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Henry Dimbleby's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Henry Dimbleby recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Henry Dimbleby's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1
Recommended by Henry Dimbleby, and 1 others.

Henry DimblebyThe classic French cooking textbook. Old techniques, brilliant recipes and wonderful sauces. (Source)

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2
In 1715 Leibniz wrote to his friend the Princess of Wales to warn her of the dangers Newton's philosophy posed for natural religion. Seizing this chance of initiating an exchange between two of the greatest minds in Europe, the princess showed his letter to the eminent Newtonian scientist and natural theologian, Samuel Clarke. From his reply developed an exchange of papers which was published in 1717. The correspondence was immediately seen as a crucial discussion of the significance of the new science, and it became one of the most widely read philosophical works of its time. Kant developed... more
Recommended by Henry Dimbleby, and 1 others.

Henry DimblebyA discussion between Leibniz, a philosopher and mathematician and Samuel Clarke, a philosopher and scientist. It is essentially about the death of mysticism. (Source)

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3
Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a kitchen classic. Hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible to which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide turn for an understanding of where our foods come from, what exactly they're made of, and how cooking transforms them into something new and delicious. Now, for its twentieth anniversary, Harold McGee has prepared a new, fully revised and updated edition of On Food and Cooking. He has rewritten the text almost completely, expanded it by... more

Rose Levy BeranbaumHe explains how cooking works and gives you the freedom to create your own things, to know when things go wrong. (Source)

Yotam OttolenghiMcGee is very clear and to the point. Despite the fact that he is quite technical, it’s never boring. (Source)

Chris YoungMy career starts with [this book] in many ways. There wouldn’t be any of this modern cooking movement without [this book], I don’t think. (Source)

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4
Michael Pollan's last book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, launched a national conversation about the American way of eating; now In Defense of Food shows us how to change it, one meal at a time. Pollan proposes a new answer to the question of what we should eat that comes down to seven simple but liberating words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Pollan's bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we can start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives, enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy, and bring pleasure back to eating.,,, less
Recommended by Richard Branson, Henry Dimbleby, and 2 others.

Richard BransonToday is World Book Day, a wonderful opportunity to address this #ChallengeRichard sent in by Mike Gonzalez of New Jersey: Make a list of your top 65 books to read in a lifetime. (Source)

Henry DimblebyPollan takes the science of food and shows where it’s been misapplied. (Source)

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5
This unusual fictional memoir - in good part autobiographical - narrates without self-pity and often with humor the adventures of a penniless British writer among the down-and-outs of two great cities. The Parisian episode is fascinating for its expose of the kitchens of posh French restaurants, where the narrator works at the bottom of the culinary echelon as dishwasher, or plongeur. In London, while waiting for a job, he experiences the world of tramps, street people, and free lodging houses. In the tales of both cities we learn some sobering Orwellian truths about poverty and of society. less

David DownieThat is a book I read when I was young – in my teens – and it really marked me. (Source)

Roman KrznaricOrwell is one of my great empathic heroes. He went tramping in east London, trying to empathise with people who lived on the social margins. (Source)

David KramaleyI really enjoyed Down and Out in Paris and London. I think it’s meant to be a semi-autobiographical novel by George Orwell. I liked it because it was one of those books that had a big influence on the way I perceive and think about the world. Highly recommended. (Source)

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