Joe Woodhouse - Your Daily Veg: Modern, fuss-free vegetarian food

I absolutely adore the food in this beautiful book

NIGELLA LAWSON

Joe just makes the most delicious food that happens to have no meat or fish in it I think this and his knack for bringing out flavour is his superpower

RACHEL RODDY

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Vegetarian and vegan food has often been labelled boring, stodgy and bland. I want to create dishes that are visually appealing but, crucially, even better to eat. Recipes that really satisfy, built from good quality ingredients that are allowed to speak for themselvesand, most importantly, can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of whether you eat meat or not. Nothing faddy, just decent, wholehearted food that is cooked well, with an exciting layering of textures, spices and flavours, and which, as is often said by my Ukrainian, meat-loving father-in-law, mean you dont even think about the lack of meat.

I became a vegetarian at the age of ten. It wasnt a dietary thing or a fad growing up on a farm, that would have been dismissed pretty quickly but rather the result of a sudden awareness of the food I was consuming and what felt right to me. My parents embraced my decision and indulged their sons newfound quirk, my mother attempting, on occasion, to marry elements of my new dietary requirements with our evening meals. I felt, though, that I shouldnt impose my choices on them nor the extra burden of cooking another separate meal on my mother so I set about teaching myself to cook. Easing in on a basic level, I either asked advice or taught myself using books and tips picked up from cookery shows, gradually progressing to more advanced techniques. There were a fair few disasters, but mostly as a result of trying too hard and adding too many components. Over the years I have strived to refine and pare down this initial eagerness to arrive at the way I cook today.

Most of the time I work backwards from an ingredient, as opposed to starting with a specific dish or recipe. If something looks especially good it may nudge out other ingredients, or indeed whole dishes, to allow what is at its best to take centre stage.I like to showcase a vegetable as a main ingredient, supporting its flavour with complementary combinations, and a lot of my cooking involves of-the-moment concoctions that take shape from what is at hand.

Im happiest when there are a decent number of people around to feed largely because it allows for many big platters that get passed around and eaten with gusto, but also because cooking for a crowd is rewarding and lots of fun. The whole gamut of cultures and traditions fascinate me, and coming together around the table to share food is at the heart of this. No matter where I go in the world, the recurring ethos seems to be: the best quality ingredients, tampered with as little as possible, and presented in simple ways. My cooking reflects this: straightforward food that is more than the sum of its parts.

I went on to train as a chef and spent a number of years working in kitchens, as well at events and festivals. More recently, my work as a food and travel photographer has allowed me to gather a huge amount of knowledge, of tastes and cooking methods, both at home and much farther afield. I have endeavoured to pass on as many tips as possible, be it advice on cooking techniques or recommendations on how best to prep dishes in order to minimise stress and time in the kitchen when guests are present. Because of the nature of my recipes which are a celebration of seasonal ingredients at their peak they lend themselves to being eaten as multi-course meals or grouped together as offerings for larger groups for feasting or barbecues. Often dishes can as easily be eaten off platters as individually plated. Do add simple boiled grains, or rice to help build them into full meals.What I have aimed to create with this book is something that is properly useful for the people cooking from it, a book that will be used and loved.