We appraise hundreds of cookbooks published every year, choosing only the very best to recommend to you. Here are this month’s must-reads
PIEROGI
This is a book about Polish dumplings, of course, but it’s about so much more. Zuza Zak deliciously weaves together history, food culture and politics with stories of her homeland, interspersed with more than 50 regional recipes for pierogi of all shapes and sizes, and for all skill levels. (If you’ve never made dumplings before, this book will tell you everything you need to know.) Erudite but highly readable, it’s a book to tempt anyone to look into the delights of dumpling making. £18 Quadrille
BUTTER
A dozen chapters, each dedicated to a different use for (and reason to love) this transformative foodstuff. “Butter is about taste and pleasure,” writes Olivia Potts, then proves the point with diverse sweet and savoury recipes (all crave-worthy), alongside butter-based staples such as hollandaise and puff pastry. Among the pages you’ll find anecdotes, historical nuggets and admirable calls to action – Potts talks about the importance of buying good quality butter from welfare-minded farmers, and argues for an end to the tired ‘butter/fat is bad for you’ myth. £26 Headline Home
SPICE
Mark Diacono’s latest book is filled with recipes that are simple to make, yet give you that ‘Wow, I made this…’ feeling of accomplishment when you tuck in. It will teach you fresh uses for old standbys (cumin, black pepper) and is likely to introduce you to a few new spice-cupboard friends as well (verbena berries, kokum). A book to cook from as the nights draw in, to fill your kitchen with the warm scent of spice. £25 Quadrille
PASTA GRANNIES: COMFORT COOKING
The Pasta Grannies YouTube channel has 880,000 subscribers and this second book by Vicky Bennison brings together the most popular rec
