My first must-have book of the year is Adventures of a Terribly Greedy Girl by London-based food and drinks writer Kay Plunkett-Hogge (Mitchell Beazley; February 2017, Pre-order now ). It’s not a recipe book, although it has recipes, but more of a food memoir. Raised in Thailand with stints in New York City and LA as a modelling rep, Plunkett-Hogge is a born raconteur. The stories are hysterically funny one moment then tissue-reaching teary the next. Think of the late-great U.S. writer Nora Ephron and you get an idea of the pleasures in store.

2017 also sees a spate of cookbooks that explore lesser know culinary shores. First up is rising food star Zoe Adjonyoh who runs a packed pop-up in Brixton serving up Ghanaian cooking. Now she’s got a cookbook, Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen (Mitchell Beazley; April 2017, Pre-order now ) to add to her CV. Expect lots of fish and seafood, hearty salads, all spiked with a heady hit of spice – fun, casual food, full of sunshine.

Also one to look out for is Kaukasis (Mitchell Beazley; August 2017), the second cookbook from Olia Hercules. Her first, Mamushka, was a heartfelt tribute to her native Ukraine that went beyond recipes to tell the stories of the people who cook them. Expect more culinary storytelling in her new book when she turns her eye to Georgia and the Caucasus region.

The food of Georgia is the subject of another book, Supra: The Art of Georgian Feasting, by Tiko Tuskadze (Pavilion; July 2017) who is chef-owner of Little Georgia restaurant in London. Her focus is on the traditional foods found at family feasts, celebrations and seasonal gatherings. Staying in the East, is Wild Honey and Rye: Recipes from a Modern Polish Kitchen, the debut cookbook by Ren Behan (Pavilion; September 2017) which dishes up the foods of her native Poland.

I’m not alone in having a massive soft spot for the Medjool date butter served up at Turkish-Cypriot restaurant Oklava in Shoredith. Now restaurant founder Selin Kiazim shares this recipe as well as other Oklava classics in Oklava: Recipes from a Turkish-Cypriot Kitchen (Mitchell Beazley; May 2017, Pre-order now ). There isn’t a dodgy late night kebab in sight – instead expect loads of spices, dried fruits and nuts from Turkey paired with the bountiful fresh produce and citrus of Cyprus for a marriage made in heaven.

I’ve also made space on my shelves for two books on Italian food. The first is Two Kitchens by Rachel Roddy (Headline; July 2017). Roddy dazzled with her debut cookbook Five Quarters which told the story of how she visited Rome and ended up staying – in love with a man and a city. In Two Kitchens she shares recipes for simple family fare from Rome (where she has lived now for ten years) as well as Sicily where she spends time cooking and eating in the home of her partner’s nonna. Her writing is elegant and her recipes tempting – the perfect combination. Another second-time author with her eyes on Italian food is Emiko Davies. Her upcoming book, Acquacotta (Hardie Grant; March 2017) charts the largely unsung Silver Coast region of Tuscany. If it’s half as good as her first book, Florentine, then we’re in for a treat.

As well, I’ll find room for two books on Spain. Grape, Olive, Pig is by Matt Goulding (Hardie Grant; March 2017) who wrote Rice, Noodle, Fish about the food of Japan. Now he turns his eye to Spain and uncovers some hidden gems and regional treasures in another food-fuelled travel guide. The photography alone should be reason enough to nab a copy. My other pick is Sabor: My Spanish Cooking by Michelin-starred chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho (Fig Tree; July 2017). I’d gladly eat anything (and everything) on the Barrafina menu where she is head chef so can’t and won’t resist this cookbook of favourite recipes from her native Basque region.

Vegetarian cookbooks continue to get their day in the sun in 2017. Popular bloggers David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl bring out another in their Green Kitchen series with Green Kitchen at Home (Hardie Grant; April 2017, Pre-order now ). Luise creates the recipes and David photographs them; the results are vibrant dishes full of colour and crunch. Whole Food Heaven in a Bowl by David & Charlotte Bailey (Pavilion; April 2017) is the second cookbook from another husband and wife team. When they’re not busy serving up their signature Buddha Bowls on Whitecross Street in London, they can be found traveling the world from Brazil to Bali. It shows in flavour-packed and joyous vegetarian and vegan fare.

If meat is on the menu then look out for Prime: The Beef Cookbook (Michell Beazley; March 2017, Pre-order now ) by Chef Richard H. Turner. He’s the man behind such meat-centric restaurants as Hawksmoor, Foxlow, and Pitt Cue Co. as well as one half of Turner & George Butchers, so he knows a thing or two about meat. Prime is all about the beef, from grilling to braising and smoking as well as the lowdown on breeds, butchery and buying. It’s basically a big beefy bible of a book that promises to be a classic in the making.

Red Rooster Cookbook by Marcus Samuelsson (Pavilion; May 2017, Pre-order now ) comes out this Spring to coincide with the opening of his new restaurant in the Curtain hotel in Shoreditch. Samuelsson’s cooking draws on his Ethiopian roots, Swedish upbringing and love of the food and vibe of Harlem in New York City. If reservations are hard to come by at his new London venue, then buy the book and give his dishes a spin at home.

My final favourite for 2017 is Citrus by Catherine Phipps (Quadrille; February 2017, Pre-order now ). She celebrates sweet and sour and how citrus can transform the flavour of a dish. Phipps’ is an experienced food writer and it shows – her recipes are tested thoroughly so they really work and her voice is engaging. Her previous books, The Pressure Cooker Cookbook and Chicken were both must-have’s, and Citrus should follow suit.

Follow us on Twitter @ESLifeandStyle and on Facebook

ESBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter