Following on from his culinary tours of Spain and Japan, Matt Goulding journeys to the heartlands of Italian cuisine in his beautifully presented new book. Goulding has a real gift for teasing out the history and personalities that inform the great cookery traditions of Rome, Naples and many other key gastronomic regions, as well as providing a delicious and authentic range of recipes.

Eagle’s exquisitely written account of preparing the perfect early spring meal is so old-fashioned as to be defiantly radical. There are no recipes in First, Catch, just gentle, considered advice rendered in serene, unaffected prose. Eagle holds forth on every aspect of the cooking process, from boiling vegetables to mastering the onion; all in pursuit of the optimal rabbit stew. A unique pleasure which, like Eagle’s cookery, is to be savoured. 

This fascinating cookbook is an easy mix of light theory and extensive sensory practice, as Sybil Kapoor investigates the five building blocks of all good cuisine: taste, flavour, texture, temperature and appearance. An invaluable practical tool for the budding chef Sight Smell Touch Taste Sound is also an excellent primer in the science and psychology of food itself.

Lavishly adorned with mouth-watering photography, Joseph Trivelli’s comprehensive book of classic Italian recipes is a must have for any self-respecting cook. As co-head of the celebrated River Café, Trivelli knows Italian cuisine inside out; a talent he learned as a young boy watching his grandmother at work in the family kitchen. In The Modern Italian Cook, Trivelli lays bare his culinary secrets and the results are to die for.  

Quite simply the most beautiful book about tea ever produced, The Life of Tea is also one of the most informative. Freeman and d’Offay stir in stunning travelogue photography, rich cultural history and in depth analysis of the botanical and cultivation processes that go into making the perfect cup of tea. Infused with both passion and learning The Life of Tea is a heady brew indeed. 

A winning combination of travel writing, history book, wine guide and intimate memoir, The Wandering Vine is a delightful meditation on the majesty of the grape and its capacity to endure and adapt. With a ready wit and knack for charming pen portraits, Nina Caplan chases the history of wine across Europe, from Rome to Catalonia and from Champagne to the English Downs.