It goes without saying that what every mother REALLY wants for Mother’s Day – as well as a lovely big box of home-made snap-frozen dinners to pop in the freezer – is a copy of Cook Now Eat Later, the Dinner Ladies cookbook (available to order here).
Assuming Mum’s already got one on her bookshelf, the team have come up with some other favourites she’s bound to love:
Katherine, Dinner Ladies founder
Book recommendation: COOK by Karen Martini
Why I love it:
‘There is just SO much knowledge in this book. I think it’s the bible of modern Australian cooking – the Cook’s Companion of our time. I’ve set myself a personal mission of trying to cook at least half of it before I go to the great kitchen in the sky!’
Best recipe in the book?
‘The one recipe you MUST try is Karen Martini’s pizza dough. She calls it Pizza Base. It’s just the right amount of chewy, with a beautiful, developed flavour. You can also use it to make Totti’s bread at home – just cook it without any toppings!’
Sophie, Dinner Ladies founder
Book recommendation: Impossible to choose between Alison Roman's Dining In and Nothing Fancy
Why I love it:
‘Her brilliant descriptions make you hungry and she's completely unafraid of piling on the garlic, oil, lemon, chilli, anchovies... all the good stuff!’
Best recipe in the book?
‘My current favourite is Linguine with lemony shellfish, garlic and pistachio (from Nothing Fancy). Super easy and tastes da bomb!’
Sarah, menu director
Book recommendation: From Salt to Jam by Katrina Meynink
Why I love it:
‘I’ve long been aware of the power of a good condiment! And this book celebrates condiments, sauces and seasonings and how they can elevate an average dish to kitchen magic.
It’s a great book for people who never want to eat boring dinners! Particularly useful for families of young children or fussy eaters – you can add the condiments and stronger flavours separately. It’s a great way for kids to try new flavours! There’s even a recipe for home-made chicken salt; have you ever met a child who doesn’t love chicken salt?
Visually it’s an inspiration! All the photos are taken by the author with no stylist, special lighting or effects.’
Best recipe in the book?
‘A dish on high rotation in my house is the Roasted maple-glazed pumpkin with chicken salt, burrata and pepitas. It looks fantastic as an entertaining share plate, is simple to make, and perfect as a side to any grilled protein.’
Iona, content creator
Book recommendation: Midnight chicken & other recipes worth living for by Ella Risbridger
Why I love it:
‘Far from your regular cookbook, this reads like a book and is about the life-changing, healing power of food. It’s possibly the only cookbook that will make you cry! Ella Risbridger tells the story of her struggles with mental illness and how cooking helped her cope. It’s full of heart-warming, nourishing recipes and is a most beautiful read.’
Best recipe in the book?
‘One not to be missed is the Trashy Ginger Beer Chicken. It’s the kind of chicken dinner that makes you want to lick the plate!’
Jane, writer & editor
Book recommendation: Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros
Why I love it:
‘This is a cookbook with everything: beautiful photos and illustrations, interesting little stories that link the author’s life with the food, and incredibly delicious easy recipes. You could give it to someone to learn to cook from. It’s Mediterranean-ish comfort food without being stodgy, great flavours, and I love the way the chapters are organised by colour! A sort of lucky dip!’
Best recipe in the book?
‘The easy ice creams are all simply amazing, but the sticky pages of our copy have to be prized open on the Chocolate & vanilla marble cake recipe – our go-to for every family birthday.’