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No stranger to Michelin recognition, John Campbell collected a second star during his time at The Vineyard at Stockcross in 2007 before moving to his current haunt, country-house estate Coworth Park in Ascot. But despite Campbells fine-dining past, Formulas for Flavour (14.99, Conran Octopus) is more teaching aid than food porn, patiently deconstructing complex dishes for the reader. An accessible guide to dinner party dining, it will have you plating up quenelles and emulsions like a pro.

BOOKS
Love the restaurant? Now you can give the recipes a whirl. Henrietta Clancy leafs through the best new cookery books from the UKs top chefs
Taking its name from the first of Mark Hixs three London restaurants, Hix Oyster & Chop House (25, Quadrille) celebrates the star turns of the chefs Farringdon venture. More than 100 gutsy, no-frills recipes appear, with insights along the way into the kind of food with which Hix has made his name: native oysters, old-fashioned cuts of meat, solid British cheeses.

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After decades at the top 17 of them as head chef at The River Caf Theo Randall has found time, alongside running Theo Randall at The InterContinental London Park Lane, to write Pasta (12.35, Ebury). A simple homage to Randalls favourite food and its birthplace the book champions accessible recipes that feature dried and fresh pasta in equal measure. Clearly written, concise and contagious in its passion.

The proud pioneer of four outlets bearing his name in central London, Yotam Ottolenghi serves fresh, vibrant cuisine that overflows from platters and counters. His second book, Plenty (25, Ebury), proffers a similarly abundant collection of recipes all vegetarian, mostly Mediterranean, and with a generous sprinkling of pink peppercorns, pomegranate seeds and nuggets of inspiration. The Valentines salad, for instance, represents the true flavours of love: bitter and sweet...

After spearheading Londons organic gastropub scene at Islingtons Duke of Cambridge in 1998, Geetie Singh has spent the past decade reaping the rewards. In Geeties Cookbook (18.99, Grubstreet), she and head chef Sara Berg share their culinary philosophy and a selection of the recipes that have played a vital role in their success. Their rustic British dishes are divided by season and accompanied by a handy seasonality chart.

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David Thompson, the Australian-born chef of Nahm the only Thai restaurant ever to win a Michelin star has written his second book on the countrys cuisine. A homage to the Thai culture of flocking to the streets to eat, Thai Street Food (40, Conran Octopus) is split into three sections: morning, noon and night. Documentary-style photography captures produce on display and vendors at work as the day rolls on, while recipes are prefaced by information about each dishs lineage.

As informative and exciting as its predecessor, Leon Book 2: Naturally Fast Food (20, Conran Octopus) is the second book to come out of the kitchens of Londons award-winning ninestrong fast-food chain of the same name. Written by Leon co-founders Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, the book is split into two halves: dishes that take less than 20 minutes to prepare and things that take a little longer (jams, pickles and pot roasts), with the Leon mantra that food should do good as well as taste good, ever present. A guide to growing herbs and stocking the perfect larder fills the first 20 pages.

BOOKS
Love the restaurant? Now you can give the recipes a whirl. Henrietta Clancy leafs through the best new cookery books from Londons top chefs
Doing just what it says on the packet, Marco Made Easy: A Three-star Chef Makes It Simple (20, W&N) does away with complicated techniques and layered flavours with a collection of recipes that allow the main ingredient to shine. Visually impressive dishes include carpaccios, ceviche, and baked fish and meat made using store cupboard staples such as ketchup and Tabasco. As MPW confirms in his foreword, it will take you longer to wash the dishes than it will to cook them. 20 squAreMeAL.CO.uk

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The ever-versatile spud is celebrated in Paul Gaylers latest book, A Passion for Potatoes (14.99, Kyle Cathie). From mastering the basics of perfect mash, to expertly constructing the most delicate of gratins, the Lanesboroughs executive chef offers a crash course on the worlds most popular vegetable.

Originally launched as a pop-up restaurant in 2009, The Dock Kitchen proved so popular that it became a permanent fixture in Portobello Docks earlier this year. Chef-proprietor Stevie Parles passion for travel comes across in My Kitchen: Real Food from Near and Far (14.99, Quadrille), as does the culinary expertise hes picked up from stints working at The River Caf, Petersham Nurseries and Moro. Divided into monthly chapters and interspersed with impassioned masterclasses on favourite ingredients, diagrams and all, Parles first book will appeal to those who travel to eat.

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adam Byatt, former head chef at Thyme and now the chef-proprietor at clapham gastro destination Trinity, has a dedication to progressive British cuisine that shines through in How To Eat In (25, Bantam Press). Taking the reader from polished, fine-dining food for special occasions to the kind of relaxed fare thats suited to informal family meals, this is as much an ode to south london, and the inspiration it has provided, as a peek into Byatts style of cooking.

as youd expect from the lady who runs the kitchen at richmonds Petersham Nurseries, seasonality is at the heart of skye Gyngells My Favourite Ingredients (14.99, quadrille). This produce-driven book is a work of love, exploring a selection of flavoursome favourites, including asparagus, garlic and game, with more than 100 recipes along the way. Gyngell stresses, above all, the importance of freshness and passion.

BOOKS
Love the restaurant? Now you can give the recipes a whirl. Henrietta Clancy leafs through the best new cookery books from Londons top chefs
Canteen: Great British Food (16.99, Ebury Publishing) champions the simple, hearty British food for which the Canteen restaurants are celebrated. A sizeable chapter is devoted to Canteens most popular offering, the humble pie from steak and kidney, to duck, chestnut and prune while nostalgic jellies and syllabubs fill the latter pages. Head chef and co-owner Cass Titcombes recipes fall into the honest and comforting category, while the books look echoes Patrick ClaytonMalones effective utilitarian design for Canteens four London branches.

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Bowties, shells and spaghetti if you thought they were simply shapes that catered to personal aesthetic preferences, think again. In The Geometry of Pasta (14.99, Boxtree) Jacob Kenedy, of Bocca di Lupo fame, teaches us how each pasta shape has evolved over time to go with certain foods. For instance, the surface area of pappardelle lends itself to a chunky sauce that can get caught in the folds. This is an informative and fun book, with 100 pasta recipes and some quirky black-and-white illustrations.

Jason Atherton, the head chef at Maze, creates his signature fine-dining food on a budget in Gourmet Food for a Fiver (14.99, Quadrille). This self-imposed financial constraint certainly doesnt limit the Michelin-starred chef, whose mastery extends to making both a savoury and a sweet dish for less than five quid. And presentation being so important, Athertons plating suggestions for each dish will ensure that the results look suitably haute as well.

20 squaremeal.co.uk