'He's Leaving Home' cookbook now available online via Cracking Good Food

Are you looking for new recipe ideas for 'veganuary', but lacking inspiration or feeling intimidated by vegan cooking and ingredients?

I'm delighted that my cookery book, 'He's Leaving Home: The Shrieking Violet Guide to Hearty Vegetarian Cooking on a Budget', is now available online via Manchester-based social enterprise Cracking Good Food, who offer a range of cookery courses around Manchester to brush up on your culinary skills and learn new ideas and techniques.

'He's Leaving Home' offers a vegan twist on hearty everyday classics, aiming to use affordable, accessible ingredients.

Now in its third print run, feedback includes:

The cookbook is great! Cheap, vegetarian and and all simple/practical. I was surprised how many recipes you included also." James, Berlin

"Brilliant present, thanks!" Ed, Kent

"Just used your recipe for roast potatoes, was delicious - used the rosemary we found last night on a bike ride near Salford Quays. Can't wait to try the baked beans pie! Could I order one of your recipe books for my friend please? she's vegan too and is moving back to Canada soon so would make a great leaving present to remind her of English food!" Rae, Salford

Buy online for £5 (copies are also available in the bookshop at Home in Manchester) at: www.crackinggoodfood.org/product/the-shrieking-violet-guide-to-hearty-vegetarian-cooking-on-a-budget

He’s Leaving Home: The Shrieking Violet Guide to Hearty Vegetarian Cooking On A Budget

I’ve written and designed a new, very limited-edition publication called He’s Leaving Home: The Shrieking Violet Guide to Hearty Vegetarian Cooking On A Budget. It’s a cookbook for my little brother, who recently left home for the first time, and aims to give ideas for cooking and eating for those who live and eat alone, using everyday ingredients.

The emphasis is on the classic, hearty, simple and solid - think potatoes, pulses, pasta, pies and spices - although unfortunately I've had to leave out anything containing mushrooms or sweet and savoury flavour combinations (both of which I love) as he hates them. The book's also lacking in curries as I felt it was too rich an area to do justice to in this volume ...

I was inspired by a remark that my brother (who really enjoys cooking) made a while ago that he would like to eat less meat and cook more vegetarian food, but lacked inspiration. For ages I planned and thought about writing down all the recipes I make on a regular basis as a birthday present for him. I spent the first few months of this year finally doing that, alongside compiling a list of store cupboard staples I always have in to make sure I am never in the position of having nothing to cook! I have no idea if he'll like or use it, but I find the idea of giving and receiving material goods for the sake of it quite problematic, and would much prefer to share and receive time, interest, ideas and experiences.

Writing it has also been quite a therapeutic and cathartic process. A few of the recipes were developed in collaboration with Daniel Fogarty (baked bean pie and peanut butter jam tarts), and he also introduced me to ground rice pie. I spent last year cooking and cooking and experimenting and experimenting and perfecting recipes, as I was so determined that if only I looked after myself well enough (and ate enough spinach!) I could make myself feel better.

Everything I cook is vegan, but I've purposefully called it 'vegetarian' and used generic words such as 'milk' and 'butter' rather than 'soya milk' and 'vegetable margarine' as I know how alarming some people find the idea of vegan cooking ...

Read online:

A paper copy can be found in Salford Zine Library at Nexus Art Cafe. It’s for my brother, but it’s also for anyone else for whom cooking for one is a chore rather than the pleasure it can and should be.

For optimum results, the recipes should be followed whilst listening to the song 'Bedsitter' from the Soft Cell album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which I have come to regard as one of the high points of 20th century British culture.
BEDSITTER by Soft Cell from paulvernon on Vimeo.

Cottage Pie

Vegetarian cottage pie

British food often gets a bad press, but at it’s best it’s comforting, simple and, most importantly, easy to make. My favourite is probably cottage pie. It may take a little bit of time but it’s worth it - you can prepare the filling as the potatoes for the mash are cooking then, once it’s in the oven it looks after itself. I first started cooking this dish from a student cookbook my mum gave me when I went away to university. Bizarrely, in my opinion, it uses a layer of diced potatoes for the crust instead of mash. Why go to the bother of peeling and boiling potatoes if you don’t put the little extra effort necessary into making mash and doing it properly?

Although it’s a traditional winter warmer, a comfort food based around the classic combination of gravy and mash (I‘m not sure what‘s so great about this combination, maybe the contrast between dry crispiness and wet richness), I can’t stop myself from eating it all year round.

It’s customary for cottage pie to have carrots in it but I have issues with cooking carrots (in my opinion, one of the most delicious raw, snacking vegetables is ruined by cooking it). I quite often use peas or whatever other vegetable I happen to have around - beans and leeks work well - instead.

Serves 4

For the filling:

400g Quorn mince
1 Medium - large onion
1 large clove garlic finely chopped
12 heaped teaspoons Bisto ‘beef’ or ‘classic’ gravy granules (Bisto beef granules are suitable for vegetarians, supermarket own brands may be too)
12 heaped teaspoons frozen peas
4 tablespoons tomato puree
4-5 tablespoons tomato ketchup (tomatoes finely chopped is another addition I make sometimes, but it depends on how tomatoey you like it)
Up to 600 ml water
Salt and pepper

For the mash:

75ml milk
12 medium sized potatoes
Hard cheese eg cheddar, Red Leicester, Edam
Two tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes. Place in a large pan with water and bring to the boil. Put a lid on the pan and simmer briskly for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the onion and garlic and place in a pan with the water. Bring to the boil. Add the Quorn mince and stock, stir well and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato ketchup and tomato puree. After about ten minutes (of the 15 minutes), add in the peas. The mixture should be thick and not too runny. Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper.

At this point, turn the oven on to start heating up.

By now, the potatoes should be cooked. Drain most of the water out, maybe leaving a little in the bottom. Mash smoothly using a masher or fork. Add in the milk and mash some more. Add in the butter and mash some more. Grate in cheese to taste and stir well. Add more water or milk if desired. Season with salt and pepper. Sometimes I also put some herbs in such as parsley.

Spoon the Quorn filling into the bottom of a large, shallow dish. Make sure it’s evenly distributed.

Put a layer of mash on top, making sure all the filling is covered up. Smooth with a fork (I like this bit as the ridges go brown and crispy when it’s cooked). Grate some cheese on top, to taste.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Freeze any leftovers and reheat for lunch or future dinners.