They are frequently overlooked in discussions of great Australian authors, but Aussie chefs and home cooks keep significant parts of book retail upright. The best-selling Australian books have been cookbooks for many years, and 2025 is proving no different.
Contemporary cookbooks have become close cousins to art and photography books in the 21st century, demanding a mix of high-level graphic design and photography skills. This began in the early 2000s when a wave of new celebrity chefs from the UK (Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay) triggered a surge in food publishing.Â
Donna Hay had tremendous influence in Australia and around the world. Her magazine, launched in 2001, featured recipe layouts that emphasised lush photography. The movement only grew more prominent with social media and the rampant success of cooking reality programs. Food photography and cookbooks became the undying staples of Australian book retail.
The biggest success story of recent years is Nagi Maehashi, who began her popular food blog Recipe Tin Eats after leaving a career in corporate finance. Her books Dinner and Tonight have become the biggest-selling Australian titles for several years, selling over a million copies.Â
Other Australian authors are experiencing a similar wave of success. Since its launch late last year, Brooke Bellamy’s Bake with Brooki has remained a best-seller. Steph De Sousa used her time on MasterChef Australia to build her blog and podcast, and her cookbooks now dominate the best-seller lists.
Australians have proven themselves to be international influencers in cookbook publishing. They represent tremendous value to Australian book retail. The new wave of Aussie authors, De Sousa, Maehashi and Bellamy, are emblematic of a new generation of authors building on the influence of Donna Hay and many others.
