Feast your eyes

If you want a gift for a foodie friend or to brush up on your own culinary skills before the party season, there's a cookbook out there for you, says Adam Jacques

Vegetarian Supercook

Vegetarian Supercook

Rose Elliot, Hamlyn, £16.99

One of Britain's most prolific vegetarian food writers has chosen re-interpretation as the main theme of her latest cookbook. After acknowledging that some classics have become a little staid, Elliot devotes a sizeable chunk to jazzing up old favourites, before moving on to obvious but handy topics such as world food and al fresco dining.

The First-time Cook

Sophie Grigson, Collins, £17.99

Don't know your sautéing from your searing? This book contains a smorgasbord of advice, from procuring the right kit, to effective slicing and dicing, finally putting it all into practice with over 100 recipes. And instead of just displaying glossy shots of the end product, you also get some great step-by-step visual guides, making this a perfect entrée into the world of cooking.

Story of Wine

Hugh Johnson, Mitchell Beazley, £22.50

If you're simply looking to learn about the the benefits of, say, Semillon over Sauvignon, this isn't the investment for you. But if you're interested in the back-story behind the vines, then the updated edition of this award-winner will both fascinate and inform. Flowing from the ancient empires to the New-World rush, Johnson pours us manageable servings of eye-opening detail that'll have you reaching for the nearest bottle (in a good way).

Mariage Fréres French Tea

Alain Stella, Flammarion, £30

Here is everything you could ask of a coffee-table tome: a stylish front cover and thick, glossy pages filled with iconic landscapes and meaningful close-ups. While recounting the tale of the historic Parisian tea shop, Stella takes us around the globe in pursuit of the finest leaves. The prose may be a little laborious, but the imagery is striking and there's a great chapter on boiling up a brew.

Fish Etc

Mark Hix, Quadrille, £18.99

If you're looking to expand your seafood repertoire, then this is a great catch. It's packed to the gills with recipes (over 150), and cunningly divided into six themes including fast fish, super-healthy fish and posh fish (for sheer opulence, try the fillet of sea bass with lobster mash). While some of Hix's anecdotes are a little dry, his enthusiasm is undeniable and his instructions crisp.

Jamie's Dinners

Jamie Oliver, Penguin, £20

The mockney chef's fifth literary outing proudly proclaims itself the people's cookbook. And it's not hard to see why; its populist sections (including the top-10 recipes as voted by visitors to Oliver's website), simple language and quick-and-easy meals should have broad appeal. But if you're looking for something slightly more sophisticated, this isn't quite as pukka as he makes out.

Essential Beeton

Isabella Beeton, Summersdale, £9.99

Four years in the making, Beeton's Household Management became the definitive culinary bible of the Victorian era. This condensed edition is surprisingly easy to follow, and although some of the main courses may sound a little quaint (collared pig's face, and boiled eels), there's a great section on desserts and preserves, while the section on Victorian etiquette is hilarious.

Rita's Culinary Trickery

Rita Konig, Ebury Press, £17.50

For some, cooking can be a bit like taking a road trip - luxuriating in the journey, rather than the destination. But this second book by food columnist Konig isn't about sumptuous feasts; it's geared towards putting simple, tasty fare on the table (including how to pass off "take-outs" as your own), while offering advice ranging from guest selection to impressing the in-laws (cheat).

The Handmade Loaf

Dan Lepard, Mitchell Beazley, £20

Using his travels around the bakeries of Europe as inspiration, the former Locanda Locatelli baker has risen to the occasion with this excellent guide to making bread. With almost evangelical fervour, Lepard takes us through 80 detailed recipes (the alcohol-infused numbers go down well) interwoven with slices of life from the nine countries which helped shape this tasty book.

Casa Moro

Sam & Sam Clark, Ebury Press, £25

The highly successful husband-and-wife partnership (see How We Met, page 7) that launched the award-winning Moro restaurant in Clerkenwell, have released a second book based on Spanish and Muslim-Mediterranean influences. This time they've added a sprinkling of recipes and personal tales gathered while at their second home in Andalucia, to accompany a host of home-grown creations.

Les Halles Cookbook

Anthony Bourdain, Bloomsbury, £20

Based around the recipes of the titular brasserie in New York, this honest, witty and fast-paced guide assumes you know the basics in kitchen etiquette. With dishes ranging from vichyssoise to steak tartare you'll get brusque but enlightening advice on some great dinner-party set-pieces that make the difference between pale imitation and carbon copy.

Feast

Nigella Lawson, Chatto & Windus, £25

The domestic goddess has pulled out all the stops in producing this superb celebration of special occasions, with over 300 recipes. It's all here; from Thanksgiving and New Year's, to Easter and Passover - all thoroughly covered with lashings of DIY-sauces and finished off with more cocoa-based desserts than you can shake a chocolate log at.

Larousse Gastronomique

Hamlyn, £35

This update to one of the most comprehensive and authoritative food encyclopedias around is stuffed with over 2,500 recipes within its four-book box set. And although some entries are a little low on detail, they're concise, highly accessible and, most importantly, will give others the impression you have some serious expertise in the kitchen.

India With Passion

Manju Malhi, Mitchell Beazley, £25

Once you get past the minimalist contents page, you're treated to a tour de force of Indian cooking; from the kebabs and koftas of the north, to the coconut dishes and vegetarian biryanis of the south. Throw in some stylish shots of riverside vistas, market stalls and smiling locals, and you've got the sights and smells of the Subcontinent without leaving the comfort of your kitchen.

Wine Wisdom

Susy Atkins, Quadrille, £18.99

An accessible, hands-on offering that's divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced stages. Atkins takes us through grape varieties (from the big six through to more exotic examples), the vineyards and tasting - there are 18 wine-comparison tests here. And although the buyer's guide is rather perfunctory, her tasting notes are full of character (although "lead-pencil hints" is surely pushing it).