Fellow fans of her first book, Mamushka, will know that Olia Hercules is a food writer of immense talent and feeling — for food, words, the conjuring up of a way of life — and her follow-up is no disappointment (not that that was ever on the cards). Kaukasis is an absolute triumph, full of beautiful stories and beautiful recipes: if you love reading about food, cooking it or eating it, you need this book in your life. I did think of choosing her buckwheat ice cream for you here — it is so staggeringly good — but in the end, I couldn’t move away from this chicken pie. Congratulations to an entrancing food writer.
Kaukasis: The Cookbook by Olia Hercules is published by Mitchell Beazley, £25 (www.octopusbooks.co.uk)
Imagery credit: Elena Heatherwick