Listmania!
My top 10 cook books, in no particular order
Don't Sweat the Aubergine: What Works in the Kitchen and WhyDon't Sweat the Aubergine: What Works in the Kitchen and Why by Nicholas Clee
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £4.70
Lots of 'how' and 'why'
Leith's Cookery BibleLeith's Cookery Bible by Prue Leith
Buy used from: £9.50
My first port of call when looking up basics
The Perfect...: Collected Food Notes from the "Guardian Weekend"The Perfect...: Collected Food Notes from the "Guardian Weekend" by Richard Ehrlich
Buy new: £8.99 / Used from: £0.01
The art of decribing a recipe in a limited number of words
Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good LifeJamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life by Jamie Oliver
Buy new: £14.97 / Used from: £14.00
Family food: the cookbook that I have cooked the greatest of percentage of recipes from
Cupboard Love: How to Get the Most Out of Your KitchenCupboard Love: How to Get the Most Out of Your Kitchen by Tom Norrington-Davies
Buy new: £13.75 / Used from: £3.50
good ideas for when you can't think what to feed the family
The Big Fat Duck CookbookThe Big Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal
Buy new: £78.49 / Used from: £71.87
The ultimate in food porn!
The River Cottage Fish BookThe River Cottage Fish Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Buy new: £20.49 / Used from: £8.99
excellent, inspiring, EVERYTHING you need to know about fish
How to Eat: Pleasures and Principles of Good Food (Cookery)How to Eat: Pleasures and Principles of Good Food (Cookery) by Nigella Lawson
Buy new: £11.36 / Used from: £4.35
By far the best Nigella cook book, without the theatricals that have developed as she has become a caricature of herself
Roast Chicken and Other Stories (Ebury Paperback Cookery)Roast Chicken and Other Stories (Ebury Paperback Cookery) by Simon Hopkinson
Buy new: £7.34 / Used from: £2.59
...and 'second helpings'...are two essential reads
Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book: Over 200 Classic RecipesMary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book: Over 200 Classic Recipes by Mary Berry
Buy used from: £16.95
I've not found a recipe in this book that has not worked first time. Delicious!