If you ever needed any persuasion (and frankly, I can’t imagine why you would) to visit the stunning NSW South Coast, this book would have you hopping in the car within moments.

Author, Zorana Grbic was born in the former Yugoslavia. At the age of 21, she told her parents she was going to the cinema and instead flew to Australia to begin a new life. Her widely varied interests led her to interpreting, then a career in fashion and later establishing a chain of gourmet takeaway and coffee shops.

Although she lived in Canberra with her children, most weekends saw them packing up for the nearby coast. In 2008, with wonderful symmetry, Grbic, who has become a food stylist, photographer and publisher, has collaborated with her now adult children to prepare and present this stunning book.

It’s hard to know what is most striking about this book which you can be sure will migrate back and forth between the coffee table to the kitchen. Thirty-three scrumptious recipes with clear directions from 27 of the region’s best restaurants are certainly a selling point. But then so are the magnificent shots of the local area. Nostalgic family photos remind us all that beaches are for families.

The south coast has so much more of course, and The South Coast Cookbook underlines that there are many fine places to drop in at for much-needed fuel by day as you keep testing the waves, and wonderful places to dine in when the long hot day is finally over.

And of course, with this book, once you are home, there are the recipes so that you can recreate your holidays.