I love that Lauraine Jacobs will tell you that you need to eat imported food. Yes, local eating is at the heart of her thinking, but Jacobs is in it for the long haul and always has been. Wherever you go in New Zealand in search of great food or drink, Jacobs has been there or is about to go there. She’ll be the first person to tell you that if you want to be at the cutting edge of what’s happening you need to roll up your sleeves and get right into it! And so her latest cookbook Always Delicious becomes a bit of a national treasure: a compilation of more than 100 of her favourite recipes gathered from her long-running food column in the New Zealand Listener and proving once and for all that a good recipe stands the test of time. You’ll find some beauties in here, tried and tested not only by Jacobs but by a multitude of New Zealand food lovers around the country. Jacobs has built this fan base across an impressive career that included the role of food editor for Cuisine magazine until 2009. A fabulous book filled with useful tips, fascinating food talk and beautiful photographs (by Liz Clarkson). Way too hard for me to pick a favourite recipe yet, but this book will stay close to hand on my kitchen bench. I know whatever I choose will be always delicious. Good job Madge!