Our favourite new cookbooks to help improve your kitchen skills

If you’ve been wanting to step up your game in the kitchen but don’t know where to start, then we have the solution for you! 

Repeating the same recipes time and time again can get boring and make meal time less exciting, so, if you want to spice-up your cooking capabilities, it's time to treat yourself to a brand new cookbook. 

There’s nothing quite like having a cookbook to refer back to for ideas for new recipes or useful tips that you may not already know. 

If you’re unsure which is the right choice for you, check out the wonderful variety below and prepare to whip up some delicious meals and sweet treats at home.

Gill's Bakes & Cakes by Gillian Cottell

Published by The O’Brien Press, Out now

Gillian Cottell is on a mission: to make the magical world of baking accessible to everyone. Her step-by-step instructions cater for all skill levels. Try sweet treats, like chocolate Florentines, a show-stopping vanilla funfetti birthday cake or baked caramel cheesecake. There’s scrumptiousness on every page, from sticky toffee cupcakes, cookies and cream fudge, to classics like millionaire’s shortbread and chocolate cake-in-a-mug. Savoury bakes include hash brown breakfast muffins, cheesy garlic pull-apart bread and chilli beef empanadas. From cookies and snacks to breads and spectacular cakes, from no-bake treats to delicious desserts, Gill will have everyone producing mouth-watering bakes and cakes in no time!

Bored of Lunch: Healthy Air Fryer 30 Minute Meals by Nathan Anthony

Published by Ebury Press, Out now

From the author of the No.1 bestselling air fryer book of all time, these super-speedy, calorie-counted air fryer recipes will ensure you have delicious, healthy food on the table in 30 minutes or less. With dishes ready in 30 minutes or less (including prep time!), this is effortless cooking to maximise flavour while minimising cooking time. As a lower-energy alternative to a conventional oven, air fryers are a cost-efficient way to make all your favourite dishes and save on your household energy bill. And with a focus on everyday, easy-to-find ingredients, this is food you can cook without breaking the bank or even a sweat.

The Batch Lady: Grab and Cook by Suzanne Mulholland

Published by Ebury Press, Out now

Grab and Cook is leading the way with this revolutionary method to put satisfying, wholesome food on the table every day. Most of these recipes take no more than 5 minutes to prepare and can be cooked there and then or popped into the freezer and grabbed out for an easy meal whenever needed. All of the vibrant and interesting recipes have instructions for cooking in multiple appliances – including over, air fryer, pressure cooker, hob, slow cooker and microwave – so you can choose one that suits you. In Grab and Cook you will find breakfast and brunch recipes, light nites and lunches, weeknight meals, Fakeaways as well as meals for family and friends, easy bakes and desserts. 

The Authentic Ukrainian Kitchen by Ievgen Klopotenko

Published by Robinson, Out now

Now, more than ever, Ukrainian cuisine and culture deserve to be known around the world. In The Authentic Ukrainian Kitchen, Ievgen Klopotenko shares the true food of Ukraine – the way it is really cooked today – with modern recipes for familiar and forgotten dishes. Klopotenko, Ukraine's most internationally celebrated chef and winner of Ukraine's MasterChef, has dedicated years of research into regional Ukrainian cooking to collect the recipes in this book. 

The Book of Chai by Mira Manek

Published by Headline Home, Out now

The Book of Chai presents 65 delicious recipes for chai, including recipes using chai spices and dishes to accompany chai. As well as explaining the health benefits and different techniques for making chai, this book contains chais for different seasons, times of day and moods. There are chais to wake you up, chais to soothe you after a stressful day and chais to help you sleep, as well as dirty chai, chocolate chai, and chais mixed with citrus and rosewater. More delicious recipes include lassis, chai spiced carrot cake, crispy pakoras and warming crumbles. The Book of Chai also explores the fascinating history of the beverage and its role in Indian life and culture. Evocative ‘chai stories’ of the author’s personal chai memories are blended throughout, bringing to life the importance of this drink and the way it brings family, history and culture together. 

Fitwaffle’s No-Bake Baking by Eloise Head

Published by Ebury Press, Out now

Discover 100 delicious recipes that don't require an oven. From cheesecakes, ice cream and truffles to desserts made on the hob, in a microwave and air fryer, not one of these recipes needs you to turn on your oven. You'll find brand-new recipes using popular flavours, as well as highly-requested fan favourites, many of which have fewer than 5 ingredients and one-tin options to save on washing up. There are even no-bake brownies, cookies and cakes, plus 10 savoury recipes – so there’s something for everyone. 

Exploding Tomatoes and Other Stories by Sophie Grigson

Published by Headline Home on July 4

Sophie Grigson begins another adventure driving along the coastal ‘instep’ of southern Italy in her trusty purple car. She travels between little fishing ports and explores Puglia’s gay capital, then heads into the wild hills of Basilicata and Calabria’s high Sila famed for its chestnuts and mushrooms. She later ends her journey in the bergamot orchards clustering around Reggio. In this book, Sophie charts the local delicacies, ingredients and producers; through recipes and stories. Prepare to be immersed in the beauty, culture, food and characters of southern Italy.