Top summer reads for food and drink lovers

Death by Noir by Olly Smith

£20, Baskerville

Before Olly Smith, aka Jolly Olly, fell into the world of wine, he was a screenwriter – working on the likes of Pingu, Meg & Mog and even Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. After almost two decades, he’s turned to fiction again – this time for adults, penning his début novel, Death by Noir. As you might guess from the name, the book is a mystery – unravelling the demise of a Sussex vineyard owner, Victor Crawshaw. The protagonist is Barclay Flint, a larger-than-life and rather Olly-Smith-like wine shop owner in Lewes who, together with a ragtag group of friends and locals, sets out to solve the murder.

The array of bumbling characters with farcical quirks and the blissful English countryside setting hints at P.G. Wodehouse, while there’s more than a whiff of Agatha Christie here too (is Flint a vinously inclined Poirot?). The result sits more happily alongside Midsomer Murders – but in a charming way. The writing groans in places, laden with similes, metaphors and detailed description, but beneath this is a good yarn and a collection of characters whom it’s easy to warm to. Barclay reels off wine references throughout – all to fantastic wines that will make any wine lover’s mouth water, satisfying in their specificity. For Sussex locals, it may appeal even more – for although Dandelion Vineyard is fictional, most of the other places are very real, known by Smith himself who has spent much of his life in Lewes. There is even a glossary of ‘old Sussex words’ that feature in the book – all adding character to the tale.

A sequel is already in the works – with this but the first of Barclay Flint’s adventures. Death by Noir is not great literature, but it’s an endearing read – one that will make perfect poolside fodder, ideally with a glass of something crisp on hand. Sophie Thorpe

How to Drink Natural Wine by Rachel Signer

£20, Octopus

Though natural wine is now everywhere, it’s easy to forget how remarkable the shift has been over the past 15 years. Although it still makes up a minuscule proportion of total wine consumption, in cities like New York, London and Paris, you can’t move for restaurants, bars and shops selling low-intervention bottles. The problem, for many casual observers, though, is the difficulty in defining a movement which defies categorisation. An all-encompassing, easy-reading book is a welcome guide, then, and How to Drink Natural Wine, by the American journalist Rachel Signer, is just that.

Through a number of concise sections, Signer, who lives in Australia and dabbles in (natural) winemaking herself, makes a good fist of charting the rise of natural wine, from its beginnings (Georgia 6,000 years ago; Beaujolais in the 1980s) to its dominance in trendy circles today.

Many are still snooty about natural wine, always eager to dismiss it as farmy muck (the same standards are rarely apportioned to the countless terrible bottles of conventional wine). On the other hand, natural wine lovers can be fundamentlists. A chapter on appellations, while explaining that they have been stifling for many producers, could have acknowledged the merits of the system – offering consistency and reassurance to the average buyer, for example.

Yet How to Drink Natural Wine is a thoroughly readable, informative and entertaining book. I particularly liked the sections on the differences between how natural and conventional wine is made; the potential flaws of natural wine (volatile acidity, mousiness); and the myth-busting news that many natural wines do have ageing potential. Happily, many of the star winemakers Signer recommends produce affordable bottles in the £20-30 range. How to Drink Natural Wine might not convince the naysayers, but it will make everyone more knowledgable about the biggest trend in the wine world today. Tomé Morrissy-Swan

Medesque by Georgina Hayden

£26, Bloomsbury Publishing

In the echelons of cookery book modern classics you’ll find Georgina Hayden’s debut, Stirring Slowly. Radiating warmth and packed full of feel-good recipes that are made on repeat a decade on, it has become a well-thumbed cookbook for many. Medesque is Hayden’s fifth release and will doubtless become as food splattered as the rest.

She got me at the lamb, apricot and feta sausage rolls – which silenced the table when I served them; while the halloumi, coriander and chilli omelette pita wrap made my day as a stellar working lunch. Other recipes I’ve bookmarked include the gnocchi puttanesca, the spiced chicken ditalini, the tomatoey Greek greens, and the everyday marmitako: fisherman’s tuna and potato stew.

The creative process for her recipes becomes clear when you read about Hayden’s back story. She grew up above her grandparents’ Greek Cypriot taverna and developed a love of cooking and storytelling through the recipes passed down to her. Plus, she worked with Jamie Oliver’s food team for 12 years.

As the name suggests, Medesque brings a touch of The Med to your table, with inspiration drawn from her heritage, yes, but also from her many travels around the region. She recalls her first taste of sweet pink Tropea onions on a trip to Calabria, baking fennel-laced biscuits with nuns in the Malaga hills, and learning the delicate art of handmade warqa pastry in Marrakesh. Chapters are split into sections such as ‘Starting Strong’, ‘Weeknight Wins’, and ‘Sweet Spot’. My lunch today? Lahmaçun and herby onion pickle, a quick version of a Turkish classic using ready-made tortillas. Can’t wait. Fiona Sims

Pressing Matters by Alan Ramey

£20, Académie du Vin Library

The world of wine is not short on opinions. All too often, those opinions and approaches can be dogmatic, rather than embracing the complexity that makes wine so fascinating. Alan Ramey’s debut book, Pressing Matters, is a rare exception – taking issues head-on and forgoing neat conclusions.

Ramey tackles some of wine’s most discussed topics – with chapters on terroir, natural wine, biodynamics, organics, climate change, quality, value and appellation systems. He seeks out voices from beyond wine’s echo chamber, bringing fresh perspective by engaging with experts in their own fields – from agrochemists to behavioural economists and many more. The result could be dry, but is far from it: instead of an overly earnest textbook, it feels like a really good conversation at a dinner party – with someone witty, intelligent, but not at all pretentious.

At just 185 pages (with additional pages dedicated to detailed endnotes, providing plenty of additional reading), and a bargain £20, this book is an essential for wine enthusiasts. Ramey doesn’t shy away from the nuance of the ‘pressing matters’ facing the world of wine. Instead he accepts that there are no easy answers and few universal truths – the key is to accept that there are several ‘right’ ways, subject to the many variables at play in any situation.

One line in particular has lingered on my mind long after I finished the book, with Ramey emphasising how important it is to engage with those of opposing views – to debate, exchange ideas and try to understand each other. In a world where views are increasingly extreme, it’s an idea that resonates deeply. Sophie Thorpe

Mexican Soul by Santiago Lastra

£30, Quadrille

Given Santiago Lastra is a chef at the top of his game – with a Michelin star and a ranking in the World’s 50 Best to his credit – it might come as a surprise that this is not a book of recipes instructing you on how to replicate the cooking in his London restaurant, Kol. The clue is in the name: Mexican Soul. It’s all about what makes Mexican food Mexican but also how you can take that approach and apply it even if you live far from Mexico. ‘I want to make Mexican food possible for everyone,’ he says.

He and his brother and co-author Eduardo Lastra do a great job of explaining not only the key ingredients of Mexican cooking but the five elements – sour, spice, sweet, fat and smoke – that make it distinctive. With each they describe the typical Mexican ingredients that have those tastes and flavours, as well as the ingredients from elsewhere in the world that you can use as a substitute: paprika and bird’s eye chilli for chipotle, for instance.

In recipe terms, that results in some remarkable reinterpretations such a guacamole made with pistachios rather than avocado (pistachios don’t oxidise so it preserves the vibrant green colour of the dip), accompanied by pitta bread rather than corn chips and tortillas made with mashed potato. Being a mathematician and an engineer respectively the brothers are used to solving problems. It’s also deeply practical. The salsa roja, for example, includes orange and lime juice to add fruitiness ‘in case the tomatoes are not perfectly ripe’ – as is likely to be the case in the UK.

Despite the pair’s endearing geekiness there’s a charming lightness of touch across the book. For example, A Few Unwritten Rules: ‘Never call a tortilla a taco or a taco a tortilla.’ Or, ‘There’s always a mom somewhere that cooks the recipe better than you.’ (Reassuring for us amateurs, that.)

This is a book that will not only help you understand Mexican food better but will also provide a lot of fun in the process. Fiona Beckett

Peckish by Ed Smith

£22, Quadrille

I’ve cooked a fair few Ed Smith recipes in my time. I’ve been making his jammy eggs with ‘nduja and honey since his book Good Eggs was published a couple of years ago. The lawyer-turned-food-writer, who rules on social media with his popular Instagram posts as @rocketandsquash, has delivered a cracker once again with his fifth cookbook, Peckish – An Inspirational Collection of Winning Chicken Dinners. It’s a one-stop-shop for chicken inspo (his words) and shines the spotlight on chicken cooked every which way, whether using wings or mince, thighs, legs or the whole bird, with appealing, mostly straightforward recipes.

You can understand his thinking – most of us put chicken in our shopping basket every week. It’s a crowd-pleaser and a comfort blanket, relatively cheap and an easy source of protein. Chicken is also versatile, and eaten pretty much everywhere around the world, so Smith draws inspiration from all over for his recipes: from Japan for his chicken gyoza, edamame and pickled chilli salad in the ‘Mince, Wings & Offal’ section; from West Africa for his peanut stew in the ‘Thighs’ chapter; from Mexico for his Sinaloa-style grilled chicken in ‘Whole Legs’.

The first dish I tried from the book was the poached chicken and asparagus chopped salad – fresh, crunchy and vibrant, and perfect for lunch on a blisteringly hot late spring day.  Next on my list is the chicken cutlet – aka schnitzel: Smith has come up with an ingenious crumb using cornflakes pulsed finely that I suspect will make it worth buying the book alone. Fiona Sims

The Wines of Provence by Elizabeth Gabay MW and Ben Bernheim

£35, Académie du Vin Library

If you aren’t physically able to escape to Provence this summer, you can at least live vicariously through the Classic Wine Library’s new guide to the region – just add a suitable bottle or two and a paddling pool, and your suburban garden will be your very own Côte d’Azur.

While the region has made its name with perfectly pale, crisp rosé, Gabay and Bernheim’s book sets out to take you deeper into the region – to the wines that are, to them, more exciting. The book is divided into two main sections: one giving you the background, tracing Provence’s history, exploring its rather hard-to-pin-down borders, the movers and shakers, its defining styles, varieties and the way producers farm. This is paired with a guide to Provence’s subregions – broadly divided into coastal, inland and northwestern areas. You’ll find a more focused history and context for each subregion with key producers highlighted, and maps that help you get your bearings.

This is – in keeping with the rest of the Classic Wine Library – not a luxe coffee table book, but its paperback design, with relatively limited pictures and maps, makes it genuinely useful and readable. It is compact enough you could take it on holiday to the region with you – acting as a handy reference on the road. Gabay and Bernheim’s writing is engaging, light enough for you to sit down and enjoy a chunk of the book, without shying away from the detail that will appeal to wine nerds. There are useful appendices covering key dates, the region’s finest wines, co-ops and producers of specific styles, as well as a comprehensive index.

Beyond these practicalities, however, this is an exploration of Provence beyond its yachts, pristine beaches and celebrity headlines, taking you into the region’s rugged landscape to meet the hardy Provençal farmers who craft wines that are much more than summer quaffers – one that deserves a place on your shelf. Sophie Thorpe

Académie du Vin Library has also published two other books in the Classic Wine Library – an updated edition of The Wines of Portugal and the forthcoming new book on The White Wines of Bordeaux.

Eat Like a Greek by Marina Georgallides

£25, Octopus

If you love a Greek holiday, you’ll love this cookbook. Eat like a Greek does what it says on the cover – and some. All the hits are there, from moussaka to stuffed vine leaves, souvlaki to stuffed peppers. Plus, there are creative twists on the classics – nothing too out there, just clever tweaks to favourite Greek recipes, such as adding raspberries to lemonopita (lemon filo cake). ‘The key is in “like”,’ writes Marina Georgallides in her intro. ‘It’s about celebrating the breadth and simplicity of Greek food and proving just how easy it can be to recreate the classic dishes we all know and love using fresh ingredients and simple cooking methods.’

The Cyprus-born, London-raised author is a big fish on social media. Known as @chefmarinie she breezes through her accessible recipes, gathering followers as she goes. The book includes many of those popular dishes, plus a few new ones, with every chapter serving a particular passion. In ‘Dips like a Greek’, she’s switched out cucumber for courgette in a feta dip that will no doubt become a firm favourite (I tried it, it’s delicious). In ‘Everyday Dinners’, the green bean stew echoes time spent lingering in old-school tavernas, and in ‘Feast like a Greek,’ the lemony chicken and rice soup (avgolemono) will soothe the soul, even if it uses stock cubes for ease.

Yes, some dishes in the book take a little longer to prepare than the ‘quick, easy’ claim on the cover – life is clearly not too short to stuff an onion and then cook it twice, according to Georgallides. And why not make your own chicken gyros instead of hitting up a kebab shop – hers is the best recipe out there, she boldly claims, adding that you can make your own kebab spike with an onion and two wooden skewers. Up for the challenge? Fiona Sims

The Kitchen Book by Ella Risbridger

£26, 4th Estate

I don’t think there’s been this personal and friendly a cookbook since Nigella wrote her iconic How to Eat. Like Lawson, Risbridger is a more a writer than a cook and her book sweeps you up in its boundless energy and enthusiasm. It’s warm, funny and opinionated. Just head for a bookshop and open any page at random. P142: ‘The single best house party snack in the world is several trays of very hot roast potatoes.’ (The accompanying dip is also well worth making). P154: Little Cheesy Biscuits in the Shape of Every Fruit the Very Hungry Caterpillar ate in a Working Week. (That’s just the title.) Of the almond and cherry one bowl cake on P306: ‘This is the perfect cake for emergencies. I don’t know how many cake-based emergencies you have but let me tell you this cake is here for all of them.’

There are useful matrices – which suggest alternative ways of topping toast, serving chicken (with recommended sides and leftovers) and baking cookies, ‘a formula for pretty much being able to make a genuinely very nice cookie whatever you have in.’ Most recipes have a discursive notes and queries postscript with added thoughts and tips.

But my favourite section is the first one headed ‘On the Sofa’, which is full of easy weeknight dinners such as no knife potato and prawn curry, turmeric satay salmon with greens and cumin lamb noodle ragu. I want to make them all, indeed cook practically everything from this book – but you don’t have to. You could just buy it and keep it by your bed for comfort. Fiona Beckett