6 new and upcoming cookbooks you should add to your 2023 reading list

Start of the new year means new resolutions, no matter how lofty or silly they may seem—to make the most of your gym membership, to not have the same sad lunch every day, to become the best version of yourself…the list goes on. While we are not sure about you smashing your fitness goals or working on yourself, there’s one thing we are sure of—there will be no boring meals on the cards for you in 2023, if these cookbooks have anything to do with it. From a book that’s all about utilising every part of the vegetable, to another that encourages you to get your kids into the kitchen, we forecast nothing but deliciousness.
Read on for the books that we can’t wait to cook from this year.

If you’re a baking aficionado 

Love Is a Pink Cake: Irresistible Bakes for Morning, Noon, and Night by Claire Ptak

If you are remotely into baking, then chances are you would have heard of pastry chef Claire Ptak, who is most known for baking Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding cake. The California native who now calls London her home has her second book coming soon, which is all about cakes. In Love Is a Pink Cake, Ptak drives home her motto of how cake is the perfect symbol of love, and depicts it through seasonal recipes that celebrate it—think peaches and cream angel food cake, strawberry-coconut meringue cake, and the sought-after recipe for the royal wedding cake too. 

If you’re looking to add more regional Indian recipes to your repertoire 

The Great Indian Thali: Seasonal Vegetarian Wholesomeness by Nandita Iyer 

Nandita Iyer, celebrity chef and author of the popular food blog ‘The Saffron Trail’, dives deep into the culinary traditions of India to bring vegetarian recipes that you will keep coming back to. With 70 simple recipes that highlight regional cuisine made with local produce spanning fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and cereals, The Great Indian Thali is a must-have in your bookshelf. 

If you like your recipes with a side of storytelling

A Cook’s Book by Nigel Slater

Nigel Slater, renowned cookbook author and long time food columnist for The Observer, gets personal in his latest—A Cook’s Book. Part memoir and part cookbook, it has over 150 recipes that come with tales of him trying out the dishes for the first time—like his first jam tart and the bite of his first baguette in Paris, to stories of how he learned to cook on his own. You’ll also discover tips and tricks that he has collected over years of cooking, like how to get whipped cream just right and making the perfect roast chicken. 

If you’re trying to reduce food waste in your kitchen

The Whole Vegetable by Sophie Gordon 

London-based Sophie Gordon is a vegetarian chef and recipe developer who likes working with seasonal and local produce, which reflects in her cookbook—The Whole Vegetable. Find 130 plant-based recipes that make the best use of vegetables, from summer to winter, like beetroot and white bean tacos, whole-baked harissa cauliflower, and more. 

If you are on the lookout for small-batch recipes

Table for Two: Recipes for the Ones You Love by Bre Graham

Who says cooking for two has to be boring? In Table for Two, find show-stopping small-batch recipes that you can cook for your loved ones—be it your partner, your best friend, or your mom.  The cookbook, which is Bre Graham’s first, focuses on recipes that look elaborate enough to impress your special someone, but can be whipped up with minimal effort. The recipes are accompanied by illustrated essays on themes like the joy of delivery pizza and cooking a multi-course meal. 

If you want to share the joy of baking with your little ones

Little Book of Cookies by Pooja Dhingra    

Celebrity pastry chef Pooja Dhingra, the founder of Le 15 and author of several cookbooks, is here with her latest, which is aimed at kids. Little Book of Cookies features 24 cookie recipes that are all easy to make keeping the target audience in mind, and spotlight a mix of both sweet and savoury treats. "I’ve always wanted to write a baking book for kids, ever since I got my first Tarla Dalal cookbook for kids. Over the last couple of years I’ve spent a lot of time with nieces, nephews and close friends' kids and finally decided the time was right. Working on a recipe book for children, with an eager bunch of them involved, has been an inspiring journey," says Dhingra.

All images: Courtesy publishers