You would expect a cookery writer to say that a cook book is the best Christmas present you can give, but this one means it. Partly because every time the recipient uses it is like giving them your gift all over again. This is not a vintage year for cookery books but here are some real plums.

1 Gastronomy of Italy, Anna del Conte (Pavilion, £30)

A masterly work, part culinary encyclopedia, part recipe book, part travelogue. The glossaries are invaluable, the research is truly impressive and the recipes work. Of course, the author has an enviable task, cataloguing the food of a country that takes pride in preserving its regional cooking, and where good, simple ingredients are a way of life. Typical line: 'Pasta is not of great importance in Piedmontese cuisine.'

2 Simply the Best, Tamasin Day Lewis (Cassell, £25)

Yes, it's beautifully written, but rarely has a recipe book also made me so truly hungry. Worth the price of admission for the Cardamom Chicken recipe alone.

3 Darina Allen's Cookery Bible (Kyle Cathie, £30)

At last a truly user-friendly cookery manual, helpful rather than prescriptive, with food that is appetising rather than coldly textbook perfect. Lovely recipes and plenty of help for the new cook. Typical line: 'Do not wrap baked potatoes in tin foil as this softens the skins.'

4 Veg: Simple, Stylish and Seasonal Vegetarian Cooking, Catherine Mason (Pauntley Press, £12.99)

With so many cookery books nudging £30 it is heartening to find one for £12.99 that is chock-full of great recipes. Catherine Mason's cooking is in the style of those doyennes of the Californian vegetarian movement - Deborah Madison and Annie Somerville. In other words this is sassy, bold, sophisticated cooking.

5 Trifle, Helen Saberi and Alan Davidson (Prospect Books, £11.99)

Not even a dozen Mogadon will send me to sleep quicker than a food historian putting pen to paper. Such a delightful subject as our national pudding deserves a lighter touch than it gets here. As it is, recipes are culled from the usual historical sources. Typical line: 'A study of numerous examples suggests that whether a confection was called Tipsy Cake or Tipsy Cake Pudding or Tipsy Pudding depended simply on the preference of the author.' Gripping stuff. And did we really need a map of Norway?

6 Innocent Little Book of Drinks (Fourth Estate, £12.99)

Rarely can I get past a deli without buying one of Innocent's sexy yoghurt and vanilla smoothies. The nice bosses have now decided to give all their secrets away in this wacky little stocking filler. Typical line: 'Don't get involved in all that "how big is the universe stuff. You'll only scare yourself".' Thanks guys.

7 The French Cook, François Pierre La Varenne (Southover Press, £22)

Originally published in 1651, The French Cook laid the foundations for classic French cooking. Typical line: 'After it is well washed in water, or on the fire, which will be the fitter and better, stick or bard it with lard, or if you will, as it rosteth, baste it with butter.'

8 FishWorks Seafood Café Cookbook, Mitchell Tonks (Absolute Press, £20)

OK, Rick Stein rules, but Mr Tonks's book is full of lively, contemporary recipes that make your heart sing. Ignore the depressing cover and go straight to the fishmonger for the ingredients for the Hake with Clams and Bacon.

9 The Cheese Room, Patricia Michelson (Michael Joseph, £14.99)

My book of the year. A passionately written book that seduces, inspires, amuses and informs. Tales from the cheese room of the Michelsons' beautiful London shop yes, but from Italy, Ireland and Manhattan too. Every page sends a shiver of foodie delight up your spine with recipes ranging from Chickpea Soup with Scamorze Affumicate to Heinz Spaghetti with Dairylea. Typical line: 'The outside moulds on unpasteurised cheeses are in effect God's Elastoplast, helping to protect against any negative bacteria.' (Now repeat after me.)

10 Larousse Gastronomique (Hamlyn, £60)

Redesigned and (apparently) updated and with puffs from Terence Conran and Gary Rhodes, yet the Larousse is still the most mind-numbingly boring 1,350 pages you'll ever spend 60 quid on. The good news is it makes a great kitchen doorstop, and is just the right weight for holding down a summer pudding or pressing a paté. I use mine for squishing creepy crawlies. Typical line: 'Then sprinkle with chopped parsley.'