This year brought an array of amazing cookbooks; TV icon Mary Berry turned 90 and released a book celebrating the milestone, Rick Stein wrote his first-ever festive food cookbook at 78, US chef Samin Nosrat published the much-anticipated follow-up to Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat – later made into a Netflix show – and Ottolenghi collaborator, Sami Tamimi released Boustany, a celebration of Palestinian vegetables.

But in case you missed some of the other releases, here are some of our favourites from 2025.

MENOlicious by Mariella Frostrup and Belles Berry

Proof that midlife cooking doesn’t need rules or restriction – just smarter, tastier food that fits where you are now (DK RED)

It’s not a stretch to say there’s been a revolution around how openly menopause is now spoken about. From public figures to workplaces, women are sharing their experience and there’s more information and resources around to help.

Nutrition has long been known to be a great way to support physical and mental health during menopause. As women go through profound change, food that once felt okay might need an upgrade, because the way our bodies handle the fuel we put into it changes.

So, for this important cookbook, MENOlicious (DK RED, £22), journalist and menopause awareness activist Mariella Frostrup teamed up with chef and daughter of Dame Mary Berry, Belles Berry, to demystify midlife nutrition.

The two women met on World Menopause Day in 2022 thanks to a mutual friend, and the idea for the book was born. They insist the concept isn’t a diet, but “a reboot”, and they worked with Hala El-Shafie, a dietician and consultant with more than 20 years’ experience in nutrition and women’s health.

The “method” focuses on six pillars: nutrient-dense food, balancing blood sugar, phytoestrogens (eg flaxseeds and legumes), hydration, limiting triggers (eg caffeine, salt, alcohol), and finally, exercise.

You’ll find breakfasts like matcha bircher muesli and kale pancakes with tahini butter; convenient lunches like lime, tamarind and green veg noodle lunch pots, and easy dinners such as fisherman’s curry.

The pair note that 90 per cent of the book’s recipes take just 30 minutes or less to make, so most of the meals are simple and accessible – while promising to support bone-strengthening and hormone balancing on a tasty plate.

Porridge bread

The sort of loaf that feels quietly virtuous but still demands real butter and a thick slice while it’s warm (Dan Jones)

Packed with goodness, ridiculously easy to put together, and failsafe, this loaf will make you so proud when you get it out of the oven. Seeds, such as pumpkin and chia, are high in omega-3 fatty acids, fibre, and plant sterols, which can help lower cholesterol levels. You will need a 900g loaf tin for this recipe.

Makes: one 900g loaf with 14 slices per loaf

Time: up to one hour

Carbs: 17g | Protein: 6.4g | Fibre: 2.9g

Ingredients:

Sunflower oil, for greasing

500g plain yoghurt

1 egg

1 tbsp milk

50g walnuts, roughly chopped

280g porridge oats

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp flaky sea salt

25g chia seeds

30g pumpkin seeds, plus 1 tbsp to sprinkle on top

25g sunflower seeds, plus 1 tbsp to sprinkle on top

1 tsp poppy seeds, to sprinkle on top

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan/400F/gas 6). Grease the loaf tin with a little oil and line with non-stick baking parchment.

2. Place the yoghurt, egg, and milk in a large mixing bowl (if using a hand whisk) or the bowl of a food processor. Mix on a medium speed for 10 seconds. Add the chopped walnuts, porridge oats, bicarbonate of soda, salt, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds to the mixture and mix on a medium speed for 25 seconds.

3. Transfer the batter to the prepared tin, level it out and scatter the extra pumpkin and sunflower seeds and the poppy seeds on top. Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes until golden brown.

4. Using oven gloves, remove the tin from the oven and carefully turn out the loaf. Put it back in the tin upside down. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the loaf right side up onto a wire rack. Place a clean tea towel on top until you are ready to serve. Enjoy warm, with plenty of butter!

Nutrition: Walnuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, supporting heart health and reducing inflammation.

‘MENOlicious: Eat Your Way to a Better Menopause’ by Mariella Frostrup and Belles Berry (DK RED, £22).

Sugar and Spice by Remi Idowu

A debut that treats sweet and savoury as equals, rooted in West African flavours and unapologetically generous cooking (Ebury Press)

Content creator and recipe developer Remi Idowu launched her own baking business at 19 and now has more than a million followers across Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, even making the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

Her 2025 debut cookbook, Sugar and Spice (Ebury Press, £26) brings together her love for the food of her parents’ Ghanaian and Nigerian heritage and her penchant for puddings.

While most cookbooks have a small dessert section towards the end, Sugar and Spice celebrates the sweet and savoury in equal measures.

“As I started experimenting in my kitchen, I found so much joy in playing with flavours from different cultures. It didn’t take long to discover my sweet tooth,” she writes – and she threw herself into baking at a young age.

Self-taught Idowu learned from her mum’s home cooking how to pack flavour into simple ingredients and it shows in her accessible, delicious-sounding recipes.

The sections cover things like “classics with a twist” – think braised beef short ribs with stilton mash or honey jalapeño cornbread – and “better than takeaways”, providing some great, cheaper alternatives (for example, mango habanero chicken wings).

At the same time, she also delves into the food of her childhood, including her mum’s jollof rice, groundnut soup and yam and egusi stew – a classic Nigerian dish. As well as, of course, plenty of puddings (try the cookies and cream cheesecake brownies).

Groundnut soup

Comfort food with heritage at its heart – rich, slow-cooked and exactly the kind of dish you build a weekend around (Mowie Kay)

“When it comes to African soups and stews, this one is hands-down one of my absolute favourites,” says Remi Idowu, content creator and recipe developer. “It’s hearty, delicious and made with just a handful of basic ingredients. For the best results, visit your local African or Indian butcher for smoked turkey, and don’t forget to ask them to cut it into pieces – it’ll save you a lot of time and effort in the kitchen.”

Makes: 6 hearty portions

Ingredients:

1kg chicken pieces

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp black pepper

500-700g smoked turkey (ask your butcher to cut it into pieces)

500ml water

3 bay leaves

2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder

2 large tomatoes

For the paste:

1 large red onion

Thumb-sized piece of ginger

4 garlic cloves

1 Scotch bonnet chilli

For the peanut butter sauce:

250g sugar-free peanut butter

2 tbsp tomato purée

500ml boiling water

Method:

1. Start by preparing the paste base for the soup. Roughly chop the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli, put into a food processor or blender and whizz until you get a chunky paste. If you’re without a food processor, finely mince by hand.

2. Season the chicken pieces with the salt and pepper, ensuring they are well coated, then put into a large pot with the smoked turkey pieces and the paste. Pour in the water, or just enough to cover the meat, then add the bay leaves and bouillon powder.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook gently for about 25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

4. Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, mix together the peanut butter and tomato purée. Add the boiling water and stir until smooth and well blended. Transfer to a saucepan and cook over medium–high heat, whisking continuously, for 5-8 minutes until the oil starts to separate.

5. When your chicken and turkey are cooked, drop the whole tomatoes into the pot and let them soften for a few minutes. Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon, transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.

6. Add the peanut butter sauce and the blended tomatoes to the chicken and smoked turkey. Stir together thoroughly, ensuring the peanut sauce is fully incorporated into the soup. Increase the heat to high and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you see more oil rise to the surface. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt, if needed.

Tip: This dish is traditionally served with fufu, which can be a bit tricky to master. If you’re not up for the challenge, you can serve it with mashed potatoes instead – it’s not exactly authentic, but it’s a great substitute that still pairs beautifully with the rich flavours of the soup.

‘Sugar and Spice’ by Remi Idowu (Ebury Press, £26).

Live to Eat by Emily English

Healthy eating without the joyless edge, built on balance, satisfaction and food you actually want to cook (Seven Dials)

Known online as @emthenutritionist, Emily English made a big name for herself sharing healthy recipes on social media. Her first cookbook in 2024, So Good: Food You Want To Eat, Designed by a Nutritionist, was a bestseller, and she returned in 2025 with another banger – Live to Eat (Seven Dials, £25).

These days, the 30-year-old has more than 2 million social media followers who love her ethos that’s all about celebrating delicious food (and also happens to be good for you) without restriction.

A former model, English left the industry when it began to affect her relationship with food and studied for a BSc in nutrition at King’s College London instead. She touts the importance of protein and its role in keeping you full for longer, fibre as the unsung hero and how to balance carbohydrates and sugar in your diet.

English also shares her tips around stress, sleep and movement, as well as daily habits at different meal times that help keep her on track and feeling good. Think creating a strong morning routine, and going for a 15-minute walk after lunch.

Expect breakfasts like balsamic mushroom-stuffed omelette, or sweet potato fritters with soft-boiled eggs; lunches like red Thai coconut gyoza soup, filling dinners including lamb and feta burgers with cucumber slaw and garlic yoghurt, and puddings that won’t make you feel like you’re missing out. Who’s going to say no to toasted oat chocolate tiffin?

Salmon and spinach filo cottage cheese quiche

A high-protein twist on a lunchtime classic that proves “nutritious” and “properly satisfying” don’t have to be opposites (Clare Winfield)

“Quiche is a classic lunchtime staple, and I wanted to give it my signature twist and transform your standard recipe into one full of protein, healthy fats and balanced nutrition,” says food writer Emily English.

“Blending the cottage cheese to form a creamy custard base is the secret here, as well as using light filo layered with olive oil. I like to bake this in a deep cake tin, but you can bake it into individual muffin cases; adjust the cooking time accordingly.”

Under 255kcal, 20g protein per serving.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Spray oil, for greasing

300g cottage cheese

100ml milk

5 medium free-range eggs

100g baby spinach leaves, wilted and chopped

10g chopped chives

100g smoked salmon, chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

4 sheets of filo pastry, each cut in half

50g feta cheese, crumbled

Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Lightly spray a 20cm deep springform cake tin with oil.

2. In a blender or food processor, blend the cottage cheese with the milk until smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs to the bowl and whisk until well combined. Stir in the wilted spinach, chives, smoked salmon, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

3. Layer the halved filo sheets into the oiled cake tin, spraying each sheet lightly with oil as you go. Ensure the sheets are layered evenly to form a sturdy crust, overlapping to cover any gaps.

4. Pour the cottage cheese and egg mixture into the prepared filo crust. Tuck the edges of the filo back in on themselves to create a neat edge – you can be rough with this; don’t worry about it being perfect. Sprinkle the crumbled feta evenly over the top of the filling.

5. Bake in the oven for 60 minutes, or until the filling is just set. It will continue to set as it cools, so allow the quiche to cool slightly before serving. This also makes it easier to slice.

‘Live to Eat’ by Emily English (Seven Dials, £25).