Why Cookbooks?

I was looking for a recipe to use up something strange from the cupboard the other day , when i got sucked into Dolly Daydream mode and before it I noticed  3 hours had gone by and im surrounded by mountains of them . Most normal people would just leap online, tap in the mystery ingredient to All Recipes and away they go . Not me . i have a severe cookbook addiction . 90% have been charity shop finds, the odd one or two have been gifts , i have so many that I will end up as a little old lady being squashed to death by a pile of them . My definition of a good cookbook varies from the ones most charity shops see , i like mine to have fingermarks and splodges , i like them to look used . so most of what i desire probably goes in the bin .

First up is the readable ones, mostly gifts they know they cant go far wrong with, anything by Bob Flowerdew, but it tends to be any TV chef, gardener who actually gets their hands dirty , Ray Mears might seem a strange inclusion but i do like a bit of foraging . Nigel Slater because i want him to be House Elf and  Nigella keeps Mr Bah Humbug glued to the box ..lol     The ones i use everyday. Anything by Rose Elliot with Bean in the title , inoffensive vegetarian recipes , not much Tofu involved , Marguerite Pattern Victory Cookbook 101 uses for a sardine and a mouldy crust , Farmhouse Fare any edition recipes from farmers wives . But youve got to be an old bird to use Farmhouse Kitchen and remember it back in the 70s on afternoon TV .

So what cookbooks do you consider an essential ? heres my dilapadated 1915 Mrs Beaton theres not much thats practical these days in it, but its still a fun read