Cookbooks You May Have Missed in 2025—and What to Cook First

A strong year for cookbooks—beyond the obvious bestsellers

2025 delivered a wide spread of new cookbooks, from big-name authors to debut writers. While some releases arrived with major fanfare, there were also standout titles that offered clear, usable ideas for home cooks—books that are less about novelty and more about helping you cook well in real life. Across three very different angles—midlife nutrition, Ghanaian and Nigerian-inspired flavour, and balanced, protein-forward everyday meals—these cookbooks share one important trait: they give you something to make right away.

Below are three notable 2025 releases and a practical “cook this first” recommendation from each, based on what the books emphasise and the recipes they highlight.

MENOlicious: a “reboot” approach to midlife nutrition

As conversations around menopause become more open, so has interest in supportive, straightforward nutrition. MENOlicious: Eat Your Way to a Better Menopause brings that focus into a cookbook format. Created by journalist and menopause awareness activist Mariella Frostrup and chef Belles Berry (daughter of Dame Mary Berry), the book positions itself not as a diet, but as a “reboot.” The authors also worked with dietician and consultant Hala El-Shafie, who has more than 20 years’ experience in nutrition and women’s health.

The method in the book is structured around six pillars: nutrient-dense food, balancing blood sugar, phytoestrogens (such as flaxseeds and legumes), hydration, limiting triggers (including caffeine, salt and alcohol), and exercise. Recipe-wise, the tone is designed to be accessible: the authors note that 90 per cent of the recipes take 30 minutes or less. The range includes breakfasts like matcha bircher muesli and kale pancakes with tahini butter, plus convenient lunches such as lime, tamarind and green veg noodle lunch pots, and easy dinners like fisherman’s curry.

What to cook first: the seeded loaf described as “packed with goodness,” “ridiculously easy,” and “failsafe.” It’s designed to be satisfying and straightforward, and it leans into ingredients such as pumpkin and chia seeds, plus walnuts, porridge oats, yoghurt and egg. The recipe is baked in a 900g loaf tin and finished with extra seeds on top. It’s the kind of recipe that suits the book’s overall promise: simple, practical food that still feels like a treat—especially served warm with butter.

• Key idea: a non-diet “reboot” built around six pillars, with quick recipes
• First-cook pick: the seeded loaf baked in a 900g tin

Sugar and Spice: Ghanaian and Nigerian heritage meets sweet-and-savoury cooking

Remi Idowu—content creator, recipe developer and founder of a baking business launched at 19—published her debut cookbook Sugar and Spice in 2025. The book brings together her love of puddings with flavours rooted in her parents’ Ghanaian and Nigerian heritage. Rather than treating dessert as an add-on, it gives sweet and savoury recipes equal space.

Idowu describes the joy of experimenting with flavours from different cultures and discovering a love for baking early on. She is self-taught and credits her mum’s home cooking with teaching her how to pack flavour into simple ingredients—an approach reflected in the book’s structure. Sections include “classics with a twist” (for example, braised beef short ribs with stilton mash, or honey jalapeño cornbread) and “better than takeaways,” which frames recipes as cheaper alternatives, such as mango habanero chicken wings. Alongside these are dishes connected to childhood food memories, including her mum’s jollof rice, groundnut soup, and yam and egusi stew.

What to cook first: the groundnut soup. Idowu calls it one of her absolute favourites, describing it as hearty, delicious, and made with a handful of basic ingredients. The method begins with a chunky paste base made from onion, ginger, garlic and chilli, then simmers meat with bay leaves and bouillon. A peanut butter and tomato purée mixture is whisked and cooked until oil starts to separate, then combined with blended tomatoes before the soup is cooked further until more oil rises to the surface. The recipe also includes a serving suggestion: it’s traditionally paired with fufu, but mashed potatoes are offered as a substitute for those who want an easier option.

• Key idea: sweet and savoury recipes in equal measure, with heritage flavours throughout
• First-cook pick: groundnut soup, traditionally served with fufu (or mashed potatoes as a substitute)

Live to Eat: protein-forward, balanced everyday meals

Emily English, known online as @emthenutritionist, followed her 2024 bestseller with a 2025 cookbook titled Live to Eat. Her approach centres on enjoying food without restriction while still prioritising everyday nutrition. English studied for a BSc in nutrition at King’s College London and frequently emphasises protein for fullness, fibre as an “unsung hero,” and the importance of balancing carbohydrates and sugar.

The book extends beyond recipes into lifestyle habits, including tips around stress, sleep and movement. Examples mentioned include building a strong morning routine and going for a 15-minute walk after lunch. In the kitchen, the recipes cover a broad day-to-day range: breakfasts like balsamic mushroom-stuffed omelette or sweet potato fritters with soft-boiled eggs; lunches such as red Thai coconut gyoza soup; dinners including lamb and feta burgers with cucumber slaw and garlic yoghurt; and desserts designed to feel satisfying, like toasted oat chocolate tiffin.

What to cook first: the high-protein smoked salmon and spinach quiche with a filo crust. English describes quiche as a classic lunchtime staple and explains her twist: blending cottage cheese with milk to create a creamy custard base, then combining it with eggs, wilted spinach, chives, smoked salmon, lemon zest, and seasoning. The crust is built by layering filo pastry sheets with olive oil in a deep springform cake tin, then baking until just set. English also notes you can make individual versions in muffin cases with adjusted cooking time, making it a flexible option for lunches.

• Key idea: balanced meals with an emphasis on protein, fibre and practical habits
• First-cook pick: smoked salmon and spinach quiche with blended cottage cheese custard and filo pastry

Choosing your first cookbook based on how you cook

If you want quick, straightforward meals framed around menopause-supportive nutrition, MENOlicious is built around a clear method and speed-friendly recipes. If you’re looking for bold comfort food that moves easily between savoury dishes and puddings, Sugar and Spice offers that range while grounding many recipes in Ghanaian and Nigerian heritage. And if your priority is everyday structure—recipes plus routines that support balanced eating—Live to Eat focuses on protein, fibre and practical meal ideas across the day.

Whichever direction you choose, each of these books offers a strong starting point recipe—one that reflects the author’s central approach and gives you a clear reason to keep cooking from the book.