Ela! Ela!: To Turkey and Greece, a Journey Home Through Food by Ella Mittas

Are you wistfully dreaming of travelling through Turkey and the Greek islands, but all you can afford is a souvlaki on Sydney Road? Ella Mittas, who was taught to cook by chefs including Annie Smithers, has you covered in her first collection of recipes, essays and memories. From her home in Melbourne she bounces off to the most stunning places, using each chapter to highlight the food of a particular region, with crafted recipes that work and can be created with less fuss than ordering Uber Eats.

Ellie’s Table: Food from Memory and Food from Home by Ellie Bouhadana

During Melbourne’s endless lockdowns, Ellie Bouhadana made focaccia and pasta and delivered them to hundreds of homes. It led her to become the head chef at Hope St Radio, a wine bar and radio station named by Time Out as the ‘third coolest bar in the world’. Inspired by her Moroccan and Eastern European Jewish heritage, and her devotion to Mediterranean cuisine, Ellie’s Table is filled with stories from her travels and her kitchen. You could even consider it a journal of a dinner party with recipes. It is the happiest cookbook I have chanced across for a long time; Bouhadana is reading the room perfectly.

Greekish: Everyday Recipes with Greek Roots by Georgina Hayden

Georgina Hayden is a cook, food writer and stylist from North London who, inspired by her Greek Cypriot roots and travels around Greece, has collected recipes suitable for feasts on a Tuesday eve as well as a long Sunday gathering. She worked with Jamie Oliver for over a decade and she shares his pragmatism, making the 120 recipes included in this gorgeous book easy as pie.

Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food by Fadi Kattan

This cookbook is more than a collection of recipes, it is like taking a walk through the streets of Palestine. Fadi Kattan is a Franco-Palestinian chef living in Bethlehem. He runs two restaurants there, and another in London, as well as a fascinating and informative YouTube series profiling Palestinian grandmothers. This is a cookbook you read from cover to cover –and there is a recipe for slow-cooked lamb seasoned with cardamom that is so delicious it can silence a table.

Wholesome by Sarah: Fast Weeknight Dinner Ideas for the Whole Family by Sarah Pound

Sarah Pound is a trained nutritionist and busy woman who understands first-hand the struggle/juggle of providing meals for family life. Based in Mount Martha, she has amassed a huge following online with her no-fuss and delicious family recipes. As she says, the trick to her recipes is that there is no trickery at all. What Pound can create from a tin of tuna will ensure you are never again at a loss for a meal plan.

New Coastal: Inspiration for a Life by the Sea by Ingrid Weir

Some days I dream of waking up to an ocean and opening the windows to a horizon of blue. Ingrid Weir has travelled the coasts of Australia and the United States to bring us visions of beauty – homes and gardens by the sea. Here is my advice for a dreary Melbourne day: on your way home, buy a bundle of fish and chips, curl up on the couch with your pets, eat and turn the pages of this glorious collection of images.