New ‘à la carte’ offering brings iconic authors to ckbk, including Ottolenghi, Nigella, and Jamie

Yotam Ottolenghi has transformed the way we cook with his distinctive approach to Middle Eastern flavors. Nigella Lawson writes with an unmistakably seductive voice, sharing her passion for the indulgent pleasures of good food. Jamie Oliver’s unpretentious approach to cooking has given millions the confidence to get into the kitchen and create flavor-packed dishes in minutes.

These are just three of the mega-bestselling authors newly added to ckbk as part of our à la carte selection.

Introducing ckbk’s à la carte selection

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of a major new feature on ckbk that brings landmark cookbooks from culinary superstars to the platform. Each of the bestselling titles in ckbk’s à la carte selection can now be added to your ckbk membership for a one-off payment of the e-book price. Once purchased, the book’s full content will be available to you on the ckbk website and app, just like the rest of ckbk’s collection

There are many benefits to using a cookbook via the ckbk app rather than a regular e-book reader.

For example, with ckbk, you can build collections of your favorite recipes, and share reviews. You can add personal notes, search across all your cookbooks to find recipes that will use up what’s in your fridge, and match your dietary preferences. Try doing that on a Kindle!

Which titles are available à la carte?

Surefire hits include Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals, Nigella’s How to Eat, How to Be a Domestic Goddess and Cook, Eat, Repeat, and Ottolenghi’s Simple, Jerusalem, and Plenty. You can read more about the astonishing impact of ‘the Ottolenghi effect’ in our accompanying author profile.

The above titles are available at launch in most countries except for the US and Canada, where they are expected to become available later this year.

North American ckbk users needn’t feel left out, though. Cookbooks already available globally include Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry Cookbook, winner of numerous awards and ranked #5 in the 1000 Cookbooks list of the best and most influential cookbooks of all time, along with Under Pressure, Keller’s pioneering title on sous-vide cooking.

Other high-profile classics in the à la carte selection include Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop, listed in the 1000 Cookbooks ranking as the best title in English on the cooking of China; Roast Chicken and Other Stories by acclaimed chef Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham; and Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook, which is a poignant reminder of the late author’s much-missed laconic voice and laidback approach to cooking (and a fine cookbook, too).

In a more contemporary vein, we’ve also added Dishoom, the wildly popular cookbook from the much-loved London restaurants inspired by Bombay’s Irani cafés, and Falastin, Sami Tamimi’s ‘love letter to Palestine.’

Cookbook fans will especially appreciate Felicity Cloake’s Completely Perfect, which is based on her famed Guardian column in which she critically reviews recipes from well-known cookbooks and authors to assemble the ‘perfect’ version of a classic recipe. On ckbk, Felicity’s recipes are enhanced wherever possible to include links to the original recipe, be it from Yotam Ottolenghi, Robert Carrier, or Eliza Acton.

Special discount offers on classic cookbooks

Publishers often do great deals on e-book titles. For example, The River Cafe Cook Book, the original classic cookbook from the restaurant that trained both Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, can currently be added to your collection on ckbk for just 99p (or local equivalent). Similarly, Morito, the tapas cookbook from Sam and Sam Clark of Moro fame, is also now just 99p. Catch these time-limited special offers now, and you will secure unlimited access to these books on ckbk for the future.

ckbk’s subscription collection

ckbk’s ‘traditional’ subscription collection remains at the heart of our offering, giving members an unparalleled breadth and depth of cookbooks to explore. The subscription collection continues to grow, with new and award-winning titles added each month. The selection of iconic à la carte titles now added provides the icing on the cake!

How does à la carte work?

1. Browse the à la carte bookshelf or search by title/author to find a particular cookbook

You will also find recipes from à la carte books by searching ckbk, but you can specify via the settings menu if you prefer to only see recipes from books you have access to via your ckbk membership.

2. Click the + icon on the book’s cover or Add to My Library from the book’s home page or a recipe page

Note that App Store restrictions mean that à la carte titles need to be purchased via the ckbk website, but once purchased they can be accessed via the ckbk app (iOS and Android).

3. Supply payment details (Credit Card, Paypal or Apple Pay)

You will be sent a receipt for your payment by email.

4. The book will automatically be added to your My Top Books shelf

The green tick highlights your à la carte purchases.

Which titles would you like to see on ckbk?

We’d love to hear what you think of the initial à la carte selection – and we’d love to know which other iconic titles you would like to see added. Send us an email to let us know.