Clare Heal

It’s hard to pick just one Nigella but I guess it would be How to Eat which is as much fun to read as it is to cook from. I love her bluestocking sensibility and sly sense of humour.

After leaving a career in newspaper journalism I did my chef’s training at Leiths. It was a tough year but a wonderful experience. This book was our bible and I still cook from it all the time even if I don’t need to actually open it very often: the quantities and methods for my most-used dishes are internalised.

I recommend this to anyone who wants to get more into cooking. Samin Nosrat is so full of fun but also such a kind and patient teacher that it’s easy to grasp fundamentals. The illustrations by Wendy MacNaughton are just as essential as the text and convey a huge amount of information.

When attendees of my fermenting class ask me for further reading recommendations this is top of my list. James Read gives you historical context and scientific understanding of sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and other ferments along with simple recipes. It’s wittily written, has useful troubleshooting sections and super-weird-but-beautiful illustrations.

I did a stage (fancy chef-speak for work experience) at Jacob’s restaurant Bocca di Lupo which taught me a lot. So I’ll always be grateful for that. But I love the way he writes too. A little hint of arrogance - flip but firm - means you totally trust him and makes following instructions easy.

I have many, many ice cream books but this is the one I turn to every summer. The classic vanilla is a perfect version and the fruity flavours capture the very essence of their ingredients.

I came for the ferments (her tomatoes are out of this world) but fell in love with Ukranian food in general.

My mother gave me this when I went off to university. The recipes are eminently do-able and I'm sure the fact I was the only person on my staircase cooking anything other than tuna pasta helped me make friends.

Simon Hopkinson was probably the first food writer I read with regularity. My mother had the Independent delivered and I would always turn to his column on a Saturday morning.

I was drawn to this because of the Edward Bawden illustrations but it's lovely to cook from too. Heath is chatty and confiding and makes you feel very competent.