14 Cookbooks & Instagram Accounts For Fresh Food Inspo
THE COOKBOOKS
Big Mamma Cucina Popolare: Contemporary Italian Recipes | £29.95
Big Mamma is behind some of London’s hottest restaurants, including Circolo Popolare in Fitzrovia, Gloria in Shoreditch and Ave Mario in Covent Garden. Its truffle-topped pasta and towering desserts have spawned a fair few TikTok videos, and if you want to recreate the magic at home, this book contains more than 120 easy recipes, including risotto alla milanese, spaghetti carbonara and a classic tiramisu. Keep it authentic and serve dishes on colourful plates.
Available here
Can You Make That Gluten-Free? | £16.99
You probably know Megan McKenna from MTV’s Ex On the Beach or TOWIE, but the reality TV star has many strings to her bow, from topping the country music charts to opening a restaurant in Essex – not to mention making it to the final of Celebrity MasterChef last year. Now, Megan has released her first cookbook, featuring 80 gluten-free recipes. The crowd-pleasing coeliac-friendly dishes include fluffy pancakes with bacon and syrup, hot tabasco salmon slices, macaroni cheese, and strawberry cheesecake.
Available here
Poppy Cooks: The Food You Need | £14.99
Self-proclaimed potato queen Poppy O’Toole lost her job as a restaurant chef during lockdown 1.0, so started posting cooking videos online. Ten million TikTok views later, she released her first cookbook last year, aiming to help those who are time-poor in the kitchen. Full of indulgent comfort food you’ll really want to eat, it features everything from salmon tikka wraps and steak bearnaise with hollandaise sauce and crunchy chips to the ultimate lemon meringue pie.
Available here
The Roasting Tin | £17.99
For recipes that are big on flavour but minimal on effort, this book by chef Rukmini Iyer is all about one-dish dinners that can be popped into the oven after a busy day. All you’ll need is fresh ingredients and a few minutes for prep before you let the oven do all the work. Some of our favourite recipes include steamed salmon with broccoli, lime, ginger, chilli and garlic; roasted aubergines with mozzarella and herbs; and Kerala prawn curry.
Available here
Baking It Easy | £16.99
When it comes to baking, simple is often best, as proved by Eloise Head (aka @FitWaffle). All 100 recipes in Baking It Easy feature five or fewer ingredients, from cakes and cookies to traybakes and breakfast dishes. Perfect for weekend baking or surprising the girls with a sweet treat, highlights include cookies and cream cake, hot chocolate pudding served with vanilla ice-cream, and chocolate chip stuffed cookie pie. Yum.
Available here
Comfort Mob: Food That Makes You Feel Good | £16.99
Mob Kitchen is one of our favourite Instagram accounts for fresh food inspo, and this book has plenty of options whatever mood you’re in. Think sticky Asian noodles, cheesy pasta dishes and delicious vegetarian recipes bursting with flavour. Don’t miss the chicken pie recipe that would go down a storm at any dinner party – plus that viral sticky toffee pudding.
Available here
One Pot: Three Ways by Rachel Ama | £19.99
Self-taught chef Rachel Ama has attracted 235k followers with her easy vegan recipes and lifehacks. Known for her love of Caribbean flavours and eating seasonally, she’s chosen recipes that are packed full of flavour and colour, like peri peri mushroom pittas, Caribbean patties with orange and avocado salad, and ‘chicken’ pickle sandwiches.
Available here
Nutella: 60 Classic Recipes | £20
Who doesn’t love Nutella? We were SO excited when the brand released an official cookbook with – you guessed it – a range of delicious Nutella recipes, like mixed berry muffins, chocolate and orange cake, and a super chocolatey log. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried an apple and Nutella crumble.
Available here
THE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS
We first discovered Australian-based blogger Emily Gough through her aesthetically pleasing frozen smoothie bowls full of fruit and nuts. As well as creating delicious breakfasts, Emily uses seasonal ingredients to make unique snacks and dishes, like peach and ricotta toast, gingerbread banana bread, savoury porridge, and cake batter donuts.
Mob Kitchen chef Ben Lippet knows a thing or two about tasty food. His easy-to-follow recipes are classic dishes elevated by a little extra something, like pesto pasta with a nutty crumb, chicken schnitzel with anchovy mayo, and lamb chops with olive salsa. Le Creuset pot optional.
Carolina Gelen describes her food as “cool and easy”, and we’d have to agree. The US-based chef guides you through each recipe with simple instructions and a brief intro on what’s inspired it. Recent highlights include beer-battered cauliflower tacos, crispy salmon nuggets in a buffalo glaze, and roasted red pepper spaghetti. Don’t miss her extra spicy frozen margaritas.
When you’re ready to take your cooking to the next level, visit @WhisperOfYum for comforting food that’s full of flavour. Here, you’ll find restaurant-worthy dishes using delicious ingredients such as tuna tartare with avocado, chilli wontons with black vinegar sauce, and roast chicken with broad beans and kale. Don’t miss her Insta Highlights for great food recommendations from her travels.
You’ve probably seen London-based blogger Samah’s food all over TikTok, but if you’re late to the party, follow her for hearty sharing dishes and top restaurant recommendations in the capital. Expect dishes like caramelised shallot pasta, Vietnamese summer rolls and orange and haloumi salad.
Looking for vegan recipes? Anna Salvato has hundreds of plant-based recipes on her page. Lots of her dishes use fun ingredients you’ll have to track down online or at your local Asian supermarket, but the results are worth it when you taste her spicy noodle salad, sweet potato gnocchi or creamy peanut butter ramen.
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