I sometimes wonder if anyone shares the same cookbook obsession that I do. Often when I go out and eat somewhere that’s amazing, I’ll check if they have a cookbook available. And if they do, it goes straight into my basket.
Although my shelf at home is brimming of cookbooks of all kinds, my favourite ones are the ones from restaurants. It evokes memories of dishes, flavours and experiences I’ve had there. It also makes me feel like I’m supporting them in another way, which is especially important in the current climate.
So if you’re still not back to roaming the streets of London and missing the best breakfasts in the city, grabbing a cookbook by your favourite spot is a great way to have your favourites at home. It also makes a fabulous gift for friends and family stuck at home, birthdays and Christmas presents. Here are some of my London favourites to get you started!
Breakfast London: Where Real Londoners Eat – Breakfast London
OF COURSE I have to start with the book I wrote. I’d be insane not to. Breakfast London: Where Real Londoners Eat is a collection of the best breakfast places in London. It’s a great way to bookmark where you want to visit next, and it ALSO makes this list because in each chapter, a top restaurant or cafe has submitted a breakfast recipe. From the Queen of all soda breads, to the big daddy of scrambled eggs, this book is for you.
Buy it here
Dishoom: From Bombay With Love – Dishoom
Although this book has over 100 recipes of Bombay comfort food that you’ve come to know and love from their popular restaurants, the breakfast section is where it’s at. Why have scrambled eggs when you can make Akuri? A plain omelette or a Parsi version? Why aren’t we eating Kejriwal (fried eggs atop chilli cheese on toast) for EVERY meal? They also have recipes for their famous bacon naan roll, as well as masala beans, lassi and jams. Let your taste buds travel in your own kitchen.
Buy it here
Brunch The Sunday Way – Sunday
Sunday is known as one of the most legendary neighbourhood gems in London, and they’ve finally released their own gorgeous cookbook. The best part about it is that it’s ALL focused around brunch!
Whether you want eggs (learn how to nail the classic poached eggs or make baked eggs with crab), anything on toast, waffles, pancakes and fritters, baked goods, drinks, condiments, jams, they’ve got it. They even have a chapter for their Sunday Specialties. Eat their famous buttermilk pancakes or cornbread in your own home.
Buy it here
A Love Of Eating: Recipes from Tart London – Wild By Tart
Vogue calls this book “nourishing, delicious, original”, and I couldn’t agree more. Just flipped through the book makes me feel like I’m a London It Girl with a country home in Somerset that I head to on the weekends, cooking on my AGA or over the fireplace in my garden, sitting on the garden patio in my best pyjamas while sipping tea and reading my newspaper.
Start your day with one of their morning shot recipes, constantly have a mason jar full of their granola, poach fruit to sit atop your yoghurt, and master the Mexican Green Eggs or Spiced Sweet Potato Pancakes for those lazy Sunday mornings.
Buy it here
Breakfast at The Wolseley – The Wolseley
Just having this book on my shelf makes me feel fancy AF. It’s got the recipes to help you ‘perfect’ particular items – from eggs to cups of coffee and tea. Expect to see their classics here, such as Smoked Haddock Fishcakes with Poached Eggs, Omelette Arnold Bennett, and French Toast. They also feature the recipes for their Viennoiserie, so your pastry basket at your next Sunday brunch can be filled with croissants, Pain au Beurre Normande Salé and double chocolate brioche.
Buy it here