River Cottage Veg Every Day!

River Cottage Every Day

by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

"Call me power-crazed, but I'm trying to change your life here. The object of the exercise is to persuade you to eat more vegetables. Many more vegetables. And I hope to do so not by shouting from a soapbox, but through sheer temptation..."

Why don't we eat more veg? They're healthy, cost-effective and, above all, delicious. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall believes that it is time to put this to rights. He's come up with an abundance of veg-tastic recipes, including a couscous salad with herbs and walnuts, lemony guacamole, linguine with mint and almond pesto and tomatoes, baby carrots and broad bean risotto, new potato gnocchi, a summer stir-fry with egg-fried rice, a winter stir-fry with Chinese five-spice, a tomato, thyme and goat's cheese tart, a spring onion galette, roasted new potatoes with harissa, curried bubble and squeak, pea and parsley soup, quinoa with leeks and squash, baba ganoush, beetroot and walnut hummus, and spinach and new potato curry...

With more than two hundred recipes, River Cottage Veg Every Day! is a timely eulogy to the glorious green stuff.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Food and Drink, Vegetarian

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a British celebrity chef, smallholder, television presenter, journalist, food writer and "real food" campaigner, known for his back-to-basics philosophy.

A talented writer, broadcaster and campaigner, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is widely known for his uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food and has earned a huge following through his River Cottage TV series and books.

His early smallholding experiences were shown in the Channel 4 River Cottage series and led to the publication of The River Cottage Cookbook (2001), which won the Glenfiddich Trophy and the André Simon Food Book of the Year awards.

The success of the show and the books allowed Hugh to establish River Cottage HQ near Bridport in 2004.

In the same year, Hugh published The River Cottage Meat Book to wide acclaim and won a second André Simon Food Book of the Year Award.

He has just finished filming his most recent series, which accompanies his most recent book, River Cottage Every Day.

He continues to write as a journalist, including a weekly column in The Guardian and is Patron of the National Farmers’ Retail and Markets Association (FARMA).

River Cottage HQ moved in 2006, to a farm near the Dorset/Devon border, where visitors can take a variety of courses. http://www.rivercottage.net

During River Cottage Spring (2008) Hugh helped a group of Bristol families start a smallholding on derelict council land.

The experience was so inspiring he decided to see if it would work nationwide, and Landshare was created to bring keen growers and landowners together. The movement now includes more than 50,000 people.

Son of https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many good recipes in this book. Every recipe has a full page photo of the finished product which is a must have for cookery books I think. It's attractively presented and I like the potato print style decorations on the pages made with vegetables. The instructions are clear, there's virtually no ingredients you can't easily get from a supermarket. Most of it is vegan, it's mainly just interesting things to do with vegetables.

There are some really good curry recipes, salad ideas, pasties, dips and sauces, soups, mains and snacks. I love the Cambodian wedding day dip and the magic bread dough recipe is something we make most weeks, it's really versatile and can be used for pizza bases, flatbread, pita bread, rolls and bread sticks.

Although Hugh is or was an avid meat eater, he ate no meat or fish for several months as part of creating this book and a television series. It is amazing how much healthier he looks and from the sound of what he says in the introduction, the experience has changed his habits and his outlook.

The only downside for me is that although I only saw odd bits of the television series I remember seeing some really great recipes that aren't included in this book.

I think this is a great book for anyone to own, it's ideal for those who would like to eat less meat and find some healthier, cruelty free options or for vegetarians and vegans. It's a great book for someone who grows their own vegetables and wants to find some new things to do with them.

[Problemchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best of river cottage yet; this book is a clear manifesto - to make us eat less meat and thus better meat and eat a lot more vegetables. This the book I have been waiting for as my food philosophy has evolved over the years and my reading has broadened. I will never be vegetarian but I am uncomfortable with eating meat from intense farming methods. As a result, we now only include meat in three of our meals a week, eat more fish and, essentially, make the fruit and veg from the garden and the market the centre of our meals.

The recipes here and in the companion volume River Cottage Every Day are the most accurate of any of the River Cottage books and, although a lot of the dishes are what we would call winter dishes (we live in a warmer climate), there is enough selection there to make many glorious meals for the family incorporating so many flavours and textures that no one misses the meat. This book has real appeal in that, despite its uses of pulses etc, it avoids all the cliches and pitfalls of what I would call a cookbook for vegetarians. Tofu and nut cutlets anyone? Well, not here, Hugh is not simply substituting meat for some other simulacra but re-introducing vegetables to our table as the main constituent of the meal. If you really can't do without, simply use a little meat as a flavouring to the dishes herein, they'll still work and you'll be able to afford meat from animals that have been lovingly reared.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting vegetable cookbook that is written by a well known "carnivore" chef. His most famous cookbook to date being "The River Cottage MEAT book" (as far as I know).

So even though all the recipes included are meatless, it didn't necessarily "shout out" vegetarian cookbook to me at first glance.
What I did love about this cookbook aside from the many beautiful illustrations was the simplicity of the majority of the dishes while still sounding equally delicious and worthy of a main entree .

There are more than two hundred vegetable-based recipes, including more than sixty vegan recipes with recipes such as Kale and Mushroom Lasagna; Herby, Peanutty, Noodly Salad; and Winter Stir-Fry with Chinese Five-Spice...…..
You’ll find handy weeknight one-pot meals, pure and simple raw dishes, and hearty salads as well as a chapter of meze and tapas dishes to mix and match, making this book an inspiring new source for committed vegetarians and any conscientious cook looking to expand their vegetable repertoire...…..


Was delighted to pick up this kindle book for $1.99 and I know I will be trying out several of these tasty sounding recipes.

[Maria Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

This contains an excellent variety of vegetable dishes. I am a fan of Hugh's philosophy regarding food. It is not about becoming veggie or replacing meat products with something else. The question is why our mess revolve around a central 'meat' dish. Some of my favourite parts of a Sunday dinner are the vegetable dishes, not the meat. Why can't a beautiful cauliflower cheese take centre stage?

A lot of recipes here reflect similar ones used in my house hold. We are not veggie but believe in using more locally sourced fruit, veg and meat. Ideally meat should be eaten less frequently but of higher quality than mass farmed meat. So it needs to be farmed sustainability and the animals eating what they are supposed to.. i.e. grass not g.m. soya feeds. This isn't cheap but is affordable if we make vegetables the main staple of our every day food.

This book will help the novice learn the skills to help use vegetables in a more interesting manner. The recipes are very forgiving and one thing can be swapped for another. Frequently there are suggestions for variations, often based around season (cheaper to eat seasonally) to help people get going. There are good ideas to help the more experienced cook used veg more imaginatively.

*edit* The book points out which are vegan and some have variations which are vegan.

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I started out as a fan of Hughs and a enthusiast about this series and book, I have since changed my mind. I think this series is all about making money and ticking boxes and I think the TV show comes across as misguided and confusing. As a vegetarian I really dont appreciate Hugh's disrespectful treatment of dead animals and the jovial nature him and his staff treat the death of these animals. Hugh is trying to get vegetarians onside whilst still being an avid meat eater. He claims to want to show the world how wonderful vegetarian food can be and get people eating less meat but he states throughout the series that he cannot wait for however many weeks to pass so he can once again partake in the killing and eating of animals. Admittedly I have a bee in my bonnet about the whole thing and have stated my concerns on the river cottage facebook page. That being said this book is by far the best vegetarian cookbook I own. The recipes are easily altered to make them vegan and a lot of them are already vegan. The food is simple and tastes fantastic. My boyfriend and I have already used this book more than any other recipe book we own. So with gritted teeth I would recommend all of the veggies and vegans out there to buy this. I know some may not want to give him the money but I have always (until now) had quite a bit of respect for Hugh as he has always fought for better treatment of animals and shown people exactly how animals are killed for meat. If you can put your views aside I am sure you will find a book you dive into regularly and some of the dishes will become firm family favourites in your household.
Soooo... buy it and dont watch the tv show because I wish I hadnt.

[Sharah McConville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious Vegetarian and Vegan recipes.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t expecting great things from this book, and in fact I nearly didn’t pick it up. I doubt I would have if it was full price, but it was on sale for just £1 in a charity shop, and it was also part of a pile where they were selling two books for £1, too. I’d already picked up one and so I figured, what the hell? It was basically free.

I’ve worked through a bunch of different vegan and vegetarian cookbooks of late, and not all of them have been good. This one has probably been the best of all of the vegetarian ones, but I still had to put some work in to veganise a bunch of the recipes. But I can’t exactly complain about that because I knew what was coming when I went into it.

And in fact, there are some cracking recipes in here, including my personal favourite, which is a herby, peanutty noodle salad. That isn’t the only recipe that I took away from this one, but it’s definitely the one that I’m likely to make the most often and it’s also the main recipe that springs to mind when I think of this one.

The truth is that this is such a hefty tome of recipes that there’s going to be something there for everyone, even if you’re a carnivore. There was so much choice here that it was enough to push it into a list of my top five favourite cookbooks that I recently filmed for my vegan YouTube channel. Not a bad effort, especially because it was the only one on the list that was a vegetarian cookbook as opposed to a vegan one.

Honestly though, this is the kind of book where there are so many recipes that there’s something there for everyone, including for die-hard meat eaters. It’s actually one of the few cookbooks that I’ve come across that’s arguably worth the full recommended retail price. So basically, I’d recommend this one, because the recipes were super tasty and super easy to make.

Still, if you’re looking for your first vegan cookbook, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere. Pick up one of the Bosh cookbooks or a copy of Vegan on the Go. But if you’re reducing your meat intake or looking for veggie recipes, there are worse places to look than this.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've made lots of dishes from the recipes in this book and
a) they work
b) they taste good
c) they're adaptable to whatever you have in the fridge.
If I had to recommend one recipe, it'd be Roasted Parsnip, Puy Lentil and Watercress Salad. It doesn't seem salad-y ; it's very savoury and warming . I've substituted carrots for parsnips, and spinach or broccoli for watercress, and it's still worked beautifully.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic for anyone who is a vegetarian, is thinking about choosing the vegetarian diet, or just likes damn good food.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

About a month ago, I was having one of those days. I’d been booked for a job but my client was late delivering their material. I’d run out of coffee so I had to have tea for breakfast. Without my booked job to fill up my day I tried to do my own research but the words weren't flowing and the postmodernists were giving me the shits with their unnecessarily dense language (I do love a bit of pomo but it's so frigging hard to read sometimes). After an afternoon of unproductively staring at my computer my inner teenager emerged and I flopped on the couch, eating peanut butter from the jar and listlessly flipped through the channels, moaning at each progressively unappealing televisual choice (of course I had watched all of the DVDs I had and, although I had new ones waiting at the library to be picked up, didn't go because I was waiting for the job to arrive. Of course.) before settling the least boring of all of the boring choices, a show about cooking vegetables.

However, I was pleasantly surprised. The show was the River Cottage Veg Everyday and it featured an appealing foppish gardening nerd enthusing about vegetables and his produce and cooking in an old-fashioned stove. It was really appealing! So, after eating Chinese takeaway (which was average, of course), I ordered the book that accompanies the TV series from the library and went to bed.

This book is really good! Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is not a vegetarian but thinks we eat too much meat. For him, meat should be a garnish or a side dish rather than the main event. He states:

Call me power-crazed, but I'm trying to change your life here. The object of the exercise is to persuade you to eat more vegetables. Many more vegetables. And I hope to do so not by shouting from a soapbox, but through sheer temptation.

And the recipes are tempting. There's a huge range of dishes here including salads, comfort foods, tapas dishes and storecupboard suppers. I was even inspired to buy asparagus, which is not something I would normally do. I made the veggie stock and am trying the asparagus risotto with chili oil tomorrow.

The best thing I have made from the book so far, however, is the refried bean foldover. The topping is the refried beans, which is fine - cheap and easy and pretty tasty with the addition of fresh coriander and ground cumin. The flat breads, though, were a complete revelation. They were delicious! The dough uses a recipe that can also be topped and baked for pizzas but is rolled as thin as you can get it and then cooked in a very hot dry pan for about two minutes a side. My boyfriend didn't witness me make them and thought I'd bought them, which is a huge compliment given that my bread is usually a distant second to good store-bought bread. I can see the flatbread becoming a regular part of my everyday dinner rotation.

I give this book four stars and is one of the few books that I simply must buy for myself after borrowing the library.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent cookbook. I always struggle for meal ideas that aren't based around some sort of meat substitute or replacement, and I love how this book really let's the veg shine as the main focus of the meal. I love flicking through it when I receive our veg box or we have a certain vegetable in the garden that's ready to eat. It makes me want to cook.

The Spicy Chickpeas and Carrots Pitta is one of my favourites, and is so fast and easy that I see it becoming a regular lunch of mine (it's especially good on wholemeal pita). The flatbread recipe is also delicious, as are the pizza recipes that take advantage of it. I've used the book nearly every day since I purchased it a few weeks ago, and it's definitely paid itself off as I'm no longer having as much veg go off in the fridge.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I write this review as a meat eater and have to say that this is an excellent book. Some of these recipes have become staples in our house, particularly Vegeree and the Mushroom and Kale lasagne both of which are delicious and both quick and easy to make (and affordable too!). The meals are complete meals and you don't find yourself looking for the meat at all.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book. Got it out of the library initially, but so good I had to buy it.

As a vegetarian, with a severe intolerance to a lot of vegetables (severe pain and absolute exhaustion for days after eating many vegetables and a host of other foods), I really do have to sadly avoid the majority of my beloved fruit and vegetables, which has made my diet very restricted and repetitive. This book has given me so many ideas of how to make the vegetables I can eat more interesting. The recipes are easy to make, and very original.

I love Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall and admire his passion and good common sense about eating ethically produced, healthy, unprocessed and sustainable food. He has high values and principles without being judgemental, patronising or annoying. There is nothing worse than a zealous vegetarian ramming their beliefs up your nose. It often serves to achieve the opposite desired affect and gives vegetarians a bad name.

Having said that, HFW is not a vegetarian, enjoys eating meat, but as he explains in the blurb, "Call me power-crazed, but I'm trying to change your life here. The object of the exercise is to persuade you to eat more vegetables. Many more vegetables. And I hope to do so not from shouting from a soapbox, but through sheer temptation..."

He argues that "we eat far too much meat in the West - too much for our own health, and far too much for the welfare of the many millions of animals we raise for food. I believe that factory farming is plain wrong - environmentally and ethically. So it saddens me to say that, despite some recent significant gains in the UK on poultry and pork welfare, the problems associated with the industrial production of meat are, globally speaking, as bad as ever. I've been similarly forthright about fish. I believe it's a wonderful food, which I like to catch and eat. But I have also pointed out that we are in ever-increasing danger of eradicating this amazing source of food altogether."

"I still believe in being a selective omnivore, casting a positive vote in favour of ethically produced meat and sustainably caught fish. However, I now understand that in order to eat these great foods in good conscience, I have to recognise, control and impose limits on my appetite for them."

Well said HWW! And your recipes are delicious and amazing too.

Buy this book. And eat more veg.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recipe book of the month May 2024.

Have owned this for a long time and made quite a selection of recipes. Good to focus on it and make some more!

Have many pages marked now for future summer produce too.

This book is jam packed with recipes and if I’ve had a glut of something, or not sure what to make with a particular vegetable I’ve often checked the recipe index.

Carrot hummus - A friend C said it’s an old fave, was making on BH w/e, so as I had lots of carrots to use up ….. delicious nutty flavour even though I used tahini, not pnb. Enjoyed the caramelised garlic flavour, good not to use raw for a change. This will definitely be made again and again! Passed on recipe to A who made it yesterday and said they really liked it.

Refried beans - one I’ve made lots of times, but not lately. Good to be reminded of the recipe. Had sprinkled with cheese and a sort of version of a burrito last night.

Cambodian Wedding Day Dip - didn’t reduce it much at all, added petit pois and spinach, ate with brown basmati. Nice peanutty coconuty curry. Three portions, could be four if not hungry / greedy people!

If you’re keen to increase your repertoire of veggie recipes or make more interesting sides, or lighter meals this is your book!

Beetroot and walnut hummus will feature soon for us!

13/5/24

Herby, peanutty, noodly salad is great, very fresh tasting.

Aubergine & green bean curry we found bland, so I copied the blend of whole and ground spices in The Theee Sisters book for an aubergine curry for the other portions. Much tastier.

Want to make the cucumber and mint salad as am still getting lots of homegrown cukes this summer.

RBoM August 2025

[Robert Hudder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the description of the attitude about eating vegetables on their own terms. Often at home we will have meals with no meat. It's not about eating less meat but really eating good veggies when they are available.

Hugh is known for his meat eating ethos but he describes it very well in that in valuing animals highly will generally mean eating less. I am a firm believer that every meat eater should know where their meat comes from. It is a necessary thing to see a pig or a cow on a hanger. There has to be a visceral connection made between a being that was once alive and now is dead. That experience will make you think about your habits every now and again unless you really like the killing part. But then, we have different problems.

Strange. Talking about vegetables, I have fallen into the trap of contrasting it against meat. It's just that vegetarianism and veganism have become these loaded terms depending on what side of the fence you are on. It seems that sometimes, if you are a meat eater, but really like vegetables, there is an expectation of 2 veg + 1 meat meals. It doesn't have to be. This is where this book comes in.

It is an approachable book for carnivores by a noted carnivore on vegetables without too much of the stigma that goes with vegetarian cookbooks. If my shelves didn't already have a bunch of vegetable cookbooks, this one would make a good companion to his books and a good primer for enjoying the other half of the plate.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a great intro-to-vegetarian cookbook if you've managed to never read a vegetarian cookbook in your life and you like pictures (otherwise pick up bittman's). there are exactly three unique recipes out of the more than 200. a spinach souffle with pasta called a spouffle, and two other clever name amalgamations that you'll have to see for yourself to believe. otherwise, every recipe in this book can be found on any old internet website - nothing innovative, no crazy ingredients, nothing earth shattering here. but it is a good collection for the beginner.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the photos and the author's chatty style of writing. But so many of the recipes used copious amounts of dairy and oil. I'm not vegan, but I do limit my cheese intake and don't use heavy cream at all -- which so many recipes include. I enjoyed reading it and some of the recipes gave my new ideas and food combinations to try, but it's not a book that I will purchase for my kitchen cookbook inspiration shelf.

[Mizzo73 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best cookbook for anyone, not just vego people. It uses everyday ingredients that are likely to be lurking in the fridge or pantry. Every recipe I have tried so far has been delicious and easy to make.

[Emma Glaisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

My partner and I mostly stopped eating meat when this book came out, and the recipes have been excellent.

Lots of quick to make curries etc. Just had the excellent Fennel and Squash Lasagne. Everything so far has worked well and been delicious.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally review cook books here, but this one is so outstanding, I thought it would be good to pass along to everyone. Check it out. He has such an easy, natural delivery and the recipes are sound. Many times, I will browse for ideas and skip the exact recipe. Great, great book

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some very tasty recipes in here if often a little heavy on the butter! Love the Dahl and the AMAZING non-chickpea hummus recipes especially the beetroot and walnut one. Yum!

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. I have made many of the recipes and everything has been delicious!

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vegetarian meals have come along way from nut roasts and cauliflower cheese. This cookbook is a great example of exciting and tasty recipes to get your mouth watering. With a range of simpler and more complicated recipes (ingredients may be difficult to source for some).

[Andrea James · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems vegetable books/columns written by non-vegetarians appeal to me. Ottolenghi's vegetable recipes are terrific and this book is more along those lines. This book's recipes in general have fewer exotic ingredients and are simpler both in flavour and preparation.

I'm not a fan of bean-heavy dishes and things that are supposed to mimic meat but don't even come close. I'd rather celebrate the joy of vegetables than attempt to replace meat. I love vegetables and there are very few vegetables that I am less keen to eat. So it's nice that this book prompts some ideas of what to do with your vegetables (if you are a seasoned cook, there isn't anything in here that you won't be able to whip up without strictly following the recipe).

It seems in vogue at the moment to eat less meat (which I reckon is a good thing). Like a lot of other cooks with a conscience, I also subscribe to this ethos (though I indulge in more seafood than my own environmental conscience is happy with) and I am gradually reducing the amount of meat that I consume.

It does takes a bit of a change of mental processes to approach meal planning in terms of vegetables - I am used to starting the meal planning with the meat or fish and then add vegetables as accompaniments. I think I'm not alone with this. Flipping through a book like this, with all its colourful pictures helps me to start my thinking with vegetables instead.

One of the downsides of the book (though not for me) is that it's rather carbtastic. It feels like almost everyone I know sees carbs as a sure-fire way to fatdom. And of course gluten is now the source of all evil for an increasing number of people...were so many people really walking around bloated all the time before the evilness of gluten became popular?

Hugh is old school with his love of bread:

"For the versatile cook, bread is not just there to mop up the juice on the plate, although of course it will always be welcome to perform that role; it's a useful and adaptable ingredient in its own right. And when you concentrate more on vegetables in your cooking, and less on meat, the importance of bread is greater still, as is its potential.

Bread has always been a good friend to the vegetable eater. Take a look at cultures that rely primarily on vegetarian food, and you'll often find that they have developed an exciting range of breads to complement it. I'm thinking particularly of the Indian subcontinent, where so many regions are largely meat-free, and where you will find puris, parathas, rotis, naans and chapattis."

Also as a good friend points out, Hugh is known for his liberal use of calorific items like cheese, butter and cream. That said, it's not difficult to make healthier versions of the dishes so I haven't let it affect my rating much.

[Julie lit pour les autres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très difficile de trouver un défaut à ce livre. Les photographies sont superbes, les recettes accessibles et la mise en valeur des légumes très réussie. L'auteur souhaite nous faire comprendre que les légumes sont autre chose qu'un accompagnement dans le coin de l'assiette. Il offre plusieurs alternatives pour remplacer un ou des légumes selon les plats, et des indications pour qui voudrait cuisiner végétalien. Toutes les recettes réalisées jusqu'à présent sont délicieuses. Un bémol, puisqu'il en faut un: les cuisiniers qui ont besoin de quantités très précises pour se lancer dans la confection de plats pourraient être perplexes devant les directives de l'auteur (par exemple, "two or three bunches of kale"). Pour ma part, je trouve que ce flou va bien avec le livre: la cuisine des légumes est d'abord une question de goût et de préférence. À souligner: un beau chapitre sur les légumes grillés.

[Tattooed_mummy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a carnivore I love this book! It doesn't try to turn you into a vegetarian, or preach at you, it is just filled with delicious recipes that just happen to be vegetarian or even vegan! Easy to follow directions, simple ingredients and gorgeous pictures make this a "must have" cook book.

[Aja Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book-- lots of great recipes. I didn't read all the chapter intros.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Älskar denna! Har testat många av recepten och allt är så jävla gott 😍

[Lisa Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous food, beautifully written too.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most used cooking book in the house! Well-written, easy to read, easy recipes for daily cooking. I love the fact that the recipes used seasonal ingredients.