Classic Recipe Collection

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As is often the way, the cookbook series came about through serendipity rather than careful, strategic planning.

This is a huge boon to home cooks who love the flavour and texture of deep-fried foods but hate the fat, calories, mess, and danger that accompany frying foods in a pan of hot oil. Food memories, Dimbleby believes, have a powerful role to play, one that goes way beyond simply cooking and eating. “Those food memories are very important to people, and they’re quite emotional too. It reminds them of family life. I did a lot of literary festivals for my books Orchards in the Oasis and A Profound Secret. At two separate ones, women stood up in the question time at the end, holding one of my old Sainsbury’s cookbooks, and then burst into tears. They began by saying, ‘You’ve always been part of our life,’ then bursting into tears. I didn’t quite know what to say. Also when they came up to have the new book signed, they would bring me these incredibly old, stained Sainsbury’s books to be signed. It was really, really nice.”Next would be another successful title, Cooking With Herbs and Spices (1979). “I was brought up a lot abroad, so I really like using herbs and spices in my food,” Dimbleby says. “At that point [Sainsbury’s] had one little drum of dried mixed herbs and one little drum of mixed dried spice.” She agreed to write the book, with the proviso that Sainsbury’s would ensure cooks were able to get their hands on the ingredients she wrote about – a decision that was a precursor of what would come to be known as the Delia effect. Capturing the spirit of the times This nifty, counter-top appliance is similar to an oven, as it bakes and roasts, but the key difference is its heating elements are located at the top and are enhanced by a large, powerful fan. The result is food that’s crisp and delicious in no time and, most notably, it makes the perfect alternative to a deep-fat fryer for anyone adopting a healthier lifestyle. It’s a time Dimbleby remembers with fondness: “I feel very proud to have started the whole Sainsbury’s thing. It was such a success. It worked brilliantly for many years and it was a very happy, good part of my life, too.” Whether you're a newbie or an air fryer fanatic, enjoy these 75 delicious, inexpensive, healthy dishes guaranteed to save you time, energy, and money! Dimbleby eventually wrote ten titles for the Sainsbury’s series. “I never meant to write cookery books,” Dimbleby muses now. “I never trained as a cook. I just had this sort of food imagination, and it was a way to be creative while I had very young children. They were wonderful books. They were very thorough, and I’m sure that it was part of their success. They were also very personal.”

Cooking for Christmas, Marvellous Meals with Mince, First Impressions and Sweet Dreams by Josceline Dimbleby So, why does Norman believe the books were rated so highly by the Glenfiddich judges? “Well, I think they were well conceived, they were written by people who knew what they were doing – and it was innovative. Sainsbury’s was the first supermarket who went in for a line of cookery books. They were small and inexpensive. I know when the first one came out, and I still working was at Penguin and we thought ‘Oooh, competition’.”Whether you're an air fryer fanatic or brand new to these fabulous time and money-saving kitchen appliances, Bored of Lunch will revolutionise your cooking with the all-new Healthy Air Fryer Cookbook. As a lower energy alternative to a conventional oven, air fryers are a cost-efficient way to make all your favourite dishes and save on your household bill. And, as a low-oil cooking method, they're ideal if you're keeping an eye on your calories, too. Mini fan clubs have formed around some of the Sainsbury’s authors. Suffolk-based food writer Janet Davies of the Pigeon Cottage blog has an affinity for the recipes and books of Patricia Lousada, her Pasta Italian Style in particular. “This particular one about pasta is still, in my view, the best one in my extensive collection even after all these years … I still use her exact recipe for her Spaghetti alla Siciliana and Spaghetti alla Puttanesca today.” Glynn Christian has had similar experiences. “Even now I get comments about recipes, he says. “I know the Pies, Pâtés and Terrines book has no competitor and has been used by many deli owners and caterers. Only recently a distinguished member of the Guild of Food Writers said my pâté recipe was her ‘go-to’. Nice after more than 30 years.” Nice indeed. What the fans say… In 1978, UK supermarket Sainsbury’s published Cooking for Christmas by Josceline Dimbleby . This title was the first in what was to become an extensive collection of cookbooks that over the coming decades would sell millions of copies. The books were written by some of the most celebrated figures in the food world, and well-thumbed, scribbled-on copies of these books are still in use in countless kitchens across the UK.

For cookbook authors, few things are as rewarding as knowing that their work has hit home – that the time and effort put in to creating and perfecting recipes is appreciated by those who cook their dishes and feed them to their families.