Cookbooks Worth Waiting for 2025 Part 2

It’s time for another worth waiting for list! The wait for a few of these isn’t long at all, so new cookbooks are in our very near future. This list is a mix of authors I have bought from before, plus those I haven’t or this is their first cookbook.

I am exicted for each of these for different reasons, but overall I think they will not only be worth the wait, but will also add something special my cookbook collection.

Which upcoming releases are you most looking forward to? Let me know in the comments below.

Boustany by Sami Tamimi (June) - Ok I know I am cheating a bit here, as I usually commence the second half of this list with releases from July onwards, but I couldn’t leave this one out. I really enjoyed Sami’s last book Falastin, and I am really excited to see his first solo publication Boustany. Boustany will focus on vegetable and grain forward dishes, which pay homage to Palestinian cuisine and culture, and Sami’s upbringing. 

Handfuls of Sunshine by Tilly Pamment (July) - I have utterly adored and genuinely baked a lot from Tilly’s first book, The Plain Cake Appreciation Society, so I am extremely excited to see what her second has in store for us. Handfuls of Sunshine will focus more on smaller and bite sized bakes, and by the looks of it, with Tilly’s trademark use of flavour and the gorgeous styling utilising fresh flowers we have come to know and love. 

Modern Australian Baking by Christopher Thé (July) - There are a few other baking books in the upcoming releases for the second half of this year, but nothing is exciting me more than Tilly’s new book and the promise of a cookbook from Christopher Thé. Christopher, who began Black Star Pastry and created the Strawberry Watermelon Cake, hasn’t written a cookbook before, so it’s great to finally be able to use his recipes in our own kitchens. This book is arranged by season, and utilises many native Australian ingredients, which I’m thinking will set it apart from many other baking books in the market. 

Chesnok by Polina Chesnakova (September) - I am having a really good time exploring more about Eastern European food this year, so I am keen to see Polina’s contribution with her upcoming book Chesnok. This book will cover recipes from Polina’s connection to the diaspora of Eastern Europe, as well as the Caucasus and Central Asia. Recipes from Polina’s childhood and family will be shared, as well as profiles of influential cooks in her life. I am really looking forward to this one. 

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Cookbooks Worth Waiting for 2025 Part 1 - A Recap

It’s finally time to check back in with my cookbooks worth waiting for list for the first half of 2025. Were the cookbooks waiting for? In short, yes! I am enjoying all four of these new cookbooks, have a read below for more on each one.

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Sour Cherries and Sunflowers by Anastasia Zolotarev (Quadrille)* - To say this book is an absolute joy is an understatement. Sour Cherries and Sunflowers is generous and inviting, with Anastasia bringing us into her families Ukrainian and Belarusian heritage through treasured recipes and family favourites. Sour Cherries and Sunflowers has a variety of recipes from things to enjoy in the morning, preserves, recipes to share and celebrate. This book may on the face of it seem similar to Kapusta below, however the two, whilst sharing some similarities, are quite different in terms of focus, design, photography and feel.

I was fortunate to attend a cooking class with Anastasia last weekend, which focused on making varenyky, Ukrainian dumplings. We made the kefir based dough found on page 95 of Anastasia’s cookbook, and a dairy free alternative, with three different fillings. The varenyky were delicious, especially served with slow cooked onions and sour cream. We also tried rye bread topped with beetroot prune and walnut salad (p.158), plus Tvorog Stuffed Aubergine Rolls (p.162), the Apple Pear and Blackcurrant variation of the crumble on page 190, a Chocolate Buckwheat Cake with Sour Cherry Sauce (p.192), Sauerkraut with Apple (p.64-5) and the sour cherry variation of the redcurrant kompot (similar to a homemade cordial) on page 91. Everything was delicious and I want to make almost everything again! I have also made Babushka Liana’s Aubergine Ikra (p.160), which is like a dip with Aubergine, capsicum and tomato, which I will definitely be making again. 

The recipes in this book are clearly a stand out (and if you can get to any of Anastasia’s book events you can try some for yourself as I did!), and there are even more I want to try. Aside from the recipes, the cover illustration is beautiful and the photography and styling is absolutely gorgeous. The use of light really stands out to me in the images, and there is such a calm inviting feel to the images and the book itself. 

*Thanks to Anastasia and Hardie Grant for gifting me a copy of this book.

Kapusta by Alissa Timoshkina (Quadrille) - Kapusta, the first of a small handful of Eastern European focused cookbook releases this year, is a triumph of vegetable forward recipes highlighting the most commonly used vegetables in Eastern Europe - cabbage (or Kapusta as it is known in the various Slavic languages across the region), beetroot, potato, carrot and mushrooms. The chapters of the book are divided by these vegetables, plus a chapter for dumplings and ferments, two staples of much Eastern European cuisine. Through Kapusta, Alissa is aiming to show what variety and flavour vegetable forward Eastern European recipes have, moving away from the boring cabbage trope many in Western countries have associated with Eastern European cuisine. I really think Alissa has achieved this, by presenting the recipes in a vibrant and interesting way, highlighting the differences and similarities of the various food cultures that make up Eastern European cuisine. If you were wanting to add more vegetable to your cooking repertoire, this is certainly a great book to help you with that. I also think between Kapusta and Sour Cherries and Sunflowers above, those of us who don’t eat much cabbage and don’t really know what to do with it, will have a whole new lease on our vegetable cooking and eating lives!

Beyond the interesting and accessible nature of the recipes, the research that has gone into them is clear when reading the headers for each recipe. Alissa has made an effort to highlight recipes from lesser known and minority cultures within Eastern Europe, such as the Volga Tatars and the Udmurts. There are also a number of recipes of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, which together with the recipes from other minority groups and those recipes we may be more familiar with, creates an understanding of the diversity that exists, and has existed forever in Eastern Europe, despite the image of and forced nature of the uniformity of the region especially under Soviet rule. 

The illustrations in Kapusta are really wonderful, and along with the design and colour scheme of the book create a bright vibrant, yet soft and calm feel to the book. The photography and styling in Kapusta also contributes to this feel, the use of shadow in some of the images reminds me that many of the vegetables Kapusta showcases are found predominantly in the cooler months, but that food and ingredients such as these can always bring light and colour to our kitchens and tables. In terms of recipes I have made the Beetroot and Egg Garlicky Mayo Spread (p.60) twice now, it was delicious on fresh bread and bread rolls for lunch. I also would love to try the Polish Potato and Gherkin Salad (p.84), the Tatar Manti with Carrots and Pumpkin (p.120) and the Knishes - Ashkenazi Buns with Caramelised Carrots and Chicken (p.138). 

For more on Kapusta check out this interview with Alissa by Anna Kharzeeva on Instagram.

Lugma by Noor Murad (Quadrille) - Noor, who has previously co-authored books with Yotam Ottolenghi, brings us a generous and flavourful look at food from her Middle East. Noor grew up in Bahrain, though her Mother is English so she has quite a varied influence when it comes to food. Noor acknowledges in Lugma that her version of Middle Eastern food is highly influenced by going up in the Gulf, as opposed to the food of the Levant which many outside the Middle East are more familiar with. As I expected, the recipes in Lugma appear to be really flavourful, full of spices in particular. Many of the recipes, which mostly focus on the savoury though there are a few sweet as well, seem hearty, many needing a bit of time to stop and prepare. The kinds of things a little time taken to make will reward you with a delicious flavourful meal, and hopefully some leftovers too. 

Noor’s writing throughout Lugma is really engaging, and through that plus the recipes and photos, the reader gets to view Bahrain, a part of the Middle East not often covered in Western cookbooks, through Noor’s eyes and kitchen. The food photography in this book is clear and bright, with the location photography really highlighting the food and natural environment of Bahrain. As you might expect from someone who worked in the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, you’ll need a few spices and ingredients you might not already have to make some of these recipes - though I think your pantry and your table will be richer and tastier for it. Top of my list to try are the  Chicken Koftas with Fresh Tomato Sauce (p.209) and Muhammad oo Samak: Date Molasses Rice with Fish (p.139).

Rooza by Nadiya Hussain (SourceBooks) - Nadiya has published many cookbooks, but Rooza feels extra special. Rooza is an exploration of Islamic recipes inspired by Ramadhan and Eid, something that is very close to Nadiya’s heart and something she hasn’t been able to explore much via her cookbooks until now. Rooza has a rich, vibrant and generous feel to it, with slightly moody photography that utilises the contrast between shadow and light. The recipes stem from countries who have Muslim populations who observe Ramadhan including Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia and Pakistan. The recipes which could be served as a dinner to break the fast, are complete meals in that they contain the sides to serve as well as the main element to the meal. So you don’t have to go searching for what to serve with it, Nadiya has made it really simple. There are also many sweet options throughout the book as well, which you could pair with the dinner options to serve as dessert. 

Outside of observing Ramadhan and celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr, these recipes would be wonderful for any celebration, weekend meal, or even just a super tasty weeknight meal. The only thing I don’t like about this book is that I somehow managed to buy an American version, so all the recipes are in cups and Imperial measures! I’m hoping to find a UK published copy at some point to replace the one I have, but aside from that I am really enjoying this book from Nadiya.

To hear Nadiya talk more about Rooza check out this video on Instagram.

Cookbooks Worth Waiting For in 2025 Part 1

EDIT May 2025 - If you are keen to hear my final thoughts on all these books please click here to read the reviews now they have all been released! Thanks Kath.

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A new year equals new cookbooks! There are many to look forward to already in 2025, below are my top picks for the first half of the year.

2025 already seems to have a strong showing for Eastern European cuisine and stories, as well as cookbooks featuring Middle Eastern and South Asian food and authors. Diversity in cookbooks I think, is intrinsic to a good cookbook collection, so I am very much looking forward to learning more and discovering more recipes this year.

My picks feature cookbooks from first time authors and those with a book or two on our shelves already, these picks are as always a bit of a mixed bag but all titles I think will be worth waiting for! This list doesn’t capture everything that is coming soon in the world of cookbooks in the first half of 2025, and there are certainly more books I am keen to check out. Any other books added to my collection over the year will be reviewed over on my newsletter, sign up here so you get to read all the cookbook reviews and support my work.

Kapusta by Alissa Timoshkina (March 2025) - It’s been a while between books for Alissa, so I’m really looking forward to what Kapusta will bring. This book is all about vegetable forward recipes from Eastern Europe, which I think sounds very interesting and a way of looking at the food and food traditions of the various countries that make up Eastern Europe in a different way then we’ve seen before.

Sour Cherries and Sunflowers by Anastasia Zolotarev (April 2025) - Another Eastern European centric release, is this first cookbook by Anastasia Zolotarev. I’ve seen a bit of the behind the scenes of the making of the book from Anastasia on Instagram, which is what led me to think I needed this book on my self. I really like the illustrated cover, and the connection between food and family this book seems like it will bring.

Lugma by Noor Murad (April 2025) - the first solo cookbook from Noor, who has previously worked with Yotam Ottolenghi, has me very intrigued. Another stunning illustrated cover (a bit of theme in this list!), and the promise of personal stories and food from around the Middle East - sounds like something I want and need in my cookbook collection!

Rooza by Nadiya Hussain (February 2025) - I am really excited to see this book from Nadiya. Rooza means fast, and it is what those in Bangladesh observing Ramadan call Ramadan. This book covers meals served during Ramadan from many different countries, and I am really looking forward to seeing all the recipes and learning more about this very important religious observance in the Muslim calendar. The wait won’t be long with this one, as the release date was last week, and my copy is awaiting my return at home!

The Best Cookbooks of 2024

I’m not sure how we’re here again, but somehow it’s time to talk about the best cookbooks of last year!

There were a lot of new cookbooks last year, quite a few in the baking category especially. Below are my top picks from everything that was released in 2024 (that I have in my collection anyway), these are the books I’d recommend adding to your collection if you haven’t already.

If you’d like to see reviews of these and other cookbooks from 2024, check out my newsletter archives here, more reviews here on my blog. Sign up to my newsletter to get content like this in your inbox regularly.

Let me know in the comments below what your top choices from the cookbooks released in 2024 are!

Sift: The Elements of Great Baking by Nicola Lamb (Ebury Press) - 2024 gave us a few new baking books, all good in their own right and all very different too, but I think Sift is the stand out. The level of research and generosity of information in here is astounding. It’s technical without being inaccessible or boring, plus the recipes vary in simplicity and complexity meaning it’s a book that could be used by many. This is the book to get if you want to learn more about baking.

Bethlehem by Fadi Kattan - I am not alone in my feelings about this book. I have seen others say they think it is one of the best of 2024, and I wholeheartedly agree. The generosity and care Fadi takes us through the food and recipes of Bethlehem, often through his own families stories and recipes, is something few other books can compare to. Cookbooks with a story always appeal to me, however Bethlehem is not just a cookbook with a story, it is a book with heart and soul. The photography is also excellent, and the cover design stunning. A book everyone needs on their shelf and in their kitchen. 

Taboon: Sweet and Savoury Delights from the Lebanese Bakery by Hisham Assaad (Smith Street Books) - Maybe one of the few cookbooks from 2024 that can compare to Bethlehem by Fadi Kattan, is Taboon. A similar vein of generosity, sharing and welcoming can be felt from this book. Focusing on the baked goods of Lebanon, especially through the lens of the displaced Palestinian community there, Taboon captures the recipes and stories around these foods in a way that is inviting and personal. There are many interesting recipes to try, both sweet and savoury, plus the photography is beautiful and engaging, as is Hisham’s writing. I don’t have Hisham’s first book Beyrut, so I don’t know how it compares to that, however I am hoping to rectify that situation as soon as I can!

Some of My Best Friends are Cookies by Emelia Jackson (Murdoch Books)*- I was a little skeptical about Emelia’s second book, not being the biggest fan of her first (which I am aware is a minority opinion!), but Some of My Best Friends are Cookies is so fun, and the initial explanation about the use of the word ‘cookie’ (sometimes mildly controversial in Australia) set me at ease quickly. I really enjoyed the way the book is divided up into sections, and Emelia’s clear love for biscuits and cookies is evident on every page. 

There is a great variety of recipes here too, something I think some baking books lacked in 2024. There are only so many cookbooks I can house, especially of the kind that are lovely and beautiful, but don’t contain many recipes I will actually make. Some of My Best Friends are Cookies is the antithesis to this (as is Sift above with regards to baking books), with baking cookies and biscuits in and of themselves being often smaller baking projects than their layered cake counterparts only adding to the usefulness of this small but mighty book. 

*Many thanks to Murdoch Books for gifting a copy of Some of My Best Friends Are Cookies to me.

Cookbooks Worth Waiting for in 2024 Part 2 - A Recap

It’s time for a recap of the cookbooks I hoped would be ‘worth waiting for’ in the second half of 2024.

We’ve had some great new releases this year, and this collection continues that theme. There is quite a different selection of books here, in that they are all pretty different and each would add something quite different to your cookbook collection. My only feeling after living with these books a little while, and maybe after some of the other releases this year too is, how many books from the same author do we really need? Do you ever wonder if there is a limit to how many useful/purposeful books someone can release, especially when their new releases are so regular?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below - did you add any of these cookbooks to your collection too?

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Previous editions of Cookbooks Worth Waiting For can be found here, and if you would like these cookbook reviews plus those that feature exclusively in my newsletter, sign up to my weekly newsletter Friday Food Chat with Kath.

*Thanks to HardieGrant and Murdoch Books for gifting me copies of Sofra and Karkalla at Home respectively.

Ottolenghi Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh (Ebury Press) - A new release from the Ottolenghi team is always worth waiting for! While Simple still remains my absolute favourite of all Ottolenghi’s cookbooks, Comfort has a great selection of recipes, and the influence of the other authors (Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley), give Comfort a point of difference from other more recent Ottolenghi releases. The influence of Helen’s Malaysian/Australian background is clear with much use of Asian flavours and ingredients, while still having a very ‘Ottolenghi’ feel. I am starting to feel I’m not sure how many more books I need from Yotam Ottolenghi, we have quite a collection now and while the introduction of co-authors has been a great way of diversifying the recipes published and giving each book a unique focus, I do feel (as with many authors who churn out books on a regular basis), there must be a point where we reach capacity in our collections for these authors. Out of Comfort, I am keen to try the Salmon Fishcakes with Chermoula Remoulade (p.80) and Verena’s Potato Salad (p.224). 

Sofra by Karima Hazim Chatila and Sivine Tabbouch (Quadrille*) - Sofra feels like it is filled with love. It is a personal look at Karima and Sivine’s deep personal connection to Lebanon, specifically through food. Family stories and weaved through the book, and the way their family now comes together through food is shown as a staple of Lebanese food, culture and family. The chapters are divided into various ‘spreads’, so dishes you can make and serve together for a crowd. These recipes really do feed a crowd, and those of us who have smaller families or households may have to adapt (halve recipes), or feel contented in the knowledge that leftovers will continue to feed us for a few days more. Many of the recipes require some time and effort, and would great to make on the weekend when you might have more time to spend on making a meal. Karima and Sivine give tips on how to prepare things in advance and how to plan out making their menus in each chapter so you are in good hands.

As you might know by now if you read previous cookbook reviews of mine, I love books like this one that share personal stories and capture recipes that have been in families for a long time. Cookbooks such as Sofra not only provide us with a view of the authors connection to a place or time, in this case Lebanon, but give us an avenue to create our own through their recipes. The photography in this book is wonderful, and the table shots of the whole menus are stunning - which of course they are as the photographer is Luisa Brimble! Queen of the top down table scape shot! In terms of recipes I am keen to try the Muhammara (p.144), Ejjeh (courgette and herb fritters) (p.150) and the Maamoul (p.196-7). 

Bake with Brooki by Brooke Bellamy (Penguin) - The hype around this baking book (and the Brisbane based bakery itself) is crazy, I think thanks mostly to social media. Bake with Brooki has basically sold out, and did so very quickly after it’s release. It’s a more substantially sized book than I was expecting, it definitely isn’t just a quickly put together piece of merchandise to capitalise on the social media hype around Brooki Bakehouse. If you are a fan of the bakery, or it’s owner Brooke, I think you’ll find the recipes you are looking for in Bake with Brooki. The chapters cover the famous Brooki cookies, brownies, cupcakes and whole cakes, cheesecakes and more. If you are a seasoned baker you might notice that many of these recipes look like iterations of the same thing with a different flavour profile, but if you just want the recipes from the bakery then the book definitely delivers that.

There is a definite American feel to this book, especially the photography (which I’m not super keen on, I prefer naturally lit photos which isn’t a big thing in American style cookbook shoots it seems), however Brooke’s major influence in baking, developing her famous cookie recipes and successful bakery has largely come from American bakeries and baked goods discovered on her travels. However, every recipe does have an image, so in terms of practicalities when actually making the recipes you should be able to clearly see what the recipe should look like in the end, which is of course a major purpose of food photography in cookbooks! As a Caramilk lover, I am keen to try the Caramilk Blondies (p.79) and I’d like to make the Biscoff Cookies (p.34) as well after having tried them from the bakery last year.

Karkalla At Home by Mindy Woods (Murdoch Books*) - Karkalla at Home brings native Australian ingredients and flavours to our kitchens by using them in recipes you might otherwise recognise. Mindy has given the reader everything they need to know about cooking with ingredients indigenous to Australia and our First Nations communities, from understanding the seasons via Indigenous cultural practices, to explaining everything we need to know about various Indigenous ingredients specifically, and even where to buy them from Indigenous owned/run businesses. The recipe section of the book is divided into meal/recipe types, and in the header of each recipe is a quick list of the specific Native ingredients needed for each recipe. I think this is a really helpful element for each recipe, as in some cases the Native ingredient may be the thing you need to seek out and buy before starting to recipe if you didn’t already have it.

I think the array of specialised ingredients could seem overwhelming to some, though I do think Mindy has gone to a lot of effort to make this element of the book extremely accessible - and to be honest if you aren’t interested in buying a few new ingredients and learning about Indigenous Australian food and culture, then you are probably missing the entire purpose of this cookbook. As author Mindy says in her introduction, “I believe that to truly understand a culture you must experience its food”, and I think Karkalla at Home will be a great addition to anyone’s cookbook collection who wish to do that. In terms of recipes, I am keen to try the Campfire Eggs with Native Dukkah (p.78), Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes with Macadamia Praline Butter (p.84-5) and the Prawn Skewers with Macadamia Satay (p.102). 

Cookbooks Worth Waiting for in 2024 Part 2

This round of cookbooks worth waiting for was hard to choose. I don’t quite feel the same level of enthusiasm for the cookbooks due to be released in the second half of the year as I did in the first half - maybe the demise of Booktopia has something to do with it and having one less place to buy them from. 

There are also a few books being released later this year (not included in the list below), that I would really like to have a look through in person - so they don’t fit the ‘worth waiting for’ criteria as I would actually like to wait and see what they are like! They are titles from authors I have cookbooks from already, and I’m not 100% convinced their new title will add value to my cookbook collection. This feeling is based on their previous works, and a wonder about whether I need too many more cookbooks on one particular topic (and from the same authors). 

I think a few trips to book shops will be in my future to work out my feelings on some of the other new releases coming soon (what a hardship haha!), but for now, let’s get to those cookbooks I think will be worth waiting for!

Let me know in the comments what your top picks for the rest of the year are!

Ottolenghi Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh (September 2024) - I generally look forward to all of the Ottolenghi groups books, though I have to say I am excited about this one as I enjoy Helen Goh’s recipes and use of flavour so I’m thinking this book may just be really good. No Ottolenghi cookbook has surpassed Simple (published in 2018) for me, and I can’t say I use the last three or so releases (Flavour, and the two Test Kitchen books) as much as I do Simple and those published before it. So while I know that this new title may not surpass Simple for me, I’m willing to give it a go since this book is touted as comfort food Ottolenghi style. And that sounds very good to me!

Sofra by Karima Hazim Chatila and Sivine Tabbouch (September 2024) - I came across this book on social media and was immediately interested in it. A debut cookbook from a mother daughter duo, this book is described as a love letter to Lebanon. It sounds like my kind of book as it will contain recipes, but also stories about the food and the authors connection to Lebanon and its cuisine. 

Bake with Brooki by Brooke Bellamy (October 2024) - After being sent some of the Brooki Bakery cookies by a friend last year, I am keen to see what this cookbook will be like. Baking books like this one feels like aren’t always my style - is the social media hype of the successful bakery in Brisbane going to translate well in cookbook form? I have found cookbooks that stem from social media success a bit lacking in the past. Despite being at a point where I’m not sure how many more baking books I need, I am interested to see how this one pans out and whether the cookbook can provide substance to the hectic social media and bakery pace owner Brooke seems to be riding. 

Karkalla At Home by Mindy Woods (September 2024) - The beautiful design of this cookbooks cover caught my eye first, and then the subtitle (‘Native foods and everyday recipes for connecting to Country) and description kept my interest going. Author Mindy Woods is a restauranteur, and brings her deep knowledge to this cookbook by sharing stories and profiles of our continents most readily available native ingredients. I love that this cookbook is described as a ‘please-use-me- cookbook’ (I suppose the hope of all cookbook authors!), and promises to bring native foods into our kitchen.