Unless you live under a rock in the middle of nowhere you’ll know that one of the biggest lockdown crazes of the last year was home baking. I mean, what else is there to do when you're confined to your home, but to cook and eat delicious food?! As we are now deeply into our third lockdown in the UK, I’ve noticed the amount of home baked loaves on my instagram feed increasing again. Which, by the way, I am all for - I clearly love a good home baking photo or two. It made me wonder though, how are people storing their recipes these days?
Perhaps I'm a little old fashioned, but I love to write my favourite recipes down in my own recipe journal. I’ve had mine for at least 10 years now, probably more than that. It was a gift from an old friend and is still one of the best gifts I’ve ever received (thanks Bethany!). It has slowly been filled with recipes over the years, it has moved from England to Switzerland and back again with me, and it holds such sentimental value. If my house was burning down, this is one of the few items I would grab on my way out.
All in all, I think personal recipe journals are great. Looking through them can be a deeply evocative experience - there's such a strong relationship between food and memories. Noting down your most treasured recipes can help to take you right back to the moment you first tasted that special meal which is now a family favourite. Not only can flicking through personal recipes remind you of the amazing flavours of your favourite foods, but, inevitably, you'll have a collection of fond memories connected to those foods too.
I have always loved looking through my mum’s old recipe book, with the yellowed pages and the faded writing. Whenever I peruse it I am reminded of so many of the oh so familiar tastes, smells and family dinners of my childhood. I recall helping out with baking as a small child: standing on a chair in the kitchen to reach the countertop, spoon in hand, ready to stir the chocolate cake batter. To the side was my mothers recipe book open on the chocolate traybake cake recipe (I can still taste it, with the roasted slivered almonds on top). I believe she has since upgraded her recipe book, but the original one lingers on. I've definitely taken some of those trusted family recipes, like the chocolate traybake cake, and they've become staples in my own life. Making records of those favourite recipes and being able to pass them on down the family line is quite special, don't you think?
So, I thought I would spend some time putting together a small list of recipe journals for you, because whatever your style may be, there’s something out there for everyone!
If you are struggling to find the perfect gift for someone, let me recommend a personalised recipe book - speaking from my own experience, it'll go down a treat. If you want to get a better look at any of the recipe journals, just click on the pictures to link to the webpage where you can buy them. Enjoy!
1.) Moleskine Passion Recipe Journal
If you like good quality products with a bold, classic feel to them, where better to turn to than Moleskine for your personal recipe journal? This is so smart I feel like I need to go to culinary school before I would be allowed to own it. It also comes with its own sleeve to protect your most precious recipes for decades to come.
2.) Personalised A5 Cloth Bound Notebook
If minimalism is your thing, check out this cute recipe journal. It’s simple, cloth bound, you can personalise it to make it your own, and it comes in a range of 6 different colours. Grey is definitely my colour of choice (if you know me you'll know that for a long time my wardrobe was predominantly grey, I'm working on my grey obsession, I promise!) but I would have a tough time choosing between the colour selection because they are all so lovely.
3.) Personalised A5 Hardback Notebook in Lemon Print
This recipe book is super cute, isn't it? The pattern is so lovely, modern and fresh, and it can also be personalised with your name (or the name of somebody else if you are buying it as a gift, hint hint). It's a hardback which makes it nice and sturdy; recipe journals can sometimes take a bit of a beating in the harsh kitchen environment. You can also choose whether you'd prefer to have lined or plain paper inside. Personally, I'm a lines kind of gal. I can't write in a straight line to save my life which I blame on being left handed, but, perhaps I'm simply just bad writing. Anyway, look at those lemons!
4.) Personalised A4 Rainbow Recipe Ring Binder in Leather
This gorgeous creation can be found on Etsy. It's perfect if you tend to find recipes online and don't have the time or the interest in copying them out by hand. It's a binder, so you'll need to provide your own paper, but it's a great way to collect together all those slips of card you make notes on, the recipes you rip out of magazines, and the ones you print out from time to time. It's made from recycled leather so it's durable and sustainable as well as stylish.
5.) Personalised Modern Wooden Recipe Box
I love how elegant this wooden recipe box is; isn't it gorgeous? Not only can you get the front personalised with your name (or the name of the recipient), you can also optionally get a message or quote engraved on the back of the box too, which I think is beautiful and would make an amazing gift (just in case anyone is wondering what to get me for my birthday...) You can either use any old notecards to jot down your recipes and store them, or if you are feeling extra fancy, you can order the special matching cards along with the box. This is definitely the luxury option!
6.) Custom Engraved Wooden Cookbook
How cool is this?! If wood is your thing and you also like writing down those recipes in a neat little book, this journal is the one for you. Not only can you personalise it with your own name, message or quote, but you get to choose between 6 different wood style finishes to truly make it your own. The wooden cover will definitely be long lasting and do a good job of protecting those recipes within, and it's just so rustic, I love it!
7.) Personalised Vegan Leather Recipe Book
If you know any vegans out there; this is the cookbook for them. Specially made with faux leather, this vegan friendly recipe journal by Lisa Angel from Not On The High Street is utterly gorgeous, and you can personalise it with your own name or message as well as choosing your own gingerbread people for the front. Durable yet soft, the journal inside is actually in ring binder form (it comes with paper), which is handy if you ever need to add any more pages! I personally love the cords that you can use to secure the journal, it has a really cute fastener on the back making it seem like an old potions book or something you'd use to write down your magic spells!
So there you have it, 7 great recipe journals to store those recipes in, that you can buy right now. I can't decide which one I like best, but if I had to choose, with a gun held to my head, I would probably go for the wooden recipe box. It's just so pretty! However, I continue to pledge my loyalty to my faithful old recipe book, she's served me well and I am sure we will have many more happy years together making delicious food and happy memories.
That's all for now folks, don't forget to write down your favourite recipes in your new recipe journals!
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