The Great British Chefs Cookbook Club: December 2024

The Great British Chefs Cookbook Club: February 2018

The Great British Chefs Cookbook Club: December 2024

1 December 2024

Welcome to the Great British Chefs Cookbook Club! Find out how it works, how to get involved and what prizes you can win.

The Great British Chefs Cookbook Club: December 2024

Welcome to the Great British Chefs Cookbook Club! Find out how it works, how to get involved and what prizes you can win.

Even with the vast number of recipes available on the internet these days, there’s nothing quite like leafing through a beautiful book full of recipes. It’s a medium that’s stronger than ever before, with cookbooks topping bestseller charts throughout the year. If you’re anything like us then you’ll have shelves upon shelves of them in your home – some kept in pristine condition, others earmarked, stained and scrawled over after years of use.

It’s this national love for cookbooks that has prompted us to start our very own cookbook club. Each month we’ll select a cookbook that we think stands out from the rest and ask you, the Great British Chefs community, to cook a recipe from it. We’ll publish a small selection of recipes on our site so, even if you don’t already have the book, you can still get involved and see how your cooking compares to everyone else’s. Apply to join the Facebook group here and take a look at this month's book (and recipes) below. We've also included the winning post from last month's book, as well as some of our other favourite entries.

Apply to join the Cookbook Club today!

Click here to apply to join our cookbook club, meet like-minded home cooks and share your creations for the chance to win prizes. Please make sure to answer the two simple introductory questions to speed up your application.

This month's cookbook is Sift

For December, we're cooking from Sift. Nicola Lamb is known for her incredibly detailed baking guides on her Substack Kitchen Projects, which take you step-by-step through the process of developing and testing recipes, as well as the reasoning behind various different baking techniques. Her book is full of even more brilliant recipes - including some delicious wintery ones like Pumpkin Buns, Upside-Down Sticky Pear and Walnut Cake or Ricotta, Marmalade and Hazelnut Chocolate-Chip Cake.

Spiced pumpkin buns

Roasted strawberry Victoria sponge

Upside-down sticky pear and walnut cake

Last month's winners

In November, you all cooked dishes from Comfort and we were really impressed with the results. A massive congratulations to our cookbook club winner Julie Singer. They win a prize. Take a look at Julie's entry below, as well as those from our runners up.

Our winner this month is Julie Singer, with these Cauliflower and Butternut Pakoras. They look so crunchy and moreish – perfect for any tamarind lover.
Anne Strachan made White Poached Chicken with Chinese Cabbage and Peanut Rayu. Poached chicken is so underrated, so it was great to see this recipe getting some love in the group
Kim Lesley Ferris made Butter-Braised Kohlrabi with Olive Chimichurri. Knobbly kohlrabi doesn't always look that promising before it's cooked, but braised in butter like it is here, it looks absolutely mouth-watering.
Tracy Carey made this Roasted Aubergine, Red Pepper & Tomato Soup, with heaps of crunchy flaked almonds. This recipe was really popular in the group, so definitely give it a go!
Tim Clarke made Stroganoff Meatballs from Comfort. We're glad this impressed even the meatball-skeptics in your family, and this looks like the perfect winter comfort food.
Theresa Mentz made Chicken and Lime Leaf Currry with Noodles. We loved this shot of all the components set out, and the finished bowls at the bottom. A labour of love, but clearly worth it!
Frances Clarke also tacked the ever-popular Roasted Aubergine, Red Pepper and Tomato Soup. We love how vivid the colour of this soup is – it looks like a simple tomato soup but has a secret auberginey twist
Susannah Day made this mammoth German-Style Sausage Roll - you can't take a look at this picture without wanting to take a bite!
Carol Irving made Helen's bolognese, and said ' truly one of the most delicious bowls of pasta I have ever made'. You really can't get much better than that!

Make sure you post photos along with commentary of the dishes you cook this month in our Facebook group to be in with the chance of winning.