Fed up with cooking the same-old, same-old veggie recipes? Grab your apron and your chopping board and prepare for something new: Elly Pear is a master of far-flung flavours that bring a whole new taste adventure to your home kitchen, starting with these creations from her latest book

V IS FOR VEGETARIAN

Spiced paneer, spinach and pea grain bowl with mint yogurt sauce

PHOTOGRAPHS MARTIN POOLE FOOD STYLING MARINA FILIPPELLI AND BECKS WILKINSON STYLING JO HARRIS

Nutty slaw with melted blue cheese toasts

“My approach to cooking revolves around simple concepts: deliciousness, joy, texture, savour, ease and satisfaction. There might not be any meat in these recipes, but I can guarantee you’ll find all of the above. Whether you’re vegan or veggie or simply trying to reduce the amount of meat you eat, I’m here to help.

So let’s get going. Apron on. Chopping board out. Sharpened knife in hand. Let’s fill our plates and lunchboxes full of delicious treats. Let’s get our freezers well stocked for those days when life is a little tough. Let’s make our kitchens happy places, full of good smells and focused around veg!”

FOOD WRITER ELLY CURSHEN (AKA ELLY PEAR)

MEET ELLY

Food writer Elly Curshen is known for her innovative meatfree recipes that combine world flavours with local ingredients. Nicknamed Elly Pear after The Pear Café in Bristol that she ran between 2006 and 2018, Elly has appeared on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. This is her third cookbook.

Spiced paneer, spinach and pea grain bowl with mint yogurt sauce V

SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 20-25 MIN

“The spicy cubes of fried paneer are strong competition but I reckon it’s actually the sauce that’s the star of this show. Inspired by Indian restaurant yogurt sauce (perfect for dipping shards of poppadum into while you neck a cold beer and deliberate over what to order), it was one of the most popular things I’d made in ages when I first served it up. Everyone loved it. I was then tempted to put it on everything, of course.”