‘Mary Berry Cooks’ by ‘The Great British Bake Off’ judge Mary Berry holds the title of bestselling hardback cookbook of 2014.

The official tie-in to Mary’s six-part TV series of the same name which aired in May 2014, the book is a collection of 100 recipes, including all the recipes from the BBC2 programme, along with Mary’s menus from each episode – from a kitchen supper and Sunday roast to a summer buffet and afternoon tea. It sold 261,954 copies in the year to date, according to the bestsellers list compiled by Nielsen Bookscan TCM which appeared in the December 28 issue of ‘The Mail on Sunday’s’ ‘Event’ Magazine.
The next most popular cookbook of the year was ‘Jamie’s Comfort Food’ by Jamie Oliver, with 200,347 copies sold. The TV chef’s tome brings together 100 ‘comfort food’ recipes. It features his versions of all-time favourites, and also introduces dishes from countries around the world. Examples include moussaka, gyoza with crispy wings, steaming ramen and katsu curry, eggs Benedict, sticky toffee pudding and tutti frutti pear tarte tatin.
Next is Tom Kerridge’s ‘Best Ever Dishes’, with 109,638 copies sold. Known for his big flavours and accessible food, the Michelin-starred chef aims to show ‘how to cook the best ever versions of the food everyone loves to eat, turning ordinary dishes into extraordinary ones’. The book features more than 100 of his favourite recipes, starting with classics such as tomato soup, chicken Kiev and rice pudding, which he then ‘refines and elevates to the best version that he has ever tasted’.
‘Great British Bake off: Big Book of Baking’ by Linda Collister follows, with 99,963 copies sold. The book invites viewers to bake their way through the much-loved BBC1 series with 120 original recipes for biscuits, traybakes, bread, large and small cakes, sweet pastry and patisserie, savoury pastry, puddings and desserts. Each chapter showcases the best recipes from the challenges including Mary and Paul’s Signature Bakes, Technical Challenges and Showstoppers, plus the best bakers’ recipes from the show.
Finally, ‘Save with Jamie: Shop Smart, Cook Clever, Waste Less’ by Jamie Oliver aims to get the nation cooking tasty, nutritious food on a budget. It draws on Jamie’s knowledge and cooking skills, showing readers how to buy economically and efficiently, get the most out of ingredients, save time and prevent food waste. It sold a total of 93,013 copies in the year to date.
Nielsen Bookscan TCM collates real time sales from over 6,500 retailers representing over 90% of the UK book market.