This past year was a little bit light in terms of cookbook purchases for me. The main reason? I’m running out of room! But rest assured, 2016 will be different – Paul has promised to build me a wall of bookshelves just to house my books! Hooray!

In the meantime, I did manage to pick up some of the “must-have” books on my Wishlist and happily discovered some other great ones by luck. I’ve picked 11 of my favourites that were released this past year. I’m positive I’ve left some very worthy books off this list – some on purpose, others by accident and the rest because I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy yet!

So have a read through my list (the books are listed in no particular order) and then hit the comments with your own favourite food books of 2015!

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. However, I am part of the Amazon affiliate program and the Amazon links shared in this post are affiliate links – if you click them and purchase the product (or any other product during your visit), I’ll receive a very tiny commission fee (at no extra cost to you).

RICE, NOODLE, FISH – MATT GOULDING

One of my favourite discoveries of 2015 (thanks sis!), Rice, Noodle, Fish is a stunning book that is part travel guide and part food tour in one beautiful volume. The writing and narrative is both inspiring and informative and makes any food-lover want to book a trip to Japan immediately so that they can start discovering all the wonderful foods and tastes described in this book for themselves. As someone who travels for the food as much as the sights and culture, I wish every country had a travel guide like this one.

Purchase Rice, Noodle, Fish on Amazon.

THE STARS OF SUMMER – TARA DAIRMAN

In the second installment of Tara’s ‘All Four Stars’ trilogy, intrepid little foodie and restaurant critic Gladys Gatbsy is back and better than ever. This time, she’s dealing with summer camp, an obnoxious author, swimming lessons and, her latest assignment, finding the best hot dog in New York City. This book may be written with the middle-grade school set in mind, but I think all young-at-heart foodies will still find a lot of enjoyable reading within these covers. (p.s. I want a lobster backpack!)

Read my full review here. Purchase The Stars of Summer on Amazon .
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DONNA BELL’S BAKE SHOP – PAULEY PERRETTE, DARREN GREENBLATT & MATTHEW SANDUSKY

Confession time: I initially picked up this book because of Pauley’s involvement (she plays Abbey on NCIS), but after buying it and trying a few recipes, I was hooked. Not only are the recipes tempting and easy to follow, but the stories of the three author’s lives and how they became friends and then partners in the bakery business, was incredibly fun to read. Definitely not the usual ‘TV celebrity’ cookbook, this has become one of my favourite baking books.

Purchase Donna Bell’s Bake Shop on Amazon.
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A LIFE OF SPICE – MONICA BHIDE

A collection of short food-related essays ranging from inspiring to humourous, Monica is one of those rare writers whose prose makes me want to pull out photo albums, bake a cake, eat Indian food, hug my mom and travel to another country… all at the same time. A Life of Spice is both personal and worldy and some of the best food-writing I’ve come across in a long time.

Read my full review here. Purchase A Life of Spice on Amazon.
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THE FOOD LAB – J. KENJI LÓPEZ-ALT

When I heard that Kenji (I read everything he writes on Serious Eats) was putting out a book, it went right to the top of my wishlist. Full of charts (I love food charts) and science (I also love food science), The Food Lab focuses on the science behind the cooking and with hundreds of recipes with simple-to-follow techniques and step-by-step photos, every cook should have this book in their kitchen.

Purchase The Food Lab on Amazon.
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NOPI – YOTAM OTTOLENGHI & RAMAEL SCULLY

This is another ‘restaurant cookbook’ and while the recipes tend to be on the more difficult side, I have this book on my list because a) it’s Ottolengthi and b) it’s a beautiful book. Don’t get me wrong, I know several friends and bloggers who have tried recipes from this book with great success, but for me… I just like looking through the book. Definitely more time-consuming and with more expensive ingredients than the other Ottolenghi books I’ve tried in the past, I would still recommend this book for more ambitious cooks, or anyone who just wants a beautiful cookbook.

Purchase NOPI on Amazon.
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HOMEMADE MEMORIES – KATE DORAN

When I first saw this book mentioned on Twitter, I immediately hit Amazon to check it out. Yes, this is another book by a food blogger, but wow, what a blogger! Kate is one of the top UK food bloggers and I’m a huge fan of her blog, The Little Loaf. I’m also a huge fan of re-visiting memories through food and loved the idea of a book dedicated to re-creating childhood memories through baked goods.

Purchase Homemade Memories on Amazon.
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DINNER FOR TWO – JULIE WAMPLER

Another ‘book by a food blogger’, this was the one book I had to buy in 2015. You see, I have been a major fan of Julie’s blog, Table for Two, since I entered into the world of food blogs back in 2012. Besides being tasty and easy to make, one of my favourite things about Julie’s recipes (and one of the things that attracted me to her blog) is that many of her recipes are designed for ‘two’ (hence the name) – which is much appreciated since Paul and I get tired of trying to scale down recipes built for 8 or eating leftovers for days. You can read more about how amazing Julie was to a new blogger (that would be me) in my upcoming review of her book, but let’s just say that Julie is AMAZING – not just as a person (she is) but also as a blogger and now author.

Purchase Dinner for Two on Amazon.
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BUTTER CELEBRATES! – ROSIE DAYKIN

After receiving Rosie’s debut cookbook, Butter Baked Goods, as a gift a couple of years ago, I’ve been hooked on this little bake shop’s recipes. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Rosie’s second book, Butter Celebrates, and wasn’t disappointed with the result. Baked goods are obviously a huge part of any celebration that I plan or take part in and this book is filled with beautiful and delicious recipes for every occasion.

Purchase Butter Celebrates on Amazon.
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SIMPLY NIGELLA – NIGELLA LAWSON

Admittedly not my favourite Nigella book, this is still one that should be on every Nigella fan’s shelves. The focus of this latest cookbook (her first since Nigellissima in 2012) is ‘simple cooking’ – comfort food and quick to prepare foods that people can prepare on a daily basis without breaking the bank (or spending hours in the kitchen). There has been a lot of talk about the recipes being too simple, but for me, this is still a book worthy of a spot on my shelves.

Purchase Simply Nigella on Amazon.
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FOOD52 GENIUS RECIPES – KRISTEN MIGLORE

I’m a regular reader of the website Food52 and their recipes are always so gorgeous and inspiring. The description of this book on Amazon sums it up pretty well: “Genius recipes surprise us and make us rethink the way we cook. They might involve an unexpectedly simple technique, debunk a kitchen myth, or apply a familiar ingredient in a new way. They’re handed down by luminaries of the food world and become their legacies. And, once we’ve folded them into our repertoires, they make us feel pretty genius too. In this collection are 100 of the smartest and most remarkable ones.”

Purchase Food52 Genius Recipes on Amazon.
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Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. However, I am part of the Amazon affiliate program and the Amazon links shared in this post are affiliate links – if you click them and purchase the product (or any other product during your visit), I’ll receive a very tiny commission fee (at no extra cost to you) which helps me keep this site running. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.