The Best Cookbook For You

I’m always being asked about my cookbook collection and which ones I recommend and I get it. I have a whole corner of my kitchen dedicated to them and most nights we rustle up something from the pages of one. Nothing quite relaxes me like having a flick through and deciding what to cook that week and then nothing feels as good as when you completely ace a recipe and it tastes AMAZING. With so many different ones on the market now I thought I’d focus on books that tend to be a little healthier in subject matter and so I’ve tried to make it easy for you to decipher what will be the best pick.

Speaking of FAQ’s I’ve also done a video answering the most oft-asked questions on everything; from wedding planning to the pros and cons of a career in blogging. Have a scroll down to the bottom of this post to watch that, but in the meantime it’s back to books…

If you’re thinking of going vegan… Niomi Smart’s ‘Eat Smart’. I have a couple of books that feature vegan recipes exclusively and although I’m not vegan myself, so can’t 100% endorse which one is the best to use day-in-day-out, this one from Niomi is the one that makes my stomach rumble the most whenever I have a flick though. Plus I find that there’s a real range of recipes in here. She covers everything from breakfast to baking and I don’t find the ingredients to be that off-piste. A great pick if you’re looking to go plant-based.

If you’re a beginner… John Chapman & Leon Bustin’s ‘Eat Well. Move Better. Feel Awesome‘. If you’re a regular follower of my videos and/or Snapchat, then you will know that I’m always making dinners out of this bad boy. I’d say that this is a great one for beginners because you can easily buy all the ingredients you need from the supermarket and the recipes are based on classic family dinners, just with a healthy-twist. My personal favourites are the Piri Piri Chicken and Rice, Shepard’s Pie and the Slow-Cook Chilli that Mark and I have at least one a week.

If you want a bit of everything… Zanna Van Dijk’s ‘Strong’. I love Zanna’s book not only for the recipes, but for the chapters that precede it that focus on mindset, exercising and general nutrition know-how. This book seriously has it all and again is a fab one to pick up if started this new year with a get-fit mission and have spent the past three weeks eating chocolate on the sofa because ‘you just don’t want it to be in the house anymore‘ – I feel ya. Flick to the pages with the protein ball recipes on. They’re the best.

If you want no-fuss, easy to execute meals… Clean Eating Alice’s ‘The Body Bible’. Out of all of the healthy cookbooks I own, I’d say that this one features the simplest recipes. Now to me that’s a good thing because this book is where I head whenever I want to keep food costs down or I know that I haven’t got long to prep meals that week. My personal favourite is the Butternut Squash with Feta Frittata which I fully credit for being the start of my love affair with feta again. Mmmmm feta.

If you like want show-stopping healthy meals… Madeleine Shaw’s ‘Get The Glow’. I love both of Madeline’s books but the original will always have a special place in my heart because it was one of the first cookbooks that I ever owned and really, really used. I’ve made most of the recipes out of here and I find that I always go back to it because everything’s easy to follow, the ingredients are easy to source but have the odd superfood-twist and the end result is always Instagram-able and delicious. Even when your mates come over expecting takeaway pizza, they won’t be disappointed.

Photos by Lauren Shipley

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