2005 Christmas reads: Food

Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen
By Nigel Slater
(Fourth Estate $49)

A beautiful volume which records a Slater year in his London kitchen, the doors flung open to the garden in the warm months, whereas the winter invokes a cosy mood. Slater's superb writing invites an intimate relationship with the reader and the recipes are tempting and attainable. It's nice to know, too, that he doesn't want to cook every day; fish fingers sometimes do instead.

French Odyssey
By Rick Stein
(BBC Books $59.99)

Rick leaves Chalky at home and drifts through southern France on a barge sampling the food and wine (a lot of both; he complains about getting fat) and gathering ideas for 100-plus recipes. As always with Stein, his recipes are attractive, achievable and make you look quite the kitchen whizz.

Italia: The Recipes and Customs of the Regions
By Antonio Carluccio
(Quadrille $65)

From the mountainous north, where the food is substantial, down to Emilia-Romagna, with its prosciutto, to the soups of Tuscany, the meat and game of Umbria, the chilli of Abruzzo, the seafoods of Calabria and the Arabic foods of Sicilia, this is a wonderful book by the master of Italian cuisine. Crammed with information and recipes, and gorgeous photos. Not sure I will try the sorrel and frogs legs risotto though.

Mangiare Italiano
By Maria Pia
(Penguin $45)

Wellington restaurateur Maria Pia grew up in Lecce in the south of Italy, lucky thing, and this book is a homage to her home town and family history just as much as an inspiring source of her recipes. Beautifully.laid out, with.vibrant sunshine-filled photos by Sal Criscillo.

Eggs
By Michel Roux 
(Quadrille $39.95)

"I respect the egg for its genius in all forms of cooking ... I have decided that it is time for me to write a book about this most fragile and defenceless of all foods, to bestow the egg with the honour it deserves." The Michelin star chef does the egg proud, organic or free-range, of course.

Mouthful: Simple & Stunning Party Food
By Danielle Bowater
(Awa Press $37.99)

Perfect for the festive season and summer parties. Little morsels of food from dips to tarts, fritters and skewers to antipasti and sweets. Handy drinks recipes too, and practical advice on party planning.

Off Duty: The World's Greatest Chefs Cook at Home
Compiled By David Nicholls
(HarperCollins $59.99)

Forty-eight top chefs from both sides of the Atlantic discuss their likes and dislikes in the domestic kitchen, then each offer three recipes for a starter, a main and a dessert. All the big names are here: Gordon Ramsay, Raymond Blanc, Thomas Keller, Neil Perry, Rick Stein, Nigella Lawson and Delia Smith, and the result is an interesting range of styles. Proceeds go to the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation, formed after Nicholls' son was paralysed while swimming at Bondi.         .