Over 30 Classic Recipes Shown in 130 Stunning Colour Photographs
- The Combination Microwave Cook: Recipes for Combination Microwaves and Microwaves with Built-in Grills
- Irish Country House Cooking: The Blue Book Recipe Collection
- With Delicious Dishes To Represent The Best Of Every County And Region
- The Best Of Irish Breads & Baking: Traditional
The London Cookbook: Recipes from the Restaurants, Cafes, and Hole-in-the-Wall Gems of a Modern City
No products found.
“This cookbook is part culinary history, part character study, and all delicious.”- Shipani
This book is a compilation of 100 recipes from the city’s best restaurants, cocktail lounges, tea and coffee houses, dessert boutiques, and hole-in-the-wall gems. This timeless cookbook helps you explore London’s incredibly diverse cuisine via an eclectic mix of dishes, from Tramshed’s Indian Rock Chicken Curry to Nopi’s Sage and Cardamom Gin, and from The Cinnamon Club’s Seared Aubergine Steaks with Sesame and Tamarind to the River Cafe’s Tagliatelle with Lemon.
About the author: Aleksandra Crapanzano is the author of this book and the James Beard M.F.K. Foundation recipient. It is known as Fisher Award for Distinguished Writing, and her work has appeared in several anthologies, including Best Food Writing. In addition, she has written extensively for the New York Times, Food & Wine, Saveur, Gourmet, Departures, Travel & Leisure, and The Wall Street Journal.
Aleksandra has spent most of her life in Europe and now resides with her husband, the novelist John Burnham Schwartz and their son in Brooklyn.
British Table: A New Look at the Traditional Cooking of England, Scotland, and Wales
No products found.
“An excellent read, nice graphics, and utilitarian recipes…” – tom Hembree
“The British Table: A New Look at the Traditional Cooking of England, Scotland, and Wales” is a book honoring the best of classic and modern British cuisine.
This cookbook includes more than 150 recipes with irresistibly simple modern dishes in modern British menus and traditional regional specialties of the depth and breadth of Britain’s culinary heritage. The recipes in this book blend these tradition-based reinventions by some of the finest chefs in England, Wales, and Scotland. In particular, many dishes forgotten in the past through this book will also be rediscovered.
About the author: Colman Andrew co-founded Saveur and was its editor-in-chief from 2002 to 2006. He has also received eight James Beard Awards, including the 2010 Cookbook of the Year award for The Country Cooking of Ireland. He is considered a Spanish culinary expert and authored the first-ever Spanish Culinary Curriculum, in collaboration with Jose Andrés, for New York’s International Culinary Center.
Colman Andrew has also been awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi, the highest civilian title granted by Catalonia’s government, to recognize his services in the dissemination of Catalan cuisine around the world. He currently lives in Connecticut.
English Teatime Treats: Delicious Traditional Recipes Made Simple
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“Anything that is simple to make and delicious to eat has my immediate attention.”- Sue M. Wilson
This cookbook will provide you with recipes to make baking simpler and more delicious. Furthermore, “English Teatime Treats” is a revolutionary and powerful cookbook, so it will probably transform your cooking life.
The author has done a lot of research to create amazing processes that help you turn simple ingredients into delicious food. For the recipes in these to suit everyone of all levels, the intricate recipes have also been redesigned to be truly easy to prepare.
In this book, you will learn how to create many great recipes like:
- English Scones
- Cakes including the inspirational Medieval Honey Cake with Earl Grey Tea frosting
- English biscuits (cookies) including mouthwatering shortbreads
- Exotic Teatime Treats
- Old English Pikelets
- Savories
About the author: Sandra Hawkins is a qualified Indian teacher, apologist, author, banker, chemist, lawyer, and a head massage therapist. She is also an outstanding cook with a strong passion for food.
Sandra is married and has 3 beautiful children. They now live in a village on a beach on the south coast of England, in West Sussex.
The Ritz London: The Cookbook
No products found.
“The London Ritz is one of the world’s most beautiful hotels, and its stunning restaurant and magnificent Haute Cuisine is the jewel in the crown. This sumptuous book, with its outstanding recipes and gorgeous photographs, is a worthy tribute.”- Illuminatus
“The Ritz London: The Cookbook” – the first cookbook to share the recipes served in the restaurant. The book includes 100 delicious recipes, such as Roast scallops bergamot & avocado, Saddle of lamb belle époque, and Grand Marnier Soufflé, and is split into four seasons.
You will be sharing recipes with the seasonal dishes of meat, fish, shellfish, or poultry. And indispensable is the recipe of desserts such as pastries, perfectly-risen soufflés, mousses, ice creams, and spectacular. You will find both simple recipes and other recipes for more ambitious cooks. Especially helpful tips are included to guide you to follow at home.
About the author: John Williams is an executive chef and has overseen The Ritz restaurant since 2004. Today, he is considered as one of the most respected chefs in the U.K. John’s food is relished and savored by royalty (often the Queen), presidents, and prime ministers. He had seventeen years of experience in the kitchens of Claridge’s.
John has also won many honors during his time at The Ritz, including a Chevalier de l’Ordre du Merite Agricol (the first British chef to receive such an honor), M.B.E., and a Michelin star (2016).
Great British Cooking: A Wellkept Secret
No products found.
“This is the book I was looking for as a basis to describe all the foods one encounter while traveling in England & wondering about the whimsically-named items on the menu. I particularly wanted something to help with planning theme dinners for family & friends & this fits the bill. Recipes are well written & have interesting sidelines.”- Carol Hodge
This book will be for Americans who have never tasted the real Cornish Pasties, Scotch Woodcock (a splendid version of egg rolls), or Brown Bread Ice Cream. You’ll find recipes for sumptuous breakfasts that make England famous for the method of steaming puddings, snacks, meringues. Moreover, soups, fish, meat and games, vegetables, sauces, high teas, baked goods, pies, hotcakes, salty foods, preservatives, and sweets of all kinds can be found here clear and simple recipes with ingredients and tools translated in American terminology.
About the author: Jane Garmey is a British food writer and the author of “Great British Cooking: A Wellkept Secret.” She is currently producing a public art drama for children. Here are a few other books of Jane Garmey:
- Great New British Cooking
- Private Gardens of the Hudson Valley
- Private Gardens of Connecticut
Traditional British Cooking: The Best Of British Cooking: A Definitive Collection
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“The book provides a wide variety of recipes. The instructions are simple, precise and well-illustrated.”- Sandeep Godkhindi
“Traditional British Cooking” is a cookbook worth reading and buying. You will be presented with a collection of English food and culinary history through 200 regional recipes and 800 inspirational photos.
About the author: Hilaire Walden is the curator and editor for this series of perfect recipes. In addition, Hilaire is also the author of several other books such as:
- I Love My Barbecue: More Than 100 of the Most Delicious and Healthy Recipes For the Grill
- The Great Big Cookie Book: Over 200 Recipes for Cookies, Brownies, Scones, Bars, and Biscuits
- Harrods Book of Traditional English Cookery
- The Book of French Provincial Cooking
- North African Cooking
- Moroccan Collection: Traditional Flavors from Northern Africa
The Great British Bake Off: Everyday
No products found.
“Beautiful cookbook. Beautiful illustrations and matches show. Remember, in America that you need a scale to weigh instead of a cup to measure volume. They are very inexpensive & well worth it!”- BeautifullyBrainy
This book is the snaps of some of the best home-bakes collected for you. The recipes in this cookbook use straightforward, easy-to-follow techniques. You will also find great recipes for cakes, traybakes, biscuits, tarts, pies, puddings, bread, and desserts. The book is divided into chapters, including chapters about the best recipes, including Mary and Paul’s Signature Bakes, Technical Challenges, and Showstoppers, along with the best baking recipes. The unique thing that makes this book so appreciated is the accompanying illustrations. Next to each recipe, there are step-by-step photos to guide you through more sophisticated techniques.
It’s an excellent book for bakers who want to whip up a cake for an office party, a child’s birthday party, or pudding to follow a simple supper.
About the author: Linda Collister is the author of this book and many other cookbooks. Some books can be listed with the following title:
- Brownies
- Cooking with Kids
- Country Breads of the World
- Sensational Sauces
We hope you like this post and finally find out your favorite British cuisine cookbooks. Meanwhile, we welcome you to explore our site and discover more cookbook recommendations from the same cuisine below.
