Cooking an entire cookbook challenge.

[HairsprayBabe]

I want a cookbook that I can go through and cook every single recipe. I am stuck in a cooking rut of quorn chilli and lentil curry.

Has anyone ever done this? What book did you use?

I would ideally like a classic veggie cookbook that covers breakfast, lunch, dinner desserts and snacks with enough recipes to keep me going the whole year 150ish? So I have a few recipes a week to do.

I will decide on the recipe book by the end of the week and I can post my efforts here if anyone is interested... Feel free to join in if you like the sound of this!

[ChapstickLegends]

Have you read 'Julie and Julia' in which the author does this?

[HairsprayBabe]

Saw the film about 3 years ago, and I really want to jazz up my cooking these days so thought I would give it ago.

That was pretty intense though with the number of recipes she did and I do not fancy deboning a whole duck!

[HuevosRancheros]

Anna Jones' "A Modern Way To Eat" (and possibly "... To Cook", but I don't have that book yet) would be a good place to start :)

Good luck, it sounds fun!

[steppemum]

Funny you have posted this today. I was looking for a new recipe yesterday and looked in a Hairy Dieters cookbook that appears to be on my shelf (and I have no recollection of where it came from)
Lots of nice recipes, and I have never cooked any of them, and they are all things I wouldn't think of to cook, but would probably like.

I thought I would try one a week, and see how I got on. (see what my family likes that I can add to my regular repertoire.)

They are not veggie though.

[Cookingongas]

I've often thought of doing this, and have cooked 80% from many books, but can't bring myself to try what I don't really fancy.

I second modern way to eat, as it does include breakfasts snacks etc- but as a veggie cookbook I would like to cook cover to cover, I'd choose plenty.

[spiderbabymum]

Mine would be

www.amazon.co.uk/River-Cottage-Every-Hugh-Fearnley-Whittingstall/dp/0747598401?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[londonfeather]

In my opinion the ultimate veggie cook book is plenty by ottolheni - No one makes vegetables taste so good. His originally cook book is probs even better but it's only about 90% veggie. Good luck with your challenge!

[Chewbecca]

I'd love to do it, the concept really appeals to me but don't feel I'd have the time at the moment. Maybe when i'm retired?!

I'd probably do Jamie's superfood book if I started right now & hope to end up really healthy

[ThisIsSylviaDaisyPouncer]

I took this approach to Nigella Lawson's Feast and while I didn't cook every single recipe, I probably did 90%. It taught me two things 1. how to cook and 2. if you have limited self-restraint and an incredibly sweet tooth and you cook that many delicious cakes in a row,you will turn into a little round podge! Worth every inch though. Still my favourite cookbook ever and it unlocked a whole world of cooking for me which ten years on is still one of my greatest pleasures (thank you Nigella if you ever read this).

[HuevosRancheros]

I agree that Plenty would be a great book to use, but possibly quite time consuming? But delicious :)

[YelloDraw]

Plenty is quite a faff for day to day cooking?

It's not veggie, and I don't fully buy into all of it, but the medicinal chef has some lovely stuff that is realistic to cook on a weeknight.

[HairsprayBabe]

I just had a look at Plenty and it looks beautiful but I think I may struggle to get some ingredients where I live and it doesn't look ideal for every day, I might buy it anyway!

I was thinking something more classic like Mary Berry or Delia, most of my cooking is either italian, mexican, asian or middle eastern at the moment anyway so it might be nice to have something a little closer to home!

I am a very instinctive cook by nature, so I think this will be good in teaching my how to properly follow a recipe, not just fling some olives in at the last second because I feel like it or whatever!

[StUmbrageinSkelt]

Look at Anna Jones then as suggested upthread.

[HairsprayBabe]

Ooh sorry missed that! Will check it out now.

[jmszel]

Thug kitchen books are good as is plant powered families.

[RemusLupinsChristmasMovie]

Sylvia What are the best veggie things you cooked from Feast? I like the veggie chilli in there and the chocolate Guinness cake is bloody gorgeous.

[clairethewitch70]

I have this Quorn cookbook. It is very good.
www.amazon.co.uk/Quorn-Kitchen-Cooked-Recipes-Yours/dp/0956608809/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483723650&sr=1-1&keywords=quorn%20cookbook&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[BlueClearSkies]

Nigella Express is good for quick after work recipes. Lots of variety.

[RemusLupinsChristmasMovie]

Nigella generally not great for veggies though, other than pudding.

[puffinpants]

I'll join if you're still thinking of doing this! I'm currently 36 recipes in to Jamie Oliver's family superfood and planning to make c. 80 per cent at least. I want to challenge myself not just to cook all the same things all the time - what motivated me to start was that I realized I was buying new cookbooks just for the curry recipes and never really expanding my repertoire to other meals

[puffinpants]

Obviously not a veggie book - but assuming you want to do a veggie book at the same time iyswim

[beela]

The meat free Monday book has a good variety of recipes.

[Cakescakescakes]

Everyone seems to be loving Fresh India at the minute and it's veggie. I'm not vegetarian but want to eat less meat for lots of reasons so am going to buy this for inspiration as DH is a total carnivore.

[BirdyArms]

I am very impressed by anyone who's cooked 80%+ of a recipe book, I tend to get bored after 6-8 recipes, so I've got loads of recipe books with only 2-3 recipes in each that I cook regularly.

But I do second the suggestions to cook from the Anna Jones and Huw F-W veg every day, they are my 2 most used books at the moment. Veg every day is probably my number one, I've cooked at least 1/3 recipes, they are mostly quick and easy for a weeknight supper and very reliable. We are trying to lose weight by eating soup for supper and have cooked a couple of delicious soups from it this week.

[HelenDenver]

Delia has a complete vegetarian cookbook, I doubt you'd want to do it all but there's loads of choice!