The Painter, the Cook and L’Arte di Sacla’

More than just a cookery book, this offering from the people behind Sacla’ pesto acts as a travel guide to the top foodie regions around Italy. Read about Sardinia’s Grape festival in honour of Saint Elena of Quartu before cooking the perfect grouper with tomato sauce, Sardinian-style. Buon appetito! (Conran Octopus Publishing, €30)

Luxe London

Strictly for stylish travellers this hip little guidebook covers the best of the best – so don’t pick it up if you’re on a budget. Succinct reviews tell it like it is – ‘cantina, tortilla, tequila, fiesta… Berocca’ is all you need to know about Green and Red, a Mexican restaurant in Shoreditch, and similarly ‘simple martini magic’ accurately describes Duke’s Bar in Mayfair. (www.luxecityguides.com, €6)

Cool Restaurants Top of the World

If you can tick off just a few of the first-class restaurants in this guide, you’re a very lucky gourmand. The book includes only the cream of the world’s eateries, ensuring that each entry offers a feast for all senses, not just the taste buds. The Acquadulza in Lake Maggiore (www.acquadulza.it) is a prime example, converted from a glue factory into a cool and contemporary dining space. (teNeues, €78)

Still Lost in Translation

Whether it’s ‘pee soup’ on a menu or being warned in an airport that ‘you will be required to declare all sorts of private things’, mistakes in translation can be very funny. Charlie Croker has been all over the world collecting prime examples of confused English to create this easy read. (Arrow, €6)

The Importance of Being Trivial

Did you know that Pete Conrad was the first man to fall over on the moon? Or that the stretch of road between the Strand and the Savoy is the only public highway in Britain where you are legally required to drive on the right? This book includes more of this useless but intriguing trivia – and also explores why people, particularly men, are so fascinated by it all. (Random House, €15)