‘Flexitarian’ is a useful portmanteau word, that is two other words mashed together to make something new. In the same vein, this book offers base recipes with adaptations covering vegetarian, vegan, meat-eaters and pescatarians, so you can either cook the main recipe as shown, or choose the dairy, meat or fish version according to your diet, who is coming for dinner or just what you feel like eating today. It’s a book for the legions of us who identify somewhere between carnivore and vegan, eaters who are looking to eat less dairy, meat and fish, whether that be for environmental, ethical or health-related reasons, but don’t want to have three or four different cookbooks for every dish. There’s a warm curried lentil salad with crispy paneer and a spiced dressing, but you can swap the paneer for prawns if you like, and the Moroccan spiced vegetable tagine gives an option for cooking it with chicken, if that’s your mood. If you’re tired of cooking multiple meals for a family or a group with more than one dietary need, the book’s true genius lies in those recipes that can be cooked up to a point, then finished or served to suit different dietary requirements, such as the winter vege stew packed with root veges and cooked with herby dumplings – bubble that away in the oven until the flavours all meld, then ladle out a hearty portion for a vegetarian option, and stir some sliced sausages into a bowlful headed for the meat eaters. I’m baffled by a few of the substitutions – why does adding a handful of peas to a vegetarian asparagus risotto make it a vegan dish? – but hungry to try some new choices to add to the repertoire. TRACY WHITMEY
