46 books like River Cottage Veg

By Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall,

Here are 46 books that River Cottage Veg fans have personally recommended if you like River Cottage Veg. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of One: Pot, Pan, Planet: A Greener Way to Cook for You and Your Family: A Cookbook

Niki Webster Author Of Rainbow Bowls: Easy, delicious ways to #EatTheRainbow

From my list on healthy plant-based recipes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a fan of vegetables as long as I can remember, I went plant-based as a young girl and have never looked back. I love to celebrate vegetables in their wholesome, vibrant goodness and put them at the center of your diet. I love nothing more than pairing different flavours and textures to create feel-good food that tastes as good as it does for you and the planet. I have been running my blog – Rebel Recipes for over 6 years and have four plant-based cookbooks with fans from across the globe!

Niki's book list on healthy plant-based recipes

Niki Webster Why did Niki love this book?

I absolutely love all of Anna’s recipes and her latest book is wonderful. Like all of her books, her focus is on taste and being naturally healthy. This book has a sustainability focus, with recipes focusing on using up leftover veg and ways to reduce waste. But ultimately you are going to get recipes that work and are incredibly delicious.

By Anna Jones,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sunday Times bestseller

Award-winning cook Anna Jones blazes the trail again for how we all want to cook now: quick, sustainably and stylishly.

In this exciting new collection of over 200 simple recipes, Anna Jones limits the pans and simplifies the ingredients for all-in-one dinners that keep things fast and easy. These super varied every night recipes celebrate vegetables and deliver knock-out flavour but without taking time and energy.

There are one-tray dinners, like a baked dahl with tamarind-glazed sweet potato, quick dishes like tahini broccoli on toast, one-pot soups and stews like Persian noodle as well as one-pan fritters…


Book cover of Eat More, Live Well

Niki Webster Author Of Rainbow Bowls: Easy, delicious ways to #EatTheRainbow

From my list on healthy plant-based recipes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a fan of vegetables as long as I can remember, I went plant-based as a young girl and have never looked back. I love to celebrate vegetables in their wholesome, vibrant goodness and put them at the center of your diet. I love nothing more than pairing different flavours and textures to create feel-good food that tastes as good as it does for you and the planet. I have been running my blog – Rebel Recipes for over 6 years and have four plant-based cookbooks with fans from across the globe!

Niki's book list on healthy plant-based recipes

Niki Webster Why did Niki love this book?

The perfect combination of science and delicious recipes. Megan’s approach focuses on how the body works best and gut health. This book has over 80 recipes but also includes menu planning and shopping lists making it super helpful if you want to focus on health and nutrition. The book isn’t vegan but has a plant-forward approach.

By Megan Rossi,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Eat More, Live Well as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It has never been so delicious to eat healthy! Treat yourself to delicious gut-loving recipes and lifestyle hacks from the bestselling author of Eat Yourself Healthy!

Want to enjoy delicious food that is actually good for your body? Forget cutting out or cutting down, Dr Megan Rossi's revolutionary Diversity Diet has changed the lives of thousands of her clients and proves that eating more plants and enjoying more flavour taps into the very latest scientific discoveries about how our body works best. That's right, eating MORE can boost your gut health and make you feel amazing.

In her brand-new book,…


Book cover of Whole Food Cooking Every Day: Transform the Way You Eat with 250 Vegetarian Recipes Free of Gluten, Dairy, and Refined Sugar

Lukas Volger Author Of Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Can't Lose

From my list on cookbooks for making plant-based cooking a habit.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been writing vegetarian cookbooks for almost 15 years, and have had many different jobs in the world of food – cooking in restaurants, running a small food business, working food photography shoots, and much more. While in my day-to-day eating, I go on and off following a strict plant-based diet, it’s long been my default style of eating because I find it to be so healthy, affordable, and fun! I’m never not excited and inspired by the abundance and diversity of vegetables and the incredible techniques and dishes that cuisines around the world have done with them. 

Lukas' book list on cookbooks for making plant-based cooking a habit

Lukas Volger Why did Lukas love this book?

Amy Chaplin’s love for plants and respect for the natural world is infectious but never dogmatic – and I think it’s possible to not even notice the absence of grains, refined sugar, and dairy in the recipes here. Full of beautifully photographed and incredibly appetizing everyday food — porridges and breads, nut-and seed milks and butters, soups, muffins, cakes, and more – her approach to cooking with whole foods has made me taste more carefully, think more creatively, and cook more resourcefully. Admittedly, it’s less of a quick-and-easy type of book – good, thoughtful cooking does take time and foresight – but it’s indispensable nonetheless, a gift to those of us seeking to dig deeper and learn more about plant-based cooking.

By Amy Chaplin,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Whole Food Cooking Every Day as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Eating whole foods can transform a diet, and mastering the art of cooking these foods can be easy with the proper techniques and strategies. In 20 chapters, Chaplin shares ingenious recipes incorporating the foods that are key to a healthy diet: seeds and nuts, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based foods. Chaplin shares her secrets for eating healthy every day: mastering some key recipes and reliable techniques and then varying the ingredients based on the occasion, the season, and what you're craving. Once the reader learns one of Chaplin's base recipes, whether for gluten-free muffins, millet porridge, or baked…


Book cover of In Praise of Veg: A modern kitchen companion

Niki Webster Author Of Rainbow Bowls: Easy, delicious ways to #EatTheRainbow

From my list on healthy plant-based recipes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a fan of vegetables as long as I can remember, I went plant-based as a young girl and have never looked back. I love to celebrate vegetables in their wholesome, vibrant goodness and put them at the center of your diet. I love nothing more than pairing different flavours and textures to create feel-good food that tastes as good as it does for you and the planet. I have been running my blog – Rebel Recipes for over 6 years and have four plant-based cookbooks with fans from across the globe!

Niki's book list on healthy plant-based recipes

Niki Webster Why did Niki love this book?

This chunky and vibrant book by Alice Zaslavsky is going to make you put vegetables at the center of your plate! With over 150 recipes plus information about flavour combinations, rule-of-thumb buying/storing/cooking methods, shortcuts. It’s really inspiring and informative and will help you re-think how you structure meals. One not to be missed.

By Alice Zaslavsky,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked In Praise of Veg as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For fans of Samin Nosrat, Anna Jones and Stephanie Alexander, the ultimate veg guide for food lovers

'Alice Zaslavsky is a force of nature!' Nigella Lawson

The definitive guide to making vegetables the centre of the plate.

In this comprehensive and fully illustrated kitchen companion, food writer and presenter Alice Zaslavsky profiles 50 favourite vegetable varieties, offering 150+ recipes reflective of both tradition and modernity, just as all good cooking should be. Uniquely organised by colour and filled with countless tips on flavour combinations, rule-of-thumb buying/storing/cooking methods, shortcuts, and veg wisdom from over 50 of the world's top chefs, In…


Book cover of Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi

Jessica Harlan Author Of Homemade Condiments

From my list on learning something new about cooking.

Why am I passionate about this?

As the author of nine cookbooks, I strive to help readers master new skills and to become more comfortable in the kitchen. I’m constantly reading other cookbooks to keep my fingers on the pulse of what’s happening in the food world, as well as to improve my own culinary prowess. It’s been nearly 20 years since I graduated from culinary school, and I love that I can open a book to refresh a forgotten skill, learn a new one, or delve into the “why” behind cooking’s biggest questions. These books have kept me entertained and intrigued, not to mention well-fed. I hope they do the same for you! 

Jessica's book list on learning something new about cooking

Jessica Harlan Why did Jessica love this book?

A few years ago my family decided to cut back on our consumption of meat. One of the world’s most famous vegetarian chefs, Yotam Ottolenghi, came to my rescue in the form of this cookbook, which has truly expanded my ideas of how vegetables, grains, and other plant-based foods can be prepared. The chapters are organized by ingredient, which is handy if you shop your farmer’s market and need some ideas on how to prepare those gorgeous eggplants or the bumper crop of green beans you’ve brought home. The unexpected combinations and preparations have given me permission to be more creative with how I prepare vegetables. Some of the more unusual recipes that I’ve loved include Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce; Tomato, Semolina, and Cilantro Soup; and Broccoli and Gorgonzola Pie. 

By Yotam Ottolenghi,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Plenty as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The cookbook that launched Yotam Ottolenghi as an international food celebrity

If you are a fan of Plenty More, Forks Over Knives, Smitten Kitchen Every Day, or On Vegetables, you’ll love this Ottolenghi cookbook

A vegetarian cookbook from the author of Jerusalem A Cookbook  and other Ottolenghi cookbooks: A must-have collection of 120 vegetarian recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi featuring exciting flavors and fresh combinations that will become mainstays for readers and eaters looking for a brilliant take on vegetables.

Mastering the art of French cooking the Yotam Ottolenghi way: One of the most exciting talents in the cooking world, Yotam…


Book cover of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Lukas Volger Author Of Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Can't Lose

From my list on cookbooks for making plant-based cooking a habit.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been writing vegetarian cookbooks for almost 15 years, and have had many different jobs in the world of food – cooking in restaurants, running a small food business, working food photography shoots, and much more. While in my day-to-day eating, I go on and off following a strict plant-based diet, it’s long been my default style of eating because I find it to be so healthy, affordable, and fun! I’m never not excited and inspired by the abundance and diversity of vegetables and the incredible techniques and dishes that cuisines around the world have done with them. 

Lukas' book list on cookbooks for making plant-based cooking a habit

Lukas Volger Why did Lukas love this book?

When I was a young cook, I picked up my copy of this opus from a neighbor’s stoop sale, and it immediately became one of my most valued possessions. I’d go to the farmer’s market, buy a vegetable I didn’t recognize, and then back at home consult this, my vegetable bible, for how I should cook it. It has never steered me wrong and 20 years later, I still find new things to learn from it and am always in awe of Deborah Madison’s prescient wisdom on the subject of how to thoughtfully shop, cook, eat, and live. It’s warmly written and exhaustive in its scope – as much of a reference as it is a practical cookbook for regular use. 

By Deborah Madison,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What Julia Child is to French cooking and Marcella Hazan is to Italian cooking, Deborah Madison is to contemporary vegetarian cooking.  At Greens restaurant in San Francisco, where she was the founding chef, and in her two acclaimed vegetarian cookbooks, Madison elevated vegetarian cooking to new heights of sophistication, introducing many people to the joy of cooking without meat, whether occasionally or for a lifetime.  But after her many years as a teacher and writer, she realized that there was no comprehensive primer for vegetarian cooking, no single book that taught vegetarians basic cooking techniques, how to combine ingredients, and…


Book cover of Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: 400 Delicious and Creative Recipes for Today

Mary Bryant Shrader Author Of The Modern Pioneer Cookbook: Nourishing Recipes From a Traditional Foods Kitchen

From my list on becoming a modern pioneer in the kitchen.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Mary Bryant Shrader, and I'm the creator of Mary's Nest, a YouTube channel and corresponding website devoted to teaching approachable traditional cooking techniques using whole ingredients to help everyone become a Modern Pioneer in the kitchen. I take a simple step-by-step approach to help home cooks of all abilities cook simple, healthy meals using every last scrap of food to work towards creating a no-waste kitchen. I live in the Texas Hill Country with my sweet husband, Ted, and our lovable yellow lab, Indy. Our son Ben is just a drive away, and he frequently joins us for cozy home-cooked meals by the fireplace, followed by an evening of rousing board games.

Mary's book list on becoming a modern pioneer in the kitchen

Mary Bryant Shrader Why did Mary love this book?

Any modern pioneer in the kitchen worth their weight in salt—sea salt, that is—needs to learn how to preserve food through home canning. And if you want to learn how to can pretty much any type of food, the Ball Company's Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving is the best book they have released to date.

Yes, they have more modern editions, such as The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving, but the book I chose for my list is clearly the winner and one that should be on every traditional foods cook's kitchen bookshelf. From how to get started for the newbie to solving home canning problems at all skill levels, this book has you covered.

Plus, this book is packed with a wide variety of water bath canning recipes, including jellies and jams; a wide selection of condiments, such as salsas, relish, and chutneys; plus home…

By Judi Kingry (editor), Lauren Devine (editor), Sarah Page (editor)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the experts, the updated bible in home preserving.

The hugely bestselling Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving has been broadly updated to reflect changes over the last 15 years with new recipes and larger sections on low sugar and fermentation. Ball Home Canning Products are the gold standard in home preserving supplies, the trademark jars on display in stores every summer from coast to coast. This companion to their products is this bible of home preserving from the experts on the practice which has sold more than a million copies. The book includes 400 innovative recipes for salsas, savory…


Book cover of Heirloom Vegetable Gardening: A Master Gardener's Guide to Planting, Seed Saving, and Cultural History

Lynn Coulter Author Of Gardening with Heirloom Seeds: Tried-and-True Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables for a New Generation

From my list on why we love old-fashioned tomatoes, beans, peas.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve loved gardening ever since I was five years old, when I followed my grandmother around her yard as she watered her dinner plate-sized dahlias. As a college student, I rode a bus to school each day and read every gardening book and magazine I could get my hands on. After I graduated with a degree in Journalism, I realized I wanted to write about flowers and veggies and show other people how beautiful and bountiful a garden could be. My first book, Gardening with Heirloom Seeds, led to a wonderful speaking experience in Orlando at Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival, and to contracts for two more books in the spiritual living genre.

Lynn's book list on why we love old-fashioned tomatoes, beans, peas

Lynn Coulter Why did Lynn love this book?

Have you ever wished you could grow those nutritious, meaty peas and beans your granddaddy used to grow? Some had cool names, like Rattlesnake Beans, Big Red Ripper, or Blue Podded Shelling. They were probably heirloom varieties, plants that have been around for 50 years or more. While heirlooms are harder to find than they used to be, and nurseries and garden centers don’t often sell them as young plants, you can still grow these varieties from seeds (tip: look for them online or search for “seed swaps” in your area). Weaver is an organic gardener and food historian who discusses the old-timey veggies our forebears ate and where their seeds came from. You’ll want to plant your own kitchen garden with many of the varieties he covers.

By William Woys Weaver,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Heirloom Vegetable Gardening as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"This book is sure to be a modern classic and is one of the most important books on gardening in the current century."
—Jere Gettle, founder, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Heirloom Vegetable Gardening has always been a book for gardeners and cooks interested in unique flavors, colors, and history in their produce. This updated edition has been improved throughout with growing zones, advice, and new plant entries. Line art has been replaced with lush, full-color photography. Yet at the core, this book delivers on the same promise it made two decades ago: It’s a comprehensive guide based on meticulous first-person…


Book cover of Wild Flavors: One Chef's Transformative Year Cooking from Eva's Farm

Christine Buckley Author Of Plant Magic: Herbalism in Real Life

From my list on that prove eating locally is also delicious.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm an herbalist dedicated to teaching people practical approaches to herbalism and creativity. I do this on my Substack, in clinical intakes with my herbal clients (I work mostly with artists), and in workshops and classes. My life and herbal practice revolve around food. I’ve cooked professionally for over 15 years, worked on organic farms, and grow food at home for myself and pollinators in my region. The best bet we have at caring for ourselves and our communities is through the food we grow, buy, prepare, and eat. I like to say most people are already doing herbalism, they just don’t know it's happening in their kitchens at breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.

Christine's book list on that prove eating locally is also delicious

Christine Buckley Why did Christine love this book?

Wild Flavors follows Chef Didi Emmons over a year on farmer Eva Sommaripa’s farm 80 miles southeast of Boston.

Working as a line cook at Prune, Chef Gabrielle Hamilton gave me unforgettably simple advice as I struggled week after week to prepare a family meal on the fly: “you learn to cook by following recipes.” Duh! Five years later I followed recipes and learned to cook. I enrolled in herbal study at Commonwealth Holistic Herbalism in Brookline, MA.

I cooked out of Wild Flavors throughout my apprenticeship. Many of the plants we studied that year appeared in Wild Flavors in thoughtful, seasonal recipes that brought medicinal plants out of the classroom and into my kitchen, where they came to life.

Recipes like Chickweed Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, sound familiar but feature unconventional, medicinal plant ingredients hiding in plain site in the fields and forests surrounding Eva’s Garden.

By Didi Emmons,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wild Flavors as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The minute Didi Emmons, a chef from Boston, met Eva Sommaripa—a near legendary farmer whose 200-plus uncommon herbs, greens, and edible “weeds” grace the menus of many famous restaurants in the Northeast—something amazing happened. Not only did Eva’s Garden become Didi’s refuge and herb-infused Shangri-La, the two women also forged a lasting friendship that has blossomed and endured over time.

Wild Flavors follows a year at Eva’s Garden through the seasons. It showcases Emmons’s creative talents, featuring herbs (African basil, calaminth, lovage) and wild foods (autumn olives, wild roses, Japanese knotweed). The author provides growing or foraging information for each…


Book cover of Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables

Peggy Paul Casella Author Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Cookbook

From my list on making pizza from scratch.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a cookbook author, editor, local food enthusiast, and the creator of the blog Thursday Night Pizza, where I share weekly recipes and de-snobbify the process of from-scratch pizza for home cooks of all skill levels. When I’m not in the kitchen or behind my computer, I enjoy gardening, working on house projects, tending to my Little Free Library, and roaming my city of Philadelphia with my husband and son.

Peggy's book list on making pizza from scratch

Peggy Paul Casella Why did Peggy love this book?

Not only is this book a beauty, but it’s also a great way to discover new pairings for your favorite seasonal pizza toppings. Many of my favorite pizza recipes have been adapted from combinations of ingredients found in recipes for salads, casseroles, fancy meals, sandwiches, and more. If you’re a farmers’ market fiend and a homemade pizzamaker, you need more books like this one.

By Joshua McFadden, Martha Holmberg,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Six Seasons as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Six seasons - each with its own character. The first vegetables of spring are all about tenderness and new growth. We've been eating sturdy winter fare for so long that slender, tender, and delicate is exactly what we need ...a ripe juicy tomato would feel too much, too soon. Early summer steps up that game a bit - the flavours aren't yet intense, but the fresh and green notes are deeper and all is livelier. Midsummer starts the flavour riot - more variety, more colours and textures. Late summer is the lush period - the richest colours, most vibrant flavours,…


Book cover of One: Pot, Pan, Planet: A Greener Way to Cook for You and Your Family: A Cookbook
Book cover of Eat More, Live Well
Book cover of Whole Food Cooking Every Day: Transform the Way You Eat with 250 Vegetarian Recipes Free of Gluten, Dairy, and Refined Sugar

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Interested in vegetables, vegetarian cuisine, and gardening?

Vegetables 34 books
Gardening 88 books