The Great British Chefs Cookbook Club: December 2023

The Great British Chefs Cookbook Club: December 2023

1 December 2023

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 2023

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 book: Great Roasts by Gelf Alderson

This month we're asking you to cook from Great Roasts by Gelf Alderson. It features recipes which can be made in the oven, from classics like roast lamb and potatoes, to roast peaches and oven kedgeree. It's the perfect sort of food for winter when you're craving things which are toasty and comforting.

Buy a copy of Great Roasts here. To get a taste for the book take a look at the three recipes below.

Rolled lamb breast with herbs, lemon and tomatoes

Vanilla and thyme roasted peaches with raspberry sauce

Smoked haddock with potatoes, spinach, cream and thyme

Last month's winners

In November, you all cooked dishes from Great British Chefs' very own Open Kitchen and we were incredibly impressed with what you all produced. Congratulations to our cookbook club winner Sophie Hyam. They win a prize. Take a look at Sophie's entry below as well as our runners up.

Our winner this month is Sophie Hyam with her fantastic soy chicken from Andrew Wong. A great celebratory dish for sharing with friends.
Kim Lesley Ferris made decadent crab ravioli, shellfish bisque and sauce vierge. An incredible starter!
This picture-perfect braised fennel from Anne Hudson came out beautifully, and looks like ideal winter fare.
Mark Howroys made Chantelle Nicholson's harissa roasted cabbage with all the trimmings and a beautiful flower garnish
Theresa Mentz made some stunning autumnal decorations to decorate her take on Nokx Majozi's Cape Malay chicken pie
SvFreedom Hansen tackled Chantelle Nicholsan’s elegant rhubarb dessert, served with a generous serving of rich – but not too sweet – cheesecake cream.
Will Vincent made Ben Tish’s deeply comforting cheesy courgette, mint and lemon pasta, and topped it with some precious bottarga. It looks so delicious!
Lyn Waldron made Nina Matsunaga’s feast of fish sauce caramel-glazed beef rump with takikomi gohan, kimchi, pastrami and soy cured egg yolk. Extremely impressive.
Julie Singer made Stosie Madie’s chicken brochette with pickled daikon. The chicken skewers look absolutely delicious and very moreish!

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