The Student Vegetarian Cookbook, Beverly Le Blanc: Review

This little book is a lifesaver when you are just starting out at uni, or as a vegetarian. My former housemate Lucie (Big shout out to you here!) and I ate our way through many of the dishes. The cook book covers many different types of food including a lentil dhal, our first attempt was a disaster; but after scrubbing out the pan and trying again (turned out that we needed to turn the heat down, our fault not the book) it was very tasty.  It also has the recipe for my current favourite dish, creamy spinach and eggs. This is a complete iron and protein feast and definitely not one for the vegans or the weight conscious (as it uses eggs, cheese and cream), it has become a firm family favourite in my sadly post student days.

This book covers some of the most basic recipes such as toast to the more complex like the above mentioned dhal or semolina gnocchi. All the recipes are well written and easy to follow. This book encourages people to be more adventurous with their cooking, which has to be a good thing at uni when some weeks you will live off toast (especially when you have multiple essays due in on the same day).  Some of the dishes in this book may be a bit expensive if you are on a tight budget, however with some shopping around (look in different ethnic food shops for some of the more exotic ingredients) most dishes are affordable. For every more expensive dish there are at least two less expensive ones.  This is the perfect book for those who are trying to wean themselves off Quorn every night and many of the dishes will be enjoyed by veggies and meat eaters alike.