THE Complete Creative Cook is the essential family cookbook for the 21st century. With over 200 recipes at your fingertips, a wide range of tempting dishes is presented for every possible occasion. From quick-and-easy lunches and suppers, starters and main meals right through to desserts and tea-time treats.

THERE is no other dish as versatile as soup. It can be prepared out of almost anything, and there is scarcely an occasion when a bowl of soup is not welcome, whether as a warming first course, a hearty one-pot meal or a chilled summer starter.
Soups, by Ingeborg Pertwee, has an exciting collection of really good recipes for traditional favourites such as Minestrone, French Onion Soup and Bouillabaisse, as well as unusual ideas such as Parsnip and Orange Soup, Courgette Soup with Fresh Ginger and a Fresh Fruit Soup.

SO that we may enjoy the taste without the fat, Manisha Kanani and Shehzad Husain have produced this wonderfully informative book (with over 150 authentic, delicious recipes) on healthy Indian eating.
The message in the book is fairly straightforward: eat less fat, especially saturated fat, less sugar, less salt and more fibre. Loosely translated, this means eating more vegetables, fruit, complex carbohydrate foods such as rice, bread and pasta, more fish, leaner meats and poultry without skin. With all these pleasurable foods to choose from, healthy eating should never be regarded as dull or uninteresting.
The recipes include all the traditional Indian favourites with small adaptations to make them suitable for healthy eating.

SUSAN Brookes's Truly Wonderful Puddings & Desserts is an inspiration to every home cook, and is filled with 150 irresistible and reliable recipes.
Traditional puddings include classics such as Bread and Butter Pudding and a fabulous selection of American pies. For chocoholics, Susan Brookes provides the ultimate tempation with decadent recipes such as Spiced Chocolate Gateau and Chocolate Meringue Cream.
Those who are worried about the amount of fat in their diet, or are expecting guests who are, should find plenty of inspiration in the fruit chapter.
There are recipes for every occasion, be it a family meal or a special dinner party.

SAY curry and most of us think of a hot and spicy dish from India, although India is just one of the many Asian countries where exciting combinations of spices are used in everyday cooking. So, Meg Jansz's book Curries features recipes from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, Indonesia and, well, India of course.
There are recipes to suit all tastes from fiery vindaloos to creamy kormas, and invaluable information on the varying cookery styles and different spice blends from the different parts of this vast continent.