Acclaimed kitchen gardener and avid writer, Kate Herd, brings a surfeit of knowledge, passion and inspiration to the table with her first book, Kitchen Gardens of Australia: Eighteen Productive Gardens for Inspiration and Advice. After travelling around the country, Herd has brought together information and ideas from eighteen of her favourite edible gardens in Australia, accompanied by vivid photography from Simon Griffiths. Homey illustrations add to the quaint country feel, while tips and tricks on irrigation techniques, organic pest control and overall sustainability make the book as practical as a kitchen garden itself.

$49

Make cooking a family affair with ‘Cook It Together’ by Annabel Karmel. The innovative publication is all about taking 10 of your kid’s favourite foods and using them to create delicious results. With explanations and background information on each food, the insightful cookbook encourages children to learn while they cook. The easy-to-follow recipes and vibrant pages combine to make a fun and interesting publication, and will be enjoyed by kids and parents alike.

$16

Get your kids hands-on in the kitchen with this full-spectrum culinary how-to by food guru Annabel Karmel. Whipping, dicing, sifting and slicing, your child will relish in the opportunity to learn these key cooking techniques. Over 60 scrumptious recipes – from pancakes to risotto – will have your pint-sized gastronome cooking up a storm of easy and healthy meals the whole family are bound to love.

$24

Featuring the tales, seasonal recipes and splendid photography from her adventure, At My French Table recounts how restoring the residence to its former glory gave Jane the opportunity to fulfil her lifelong dream of establishing a French cooking school. With an abundance of produce and the advice of local traiteurs and chefs, Jane brings French cooking to life on her table.

$59

A tribute to life in Provence, French Essence: Ambience, Beauty and Style in Provence studies the core of French lifestyle. Examining the renown French character, Coulson and Archer celebrate all things French and beautiful. Ideal as a coffee table book or perhaps something to read before travelling to Europe, this book has a place in any home.

$59

In devout Francophile fashion Vicki Archer whisked her family away to a 17th Century property in Saint-Remy-de-Provence to begin a new life. Three years of tender toil restored the family farmhouse to its former glory. Archer takes us through her home, the pear and apple orchards and expansive olive grove that surround it, and the spirit of Provence in which she now lives. With the help of the lush techniques of photographer Carla Coulson, the two women indulge us with an insider’s view of all things evocative of French style.

$65

One of Australia’s most admired Italian chefs shows you how to prep with love in the My Italian Heart: Recipes from an Italian Kitchen from Penguin Books Australia.

$39

Thai Street Foodby chef David Thompson is a visually-impressive portrayal of the essence of food from the streets and markets of Thailand. With stunning photography by Earl Carter, this book helps you to recreate the unique culinary culture of this colourful and exciting destination, giving you a glimpse into what seems like another world. Thai Street Food is the perfect book to inspire your tastebuds and encourage you and your family to try new things.

$100

Prolific writer, restauranteur and celebrity chef, Kylie Kwong, breathes new life into traditional Chinese cooking. With Simple Chinese Cooking, Kwong makes complex dishes easy for the home cook to create, without compromising on flavour. All of the old favourites are here, including wonton soup and sweet and sour pork, but reworked for the family kitchen with fresh produces, clean flavours and a variety of textures, just as Chinese food should be. Kwong has also included a few of her family’s favourites rarely found in restaurants, passed down through the generations and generously shared with you. A feast for the eyes as much as for the belly, Kylie Kwong’s recipes in Simple Chinese Cooking are accompanied by the rich illustrative photography of Earl Carter, making this book stand out, even amongst the most extensive collection.

$59

Popular chef Dominique Rizzo introduces us to the notion of ‘soul food cooking’ in her first book of plentiful and scrumptious Sicilian delights. Meals inspired by the lot of the land, time honoured recipes passed down through the generations and, traditional flavours uncovered by time spent in her family’s homeland My Taste of Sicily is a celebration of the versatility and splendour of Sicilian food.

$39

Discover the genius of pasta from scratch with detailed directions for making and cutting pasta, simple fillings and the perfect gnocchi. Versatile and mouth-watering pesto and sauces accompany the array of pastas in this collection that focuses on traditional recipes, with some contemporary interpretations by Lucio’s executive chef Logan Campbell, for the more adventurous home chef. From savoury beetroot ravioli to green pappadelle with Balmain bugs, The Art of Pasta is a thoughtfully crafted hard-cover, sure to become the new love of any cook with a taste for Italian. Mangiare felice!

$59

Beauty guru Zoë Foster pads out her new book with the long-awaited answers to all your essential styling questions. Formerly of Harper’s BAZAAR and Cosmopolitan, Foster equips you with the premier makeup brands, colours and looks, easy-do hair styles and skin care tips for every age, ensuring you’ll be permanently primped for every occasion.

$39

In response to the enthusiastic reception for her Ladies, a Plate, Alexa Johnston has gathered another tempting selection of traditional home-baking recipes. This collection has many more old favourites, like Sponge Kisses, Melting Moments and Cream Lilies, as well as a few savoury treats. Alexa has also included a chapter on home-made sweets so that readers will be able to stock the sweet stall at the school fair with Hokey Pokey, Ginger Ice and the very best Russian Fudge.

$39.95

From a time when anything from tree bark to packing twine could be pressed into service as building material, the shack has long been an Aussie icon. In his 2010 book, Griffiths’ pays tribute to this humblest of homes, searching out ramshackle beach houses, outback lean-tos and backyard barns that embody the Australian “no worries” mentality. As the author himself says, “Shacks make people happy”, and Simon Griffiths’ photographic homage to shacks is sure to do the same for you.

$39

Renowned Australian chef, restauranteur, author and teacher, Damien Pignolet, imparts over 40 years of knowledge and experience in this clear and cleverly written guide to the world of salads. For those of us who believe a salad consists of a few green leaves covered in vinegar, Salades from Penguin Books Australia is a complete culinary re-education. Appetisers, main meals and special occasion salads each feature prominently in their own dedicated chapter, and they’re definitely not alone in this essential omnibus. Inspired by his French heritage, Pignolet embraces the continental notion of what a salad should be. With vibrant full-colour photography, passionately detailed notes, and invaluable descriptions of flavours and textures, Damien Pignolet helps you to create the most impressive and satisfying salads for your table.

$59

Even more or your favourite traditional sweet treats have been compiled in this second book from Alexa Johnston, Second Helping: More from Ladies, a Plate, sprinkled with a few fresh twists for added spice. Melting Moments, and Boston Buns sit happily alongside Hokey Pokey Biscuits with added chocolate chips, carefully selected from over 60 years worth of community recipe books collected by the author. Johnston’s enduring interest in social history shows itself in the inclusion of notes from the original recipe writers, as well as morsels of information the author shares about them, in acknowledgement of their contributions. Round out your cookbook collection with this delicious addition.

$39

Discover an appetite for cooking with love from the intimate stories and inspiring recipes of Greek-Australian Maria Bernadis. With a collection of 100 dishes ranging from traditional moussaka, to adapted classics like the party-perfect spicy ouzo keftedes, Bernadis exhibits the lifeblood of Greece that is kin and dining. Beautifully photographed and interwoven with tales of family life, immigration and settlement, My Greek Table is a sumptuous and passionate book that invites you to share in the spirit of kerasma - the offering of food to those we love.

$59

Notorious as an authority on the fairer of fine foods, Michel Roux takes a new look at the subject and conjures up delightful recipes, inspired by his travels and fresh modern tastes. From hot soufflés to scrumptious fruit sorbets to adorned meringues to lavish gateaux, Desserts has your delectable desires filled with step-by-step recipes, helpful guides to techniques, and sumptuous illustrations, sure to make this book the ideal indulgence for any sweet lover.

$29

ARIA’s chef-owner Matt Moran gets you feast savvy with his latest collection of recipes including starters, mains and desserts designed to help you pull-off restaurant quality flair at home. Start with oysters two ways, move on to sweetly-spiced roast duck breast, and finish-off their appetites with Matt’s luscious chocolate and Earl Grey tea tart, to sets tongues wagging and mouths salivating at the thought of your culinary prowess.

$49