YOU know a cookery writer is on to something when other high-profile people rhapsodise about their work, and Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi, whose new TV series started on More4 recently, is one such man.

Keira Knightley told BBC Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright that she was working her way through his latest book Jerusalem in her rest time between films, and Nigella Lawson revealed to the Cheltenham Literature Festival crowd that if she had to cook in collaboration with another famous food writer, it would be him.

This outstanding tome by Yotam and Sami Tamimi, the other man behind the successful Ottolenghi business, follows on from their two previous books Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and Plenty. It’s another dip into the cuisine of the city in which they both grew up, Sami in its Muslim east, Yotam in the Jewish west.

The pair describe it as a “self-indulgent nostalgic trip into [their] pasts”, a presentation of the food of the “intricate, convoluted mosaic of peoples” who live in the city where food “seems to be the only unifying force”. And they have come up with an outstanding tribute.

This beautifully produced tome is a unique fusion of history with the food which has emerged from the melting pot that is Jerusalem, plus personal recollections and remembrances. It is wonderful to open a cookery book and find something new here, there and everywhere, and with Jerusalem, its every page is a feast for the eyes, promising a later feast for your tastebuds. Those new to the cuisine needn’t fret, as you can opt for something safe or push the boat out to try a new taste.

Start with the lemony leek meatballs, Shakshuka (eggs in a spicy tomato sauce), or the prawns, scallops and clams with tomato and feta, and move through the herb pie and Mejadra (green lentils, onions, rice and spices) towards more complicated flavours, finding out about the common threads of the cuisines, za’atar spice mix and the rest.

The popular omnipresent salad at meals is a simple combination of tomato, cucumber and onion with an olive oil and lemon juice dressing, but there’s much more presented as lots of fun to learn more about and cook with, including tahini, Baba Ghanoush, sabih (a jumbled salad), okra and bulgar wheat.

One of their one pot wonders is a terrific pistachio soup which only comes wholly to life when orange juice is stirred through towards the conclusion, and their selection of aubergine recipes encouraged me to give the dreaded vegetable another try.

I can also recommend the semolina, coconut and marmalade cake and hellbeh semolina cake with fenugreek – something different for afternoon tea!