Prospect Books was founded by Alan and Jane Davidson in 1979, at the same time as their journal of food history; Petits Propos Culinaires. Since 1993, Prospect Books has been owned by Tom Jaine, but continues to publish only books about cookery; food history and the ethnology of food. It is one of the very few British publishers to specialise in this field, and produces four to eight books a year. One which made a splash this year was Bread & Oil: Majorcan Culture's Last Stand, by Tomas Graves, son of the poet Robert. Best Christmas present on the list is Planting by the Moon: A Gardener's Calendar 2001, a calendar that charts the lunar phase, and makes recommendations for vegetable gardeners for each day through the year; but hurry to order it before stocks run out.

Another star book in a wonderful catalogue - see the website for full details - is Laura Mason and Catherine Brown's Traditional Foods of Britain: An Inventory. This repertoire of raw materials (breeds of beef, apples, cobnuts), generic products (cheese, cream, whisky; bacon, buns, breads) and branded goods (Worcester sauce, Colman's mustard) gives a stimulating portrait of Britain's gustatory identity.