Our monthly food and gardening columnist selects five new cookbooks to inspire you at home this month.

Beatrix Bakes by Natalie Paull

Yes, yes, I know how much you love a light, fluffy sponge and marshmallows dipped in pure chocolate. The importance of sweet food in our daily grind should never, ever be underestimated. Beatrix Bakes is a beautifully presented guide, not for the faint-hearted, to the very best baking from North Melbourne institution Beatrix.

Now for Something Sweet by Monday Morning Cooking Club

The Monday Morning Cooking Club is a unique sisterhood from Sydney, praised by such greats as Nigella Lawson and Yotam Ottolenghi. These women collect, test, curate, publish and share the best recipes in the global food-obsessed Jewish community. This is their fourth book, and they have handpicked their favorite sweet recipes from all over.

Vegan JapanEasy by Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson taps into Japan’s rich culture of cookery that’s already vegan. The classics are there, such as vegetable tempura, mushroom gyoza and fried tofu in dashi (my all-time favourite), along with clever vegan conversions for curries and ramen. This book is perfect for everyone that enjoys Japanese cuisine and understands (hint, hint) that we all need to expand our meat-free repertoire.

Ana Roš by Ana Roš (available 10 March)

Ana Roš is the award-winning chef at Slovenia’s acclaimed restaurant Hisa. This beautiful cookbook is more than just recipes – Roš shares the Slovenian landscape that inspires her and illustrates the evolution of her inventive and sophisticated food. Do not be daunted: her recipes are accessible if you have the right ingredients and tools of the trade.

The Irish Cookbook by Jp McMahon (available 10 March)

This cookbook from chef and columnist Jp McMahon includes nearly five hundred recipes (from easy to complicated) that venerate Ireland’s rich food heritage. Think oysters and seaweed from the west coast to beef and lamb from the north, to produce from throughout the island.