BiP eNews - New cookery

Yotam Ottolenghi has, through his columns for The Guardian and subsequent successful books, elevated vegetarian cooking from its brown rice and tofu roots to heights unthinkable even a decade ago. Lusciously photographed and fascinating for both cook and eater alike, Plenty and Plenty More have shown that vegetarian food is no longer the preserve of those who shun meat – vegetarian food has (at last, some would say) gone mainstream.

Two new and exceptionally beautiful cookbooks have recently caught our attention. Vegetarian they may be, and healthy to boot, but, as with Ottolenghi, you’d never know.

BiP staff review by Lucinda

The Unbakery: Over 150 Recipes for Beautiful Raw Food
Megan May
Mar 2015 | Murdoch | $45hb

Megan May is the chef/owner of award-winning Auckland cafes Little Bird Organics and The Unbakery, restaurants serving fascinating food that proves eating raw isn't limited to salad and is, in fact, anything but dull. May is well-known in her homeland, but perhaps not so well known over here. This, her first book, will no doubt change that. Featuring purely plant-based recipes that cover everything from breakfast, lunch and dinner through to a large and surprising dessert section, this book is for the serious and adventurous cook. If you are that cook (or should that be un-cook?), you’ll find The Unbakery’s back to nature approach inspiring. Stunning photographs - for we eat with our eyes as well - by fellow Kiwi Lottie Hedley complete the picture. Everything I’ve made thus far has been stellar: the chocolate swirl cheesecake (not a scrap of dairy in sight) really convinced the unbelievers at my table.

BiP staff review by Lucinda

My New Roots: Irresistible, Natural Food that Happens to be Good For You
Sarah Britton
Apr 2015 | Macmillan | $44.99hb

Nutritionist Sarah Britton's blog My New Roots draws over two million views a month, and her vibrant vegetarian dishes really do deliver. The My New Roots cookbook offers (mostly) all new recipes that will appeal to Britton’s devoted fans, as well as those discovering her work for the first time. Free from processed ingredients such as refined flours and sugars, My New Roots embraces all-natural ingredients and is designed to satisfy and make you feel energised. I’m particularly pleased to see the recipe for her Life-changing Loaf of Bread here – it’s something I’ve made often and it never fails to please. Lovely Scandinavian light floods Britton's photographs, making the book a lovely object, yes, but one you’ll want to to cook with nonetheless.