Here on GFL we want to find out which are your favourite cook books. We are going to be launching a poll on the show next week - looking for the viewers choice. We want your votes for the following categories....

1. Best Cook book for a serious cook.

2. Best cook book for a beginner.

3. Desert Island Book (the book you'd take with you if you could only choose one!)

They can be new/old - I want to know what you think. Elaine

1. Having trouble with this one, immediate thought is Gary Rhodes
2. Anything by Jamie Oliver, Delia's Back to Basics, 1001 series
3. Rose Elliott Veggie Cookbook (can't live without it)

Best book for a beginner would have to be anything by Nigel Slater.He uses good plain english with good ingridients and is a good all rounder.
Desert island,I would be tempted by Mrs Beeton,full of information and good ideas,but sometimes so out of date I would p myself laughing!Serious book I just cannot do,I dont do the s word.Well maybe Alan Coxon,he is brimming with info but I dont think he has a book out does he?

1. Larousse Gastronomique - preferably a pre-war or 1940s-50's one (the new one does not contain my favourite childhood stuffed camel fantasy recipe that I remember reading at my nana's house)
2. Definitely the Reader's Digest Cookery Year - with guides to shopping, choosing, equipment techniques and seasonal cooking
3. No idea - don't really use them anymore. A permanent subscription to Food Illustrated? If it was a cold Island, I would like the "Northern Cookbook" from the Ministry of Indian Affairs, Ottawa, Canada, edited by Eleanor A. Ellis (sadly out of print and our family copy has disappeared). It is the funniest cookery book you have ever seen (it has lovely line drawn cartoons of eskimos making fun of the silly white man settlers) and also teaches you how to catch fish from holes in the ice, how to skin a polar bear (and which bits you can eat) and how to make your own matches. It is just marvellous. Probably won't win many votes, but I just wish I could get hold of a copy again.

Hiya, my best serious cook book would have to be Hugh Fearnley Whittingstalls River Cottage cook book...serious recipes with serious ingredients and loads of information and advice. Best book for beginners would be the River Cafe books... good introduction to rissottos and pasta, simple and intermediate sauces, good info about ingredients and as for the desert island, I've got to agree with Aya about the Mrs Beeton, I inherited one from my mother in law and it's a brilliant read!!

My favourite choice for beginners is Margarite Patten Everyday Cooking she taught me how to cook when |Iwas first married along with an M&s Book called the All colour Cookery Book. I'm like aya don't go in for serious Cookery Books although I do have one from the 1930's called Everything Within which shows how to cook Cows brains and Cow heels.
If I had to Take one to a desert Island it would be Margarite Patten.

1. Larousse Gastronomique
2. Mrs Beetons book of Cookery and household management
3. Ray Mears survival guide

1. Don't really do "serious" cooking, so no opinion about this.
2. Delia Smith - either "The Complete Cookery Course" or the "How To Eat" series.
3. A book containing pasta and pasta sauce recipes.

OOOh Ralph,good point,if there was a RAy Mears cook book I would but it just for the interesting bits and bobs he woukd probably add.Good thinking Batman!!

This one really got me thinking! Serious: definitely Larousse. I've got the 'New' Larousse published in 1960. It's hopeless for anything modern but if you want to go back to basics it is a must have. Beginner: I started with Readers Digest Cookery Year and the recently published edition must be much more up to date than mine and would probably be my choice. Desert Island: Food For Free by John Mabey or the desert island equivalent thereof. Failing that I have a useful tome called 'Integrated Food Science and Technology for the Tropics' That would be handy!

A tough one, but think it would be Escoffier (The Complete Guide to the art of Modern Cookery) for the serious cook; Mastering the Art of French Cookery Vol 1, Beck Bertholle and Child, for the beginner and because I could not envisage life without another curry 50 Great Curries of India (Camelila Panjabi) - don't often cook the recipes but could dream

Thank you.....now I feel such a dunce!!!.Sorry Mary and Sylvia but I havent heard of anyone you mention,I am such a worthess item!!!even the neighbours are banging in agrement!!

Don't worry Aya, neigher have I!! ps I haven't heard of Ray Mears either (she says hanging her head in shame).

Hiya,

For serious cook book I would have to agree with Larousse Gastronomic, or the complete Escoffier. They are both great.

Beginner book I would strongly say Chef school from the Leigh school of cookery, it is a great book for those who are intimerdated in the Kitchin, I would also say for those who are enthusiastic but in experience Gary Rhodes new british classics is clear easy and produces wonderfull dishs.

My desert island book is the hardest, after mulling over the serious cook books and various celeb chefs ones, I came back to Elizabeth Davids french provincial cooking. I absolutly adore this book.

I hope you enjoy reading my picks as much as i enjoyed all of yours )

Leiths Cookery Bible fits the first two categories, it is a book for the serious foodie, has everything for the beginner all the techniques and information you need to produce a meal for everyday or dinner party occasions, and for the dessert island book I would pick Madhur Jaffreys World Vegetarian, it is stuffed full of delicious recipies, then you wouldn't have to kill anything while you were there, which would be entirely too icky for words, yuk!

I could not agree with Allyson more! No killing animals. It would be just too difficult. But not many cook books that we get here would work on a desert island and I wonder how many of Madhur's ingredients would be available?

1. would have to be "the internet" a tool which 18 months ago I was heard to be saying of " why would I want to use it?" it is indispensable esp. for the wierd and wonderful as well as the everyday recipe.
2. for the beginner Jamie Oliver because he has an enthusiasm for food and a bung it in attitude that should encourage even a beginner.
and lastly 3. the desert island and here I would cheat and snaffle in food for free (was my bible in the 80's) raw energy (in case I could not start the fire and a herbal enc. I know I am a cheat but ~

I posted 'Food for Free' as my Desert Island book. But I said it was by John Mabye. Sorry, it's by Richard Mabey

LYNN.9/1/03 FAVOURITE COOK BOOKS.
FOR THE SERIOUS COOK I WOULD HAVE TO GO WITH GARY RHODES AT THE TABLE.FOR THE BEGINNER IT WOULD BE DELIA SMITH AND HER HOW TO COOK BOOK.AS FOR THE DESERT ISLAND OPTION MY PREFERENCE WOULD BE NIGELLA LAWSONS HOW TO EAT.I MUST CONFESS THAT ANYTHING BY NIGELLA LAWSON OR NIGEL SLATER WOULD GET MY VOTE.