Cookery Books and Meal Planning

So how many cookery books do you have? A quick count up of books on this shelf here

gave an answer of 95! But you see those 2 files on the top shelf?

well they are full of recipes. Here are my second and third shelves

I'm sure you'll recognise plenty, especially all the Marks and Spencer's ones on the third shelf! But on top of all those I save recipes on my Pinterest board.  Do I use them all? No of course not, but I can't bare to part with them and still lust for more. I just love getting a pile out when I am menu planning and just turning page after page for inspiration.

This week it has been very much all the new ones I had for my birthday which were these

The Sheffield Cookbook is brilliant in that it has contributions from all different 'food and drink' people in and around Sheffield. It gives a short history of the place and the people who run it along with the type of food or drink and then a recipe. As you know we love the quirkier type of places and this book is full of those so we are compiling a list of places to visit.
It's not been all about new books this week but a Mary Berry casserole has been planned for tonight

along with 'Emerald and Jade fruit salad' which come from here, a book given to me by David's parents many, many years ago.

I try and plan for the whole week and generally stick to it, although if we have left overs we'll 'fill' them out with more veg just so they're not wasted. Here is this week's meals

There are 2 further columns to the right, the first I write where I've found the recipe and the second I try and put where and how much I spend on food. 

As I wrote earlier despite all the books I still lust for more and James Martin's French Adventure is my lust at the moment. I am gradually watching most of the programs on catch up and enjoying the (generally) very simple rustic recipes. I also have to admit here to having an obsession with 2CV's having owned one 32 years ago (before that I had 2 Citroen Dyanes!) and loved it. I wonder if I'll get the book as a Valentine's present? I'll let you know xx