If you're searching for a last minute present for the self professed 'foodie' in your life, a good quality cookbook is a gift that will keep on giving all year round.
Whether they’re budding bakers, creative cooks or even just eager to read more from the country’s best chefs, here are 10 recipe books with Scottish roots that will make for the perfect last minute stocking filler.
Gary Maclean’s Scottish Celebrations: Treasured traditions and contemporary recipes from Scotland
Gary Maclean
In his second cookbook, Scotland’s national chef breaks the year down into chapters that are marked by events like Burns Night, New Year’s Day and Highland Games season.
For a handy list of survival tips for Christmas day in the kitchen, which Maclean shared with the Herald last month, click here.
Aran: Recipes and Stories from a Bakery in the Heart of Scotland
Flora Shedden
Great British Bake Off star Flora Shedden shares a collection of modern recipes that offer a ‘window onto a picturesque life below the highlands’ for her book which takes its name from the Scottish Gaelic word for bread.
Described as the ‘perfect gift or self-buy for beginners, established bakers, armchair travellers or any lovers of baked goods’, any foodie in your life is sure to be chuffed to find this beneath the tree.
Catalogued Ideas and Random Thoughts: A Cookbook
Stuart Ralston
Growing up in a family of chefs in Glenrothes, Ralston started working in kitchens at an early age before moving to New York to work in Gordon Ramsay’s flagship restaurant at the London Hotel.
Now back in Scotland, the restaurateur this year opened Lyla in the former home of 21212 by Paul Kitching and released Catalogued Ideas and Random Thoughts, a book that explores a series of notebooks he has kept religiously throughout his career.
The Hebridean Baker at Home: Flavours & Folklore from the Scottish Islands
Coinneach MacLeod
Coinneach MacLeod whisks readers off to the Hebridean islands in his latest book which features a selection of hearty bakes that can be recreated with simple store cupboard ingredients.
Expect plenty of songs and stories that have been passed down through generations and photography that’s sure to inspire many a staycation next year.
Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many
Jeremy Lee
In the foreword for his book, the Quo Vadis chef fondly remembers a childhood spent in Angus, and the pilgrimages his family would make across the country in search of the best ingredients including lobster and crab from the East Neuk of Fife and porridge oats from Cupar.
Although later chapters and recipes explore his London success, there’s no mistaking these early lessons have remained at the heart of his work.
The Scottish Vegan Cookbook
Jackie Jones
A handy addition to the bookshelf for anyone who is looking to tackle Veganuary or has made a resolution to explore the world of plant-based cooking next year.
Vegan recipe developer Jackie Jones set about adapting a huge selection of Scottish classics for this extensive book from haggis, neeps and tatties to sticky toffee pudding.
The 44 Scotland Street Cookbook: Recipes from the Bestselling Series by Alexander McCall Smith
Anna Marshall
A compact book inspired by the ‘countless’ scenes from the popular 44 Scotland Street novels that take place around the table, in the kitchen or a café.
Readers are invited to ‘immerse themselves in the world of Edinburgh’s New Town’, with recipes for character's favourite dishes Bertie's much-loved Panforte di Sienna and Angus Lordie's famous cheese scones developed by Anna Marshall.
Bad Girl Bakery: The Cookbook
Jeni Ianetta
Nigella Lawson is one of this book's biggest fans, describing the collection of recipes from the Muir of Ord based bakery as ‘heavenly’.
With an entire section dedicated to millionaire shortbread, she’s not wrong.
Look out for an interview with author Jeni Ianetta in the Herald in the coming weeks, as she discusses the ups and downs of running a food and drink business in the Highlands and Islands.
Tasty
Tony Singh
This summer saw celebrity chef Tony Singh hosting two pop-up restaurants in Edinburgh, receiving rave reviews for a menu inspired by his travels across the globe.
If you missed out, you can find some of his signature recipes in Tasty, a book which explores both the Leith born chef's Sikh upbringing and his love of Scottish produce.
Seafood Journey: Tastes and Tales from Scotland
Ghillie Basan
Ghillie Basan travels the country’s coastline in this book, weaving together stories from artisan smokers, boat builders and everyone in between to celebrate ‘the bounty of our seas and the people who fish, produce, sell, preserve and cook it’.
A total of 90 original recipes await any seafood fan who is lucky enough to get their hands on a copy.
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