The An Post Irish Book Awards are back for 2024 and once again the cookbook of the year, or rather, the Bookselling Ireland Food & Drink Book of the Year, is throwing up some more heavy hitters.
Before continuing, note that this post contains Amazon affiliate links, meaning if you purchase any of these books online through links in this post, a commission may be generated in my favour. Of course, you’ll find them all available in your local book shop.
This year’s chosen six come from Brigid O’Hora, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire & Dorothy Cashman, Theo Kirwan for Sprout & Co, Neven Maguire, Dylan McGrath and Mark Moriarty. There’s a bonus for Mac Con Iomaire and Cashman’s Irish Food History: A Companion with the title also in the running for Best Irish-Published Book of the Year
The Home Sommelier
Brigid O’Hora (Hachette)
Have you ever stood in the supermarket struggling to pick the right bottle of wine for the evening ahead, whether you’re heading to a friend’s birthday party or having a cosy night in with a bowl of pasta?
Now, wine expert Brigid O’Hora is here to help with entertaining knowledge and advice to help you select the perfect wine to fit every occasion, no matter your budget.
From how to tell good wine from bad and learning more about the regions and grapes you love, to tips on pairing the food you’re eating – whether it’s a special-occasion meal, everyday spaghetti Bolognese or a bag of crisps – with the perfect tipple, The Home Sommelier uncorks the secrets to getting the very best from your wine experience.
Irish Food History: A Companion
Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire & Dorothy Cashman (Royal Irish Academy)
Enlightening, entertaining and often surprising, Irish Food History: A Companion takes you on an unforgettable and expert journey through Ireland’s culinary past.
Beginning at the end of the Ice Age, before reindeer, brown bears, and the giant Irish deer became extinct; this vital and brilliantly researched collection brings us forward from the introduction of farming and livestock to the delicious world of medieval honey, banqueting, bog butter, whiskey distilling, to eighteenth-century feasts, famines, and on to the modernisation, industrialisation, and eventual globalisation of food. Through analysis, storytelling, and mouth-watering descriptions, every dish and moment in time reveals ancient techniques, hidden gems, and innovative cooking seemingly far beyond its time, all of which have shaped Ireland’s culinary landscape for centuries.
Sprout & Co Saladology: Fresh Ideas for Delicious Salads
Theo Kirwan (Octopus Books)
Jack and Theo Kirwan, co-founders of acclaimed Dublin-based restaurant, Sprout, are devoted to showing just how full-flavoured a salad can be. Their first cookbook, Saladology, includes more than 100 exciting recipes, ranging from simple side salads, attention-grabbing vegetables, satisfying noodles, pasta, fish and meat dishes. It’s a collection of ideas inspired by their favourite food experiences, reimagining what a salad can be – and always with an emphasis on delicious.
Season: Master the elements of amazing taste
Mark Moriarty (Gill Books)
Seasonal ingredients and seasoning: the two elements that make great food.
Take your cooking to the next level with award-winning chef Mark Moriarty. Inspired by the calendar and the climate, these recipes celebrate quality, accessible ingredients, from lamb boulangère in spring to crispy pork belly tacos with pineapple salsa in summer. Try comforting autumn favourites like minestrone soup and create Christmas showstoppers, including Mark’s brined turkey crown and soy-and-honey-glazed ham.
Mark focuses on the importance of seasoning throughout, the splashes and sprinkles that enhance every flavour in your dish. The crackle of freshly ground black pepper on a crusty steak. Butter melting warmth into your mash. Lemon juice cutting through the richness of a creamy sauce. Sea salt crystals dancing on steamed fish, making it sing.
This is the difference between good food and great food – Season will show you how easy it is to achieve at home…
Dad Food
Dylan McGrath (Gill Books)
Dylan McGrath has cooked for thousands of people, but becoming a father encouraged him to create a new approach to cooking at home, using solid recipes guaranteed to deliver on taste, whatever your skill level.
Dylan shares the recipes that every man should have up his sleeve. Beginners will lose their fear of cooking, and confident cooks can take their expertise to the next level.
Packed with big flavours, accessible ingredients and foolproof dishes, this book serves up hit after hit – with everything from filling brunches to big grills to signature roasts to every dad’s favourite: the BBQ. This food is so good you’ll find everyone in the house wants to make it!
Eat Out at Home
Neven Maguire (Gill Books)
What does it mean to ‘eat out at home’?
It means adding that extra bit of flair to your cooking, opening up your home with a warm welcome and creating joyful occasions around the table with the people you love.
I have spent my life with good food and hospitality at the centre of it – whether cooking for two or two hundred – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
This book is filled with the love, laughter and joy from around my table, and I hope it inspires you to create lasting food memories too.
What next?
Voting is open to the public and runs until 14 November. If you do cast a vote in any of the categories, you’ll be entered into a draw to win one of five €100 National Book Tokens.
The An Post Irish Book Awards 2024 winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in the Convention Centre, Dublin on Wednesday 27 November.
