Recent Cookbooks on My Shelf - January-March 2025

New Year, New Cookbooks (need new shelves!) - Extra Food Chat with Kath

Welcome to another edition of Extra Food Chat with Kath!

Within the first three months of the year, I have managed to acquire a few new cookbooks - is anyone surprised?! Between vouchers post holiday season, time spent near good bookshops, and the inevitable book order made after ‘just having a look at what the Book Grocer has at the moment’, I have more cookbooks than I have time to read and cook out of (at the moment anyway!).

There are some really good titles that have been released recently, and while I haven’t been able to cook from them yet, I still think they are worth chatting about.

Obviously cookbooks are about recipes, but I think they are also about stories, photography, setting a mood, inspiration, design, food writing and learning. If you have read any of my previous cookbook reviews either here on my newsletter or on my blog, you will know I love books that have some kind of story, great photography and design. The recipes are important, but I find I get a lot out of cookbooks even if I don’t end up making anything from a book.

The books I have chosen for this post are full of all of the above, so I hope you enjoy hearing more about them.

This post is a bit long, so you may need to click through at the prompt if you are viewing via email to read the entire thing. On to the reviews!

Rolling Up Their Sleeves by Those Barossa Girls - This cookbook looks like it has been a true labour of love. This book, by Those Barossa Girls a.k.a Sheralee Menz and Marieka Ashmore, is a modern companion to the original The Barossa Cookery Book (first published in 1917 as a fundraiser). Rolling Up Their Sleeves re-publishes some of the original recipes with modern adaptations and testing (and photos!), but maybe more importantly, tells the story of the Barossa community and the women who contributed these recipes. It is clear that so much research has gone into this cookbook, so much generosity from the Barossa community and those relatives of original contributors able to share their memories of it all.

When reading the stories of the women who contributed to the initial editions of The Barossa Cookery Book (1917,1920 & 1932), I was often amazed and how much information Those Barossa Girls were able to find out. I heard this project was 6 years in the making, so it is clear that every detail has been thought of and every care taken to share these women’s lives with us, as well as their recipes. The recipes in this book vary from savoury to sweet, dinner to snacks, so there is something for everyone. I am keen to try the German Coffee Cake (p.198) and Honig Kuchen (biscuits similar to a gingerbread) (p.138), though many of the jams and pickles take my fancy too!

This book is a feat of self-publishing, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in food and history.

Tabkha: Recipes from Under the Rubble by Mona Zahed (Slingshot Books on behalf of Coffees for Gaza) - This book is a real feat of community and resilience. Tabkha contains recipes from Mona Zahed, a Palestinian woman in Gaza whose food delivery business has been decimated by the current occupation and bombardment of Gaza by Israel. Mona says “This book saved my love for cooking”, and all profits go to Mona and her family/community via collective Coffees for Gaza. Tabkha is published in a picture book style, and all recipes are illustrated by a variety of different illustrators from around the world.

Despite the horrible circumstances in which this book has come about, Tabkha still feels joyful. Mona’s love of food and cooking is evident and the illustrations are colourful and engaging. The sense of community and solidarity with Palestinians like Mona is also so clear from the amount of people from around the world that worked together to produce this book.

The recipes shared are popular and traditional dishes found on Palestinian tables, many are from Gaza specifically. I think some prior knowledge of cooking will be helpful with many of these recipes, as the method for each is quite brief. I think though, in this case, the recipes are secondary to the purpose and support this publication has given Mona, and continuing our support of Palestinians and amplifying their voices. Not to mention writing a cookbook under bombardment must be near impossible, with recipe testing not an option at all. I don’t think it’s unreasonable in these circumstances to write a few of our own notes as we go through these recipes, and hopefully allow them to become favourites in our kitchens as they have been for Mona, her family and customers.

The first print run in Australia has now sold out, however you can pre-order for the next print run here. You can also follow Tabkha cookbook on Instagram, as there are still a few opportunities to pick up a copy at various in person events.

Danube by Irina Georgescu (Hardie Grant) - As all of Irina’s books have been, Danube is a gorgeous look at a part of the world we might to have seen many cookbooks cover before. Danube focuses on recipes and stories from Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria as they intersect with the Danube river. There are many ethnic influences in this area, which makes the food interesting and diverse, as well as having its own style both similar to and different from other Eastern European cuisines.

The location photography is wonderful, and I really enjoy the illustrations that can be found within the book and also on the cover. As with Irina’s other books, there is lots of learn about the places and cultures shared in this book, not just from the recipes but her writing too. There are quite a few vegetarian recipes in this book, with a mixture of both sweet and savoury. I am keen to try the Chicken Pilaf with Potatoes and Garlic Courgettes (p.210), Salt-Baked Rainbow Trout with Tomato Dressing and Polenta (p.190) and Quince with Rice and Rosemary (p.147).

Baking Beyond the Paywall: My reviews of Persian Feasts and Scottish Celebrations are below for paid subscribers.

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