We spent years working on taste and smell loss for cancer so everyone kind of assumed, naturally, we'd be the right people for this. And so did I in many ways, but actually, it's been a completely different process to what we thought it would be," says Riley. When Life Kitchen co-founder Kimberly Duke and Riley set to work, they discovered that COVID taste and smell loss has key differences to what they usually work with. Very nicely presented and just the right length of preamble to chapters and recipes to add context but not detract from the main purpose of cooking. Get Nadya’s British Food Adventure cookbook at Waterstones and Books a Million Honourable mention: Original Flava

I love Ottolenghi’s previous cookbooks, but I thought he had more or less exhausted what he could do. As he says, “how many ways can there be to roast an eggplant?” But this cookbook is an evolution from his previous work. Where most of his previous recipes have been focused in Middle Eastern cuisine, this cookbooks is… not “fusion,” which to me implies a mixing of different cuisines, but rather post-national cuisine. With the help of Ixta Belfrage, Ottolenghi is now into using ingredients with big, bold flavors. Sometimes this is in context of the cuisine they come from, other times, like with the cascabel chile oil with butter beans, it’s just because that’s the big flavor they want to play with for the dish.The brothers – who say they rarely eat meat at home these days – are continuing to adapt original flavours and natural cookery, so another cookbook can’t be too far off. Summarises all the cool sauces, marinades and dressings that can be made in batches and stored for later use to spice up other meals. If you’re a MasterChef fan, then it’s likely that Monica and David Galetti’s French and South Pacific-inspired restaurant, Mere, is on your list of must-visits in London. But since this Fitzrovia hotspot is temporarily shuttered, Monica’s cookbook is an extremely suitable substitute. Jamaican food is already influenced by so many other cultures, so it makes sense to mix up a shepherd’s pie and cook it with veg and Caribbean spices.” Shaun and Craig McAnuff: ‘We’ve had a lot of fun doing plant-based recipes’ (Photo: Matt Russell)

The book has straightforward recipes that seem complex but are actually very doable even for a novice cook, if the recipe is followed correctly. Some ingredients may be a little difficult to find but can generally be substituted. I haven't had the need to tweak any recipes...well, except the spice levels, as I'm not a big spicy person.

Sambal butter noodles

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. When hot, add the mushrooms and pepper and fry for five to six minutes, until the mushrooms are golden brown. Add the lemon zest and juice and cook for a further one minute to allow the mushrooms to absorb some of the juice. Add the béchamel sauce and cheese, then stir occasionally, until the cheese has melted.