The UK food world has been largely dominated by men for many years, with the exceptions of a few female home cooks that have become national treasures, such as Delia Smith, Mary Berry and Nigella Lawson. There has recently been a surge of female chefs and health gurus releasing books onto the market that have seen resounding success making the foodie scene a lot more diverse and exciting; The Hemsleys, Gizzi Erskine, Deliciously Ella, Madeleine Shaw, Amelia Freer, Anna Jones and Tess Ward (an ex-Leeds student!) have all burst onto the scene with bestselling cookbooks, all of which are fab and inspiring. I’ve chosen a few whose books I think are really great for a student on a budget, but all of these women are brilliant and have beautiful books that are worth a look.
Nigella Lawson: Nigella Express
This is the most used cookery book in my family home; the recipes are all so easy and speedy, and full of little cheats and shortcuts. Nigella is such an icon, she’s had a very hard time in her personal life but come through it like a trouper still looking like a goddess and making amazing food. A personal favourite in the book is the ‘Sesame Peanut Noodles’ which are great for packed lunches.
Deliciously Ella: Deliciously Ella Every Day
The new leader in healthy eating, Deliciously Ella also writes a genuinely great recipe. Her new book is meant to be focussing on more readily available, every day ingredients, and I can already vouch for several of the recipes, including the turmeric curry and sweet potato stew. This book is great for getting familiar with the basics of healthy eating and getting some more veg in your diet.
Anna Jones: A Modern Way to Cook
While I don’t have this book (yet), I’ve tried one of the recipes – the ‘Kale, Tomato and Lemon Zest One-Pot Spaghetti’ – which was brilliant, and my friend has the book and keeps singing its praises! The book is full of simple, delicious and healthy vegetarian recipes, so well worth checking out.
Patsy O’Neill
Images courtesy of www.benourishd.co.uk, www.top100books.co.uk, books.simonandchuster.com and www.amazon.co.uk.