Has everyone got a cookbook in them?

One of the perks of working in food media is having access to new release cookbooks, which regularly arrive on my desk for review. A highlight this week was Our family table (Random House) by Julie Goodwin, winner of the first series of Masterchef. I came to Masterchef late, in the last few weeks, and wasn't a particular fan of Julie's - like most people I expected Poh to win - but I am pleasantly surprised by this book.

Over seven years of reviewing cookbooks for Australian Table and BBC Good Food I have literally read hundreds of them but Our family table stands out for its warmth, friendliness and lack of pretension. The photography (by Steve Brown), styling (Janelle Bloom) and design are all gorgeous, of course, but what I like most about it is that in tone it reads like a collection of recipes which have been written out for you by that nice lady down the street who always brings the fantastic wild rice salad to barbecues.

Which is pretty much exactly who Julie Goodwin appeared to be on Masterchef but it's nice to see that her publishers haven't tried to trick her food up and make it appear anything more than it is - nice, familiar, non-intimidating dishes that are easy to whip up and taste great. There's nothing particularly challenging in this book and serious gourmand-types will probably turn up their noses but I'd hazard a guess and say that this is the type of food that most Aussies eat most of the time; not pork belly on seared scallops or confit duck legs.

This week I have also been reading a book called Look me in the eye by John Elder Robison, which outlines the author's experiences growing up with Asperger’s (a form of autism) before it was recognised as a condition. This isn't the sort of book that would normally appeal to me - I picked it up on a whim - but it turned out to be both fascinating and entertaining, proving once again my theory that everyone has a book of some sort in them. Julie's book makes me wonder if everyone has a cookbook in them.

Several years ago my parents put togther a volume called The Wright Family Christmas Recipe Book (print run: three copies), which collated all the tried-and-trusted Christmas recipes we've been using for years on Christmas day, and is one of my most prized cookbooks. My friend Gary meanwhile has a wonderful idea for a contemporary '60s cookbook, reinterpreting Mad Men-era recipes for modern diners. Another friend wants to put together a book of mid-week dinner party menus that are easy and quick enough to be whipped up after work but still have serious wow-factor. I'd like a copy of both if they ever get round to actually putting them together. Personally, I haven't decided on a theme for "my" cookbook yet, but in the meantime, if you'd like a copy of my seared asian beef recipe, I'm happy to write it out for you...