book treat

I love libraries and bookshops, it’s where I like to go if I’m feeling stressed out, there’s something with being surrounded by books that I find calming.

I find myself wandering around in the Foyles on the Southbank after a particularly stressful incident and decided I definitely deserve to treat myself.

It’s been a long long time since I bought a new cookbook, I guess once I learnt the basics I very rarely cook from recipes anymore, I get inspirations from online and Waitrose Food magazine. I will however always follow a recipe for baking though, so the last half dozen recipe books I bought have all been dessert/treats orientated shall we say. The other reason is that I don’t eat meat so it feels pointless buying a recipe book for only half or less than half of the recipes.

However, I came across this hefty cookbook that caught my attention. I flicked through it and the dishes definitely piqued my interest, it was all vegetable based (bonus), it made me feel inspired and best of all I love how it is based on seasons, so it can help you know what is in season and eat seasonally, which I try to do as much as I can. On the design side, I loved the weight and feel of it and I really like the use of matt finishing on the cover, photos inside as well as the paper (stop screaming *geek* I know!) (You may also notice I already have many slips in the cookbook of all the recipes I’m excited to try out!)

I also made myself some cotton voile vegetable bags to use at the supermarket, it’s such an easy and simple way to do without the plastic ones. Ever since Blue Planet 2, plastic pollution has been highlighted in a way no one but David Attenborough could do, it’s something that I have been conscious of for a while which has made me make simple changes to cut down on single-use plastics in my life. It is part of being sustainable and being kinder and conscious of the choices we make and something I would like to talk more about on here.

The other book I chose – I really feel this had to do with my state of mind at the time and also because I have a black cat…