Grub in the Time of Corona: Our Favourite Cookbooks to See You Through QuarantineBy amelia richards

We’ve all got a bit more time on our hands these days, and with fewer trips to the supermarket recommended by Boris in Monday night’s address to the nation, we thought it high-time we rounded up our favourite cookbooks du jour. All the books listed below have been written with leftovers, waste-not want-not and sustainability in mind, so are absolutely i-d-e-a-l in the current climate of making-do and rationing. Here’s our guide to cooking in the time of coronavirus:

(We hear Amazon are having some slight issues with next-day delivery at the moment, so you may have to be more patient than usual if ordering books. However, all of the books listed here are available on Kindle too!)

For Delicious & Sustainable Flexitarian Recipes (hello, leftovers!): Eat Green by Melissa Hemsley

Bestselling author and home cook, Melissa Hemsley gives you over 100 easy recipes that focus on UK-grown, easy-to-buy ingredients, cutting down on food waste and putting flavour first. Eat Green is a helping hand towards eating a lot more vegetables in a way everyone can enjoy together.

These veg-packed and veg-centric recipes are simple to make and perfect for the whole family. Chapters include: One Pot and One Tray; Cook Now, Eat Later; Family Favourites; and 30 Minutes or Less. Buy here.

For Good-For-You Bakes That Won’t Leave Your Immune System Compromised: The Natural Baker by Henrietta Inman

Trained patisserie chef Henrietta Inman gives us a plethora of better-for-you baking recipes – both sweet and savoury – using natural, wholesome and wholegrain ingredients.

From breakfast right through to afternoon tea, supper and dessert, she’s got you covered. With plenty of joyous cakes, breads, brownies and biscuits along the way!

Many of the recipes are gluten-free, refined sugar-free and/or dairy-free and Henrietta zeroes in on the natural goodness of the ingredients in their unadulterated form, and on providing a naturally healthier option to most baking books (without, we must add, compromising on taste). Fresh produce and seasonal fruit are used where possible in place of sugar, meaning that the end results will taste amazing and do you good too! Buy here.

For Those Looking To Extend The Shelf-Life of Their Supplies – The Modern Preserver by Kylee Newton

From chutney to kimchi, from jam to gin – this mega-babe of a book has over 130 recipes for preserves, chutneys, pickles and more.

Hackney-based New Zealander Kylee walks us through the step-by-step process of making your produce work harder and last longer, and we couldn’t think of a better time to get into this ancient cooking technique than whilst under lockdown. There are fresh flavour pairings like Raspberry and Rose Jam, and Carrot and Citrus Chutney, as well as ideas inspired by places further afield (we love the Japanese Pickled Ginger).

Hopefully the beaut recipes in this book will mean one less trip outdoors for you and your loved ones, and will leave you feeling inspired and your tummy feeling very happy indeed! Buy here.

For Those Who Went a Bit Heavy in the Canned Foods Aisle – Tin Can Cook: 75 Simple Store-cupboard Recipes by Jack Monroe

The doyenne of low-key, fuss-free, affordable but nutritious eating is more relevant than ever! Tin Can Cook brings together seventy-five recipes that you can rustle up from tinned and dried ingredients. Jack’s recipes include Red Lentil and Mandarin Curry, Catalan Fish Stew, Pina Colada Toast and many more delicious and creative ideas for more austere times.

We don’t need to scrimp on taste just because our lives have suddenly become stunted, and in fact we think these recipes will inspire you to believe the old adage that constraints – of any kind – actually force you to become more creative. Use this book as a bible or as a starting point for creating some delicious dishes! Buy here.

For People Isolating Alone – Solo: The Joy of Cooking for One by Signe Johansen

Many of us cook for one on a regular basis, isolation or no isolation, and Signe asks: isn’t it time we became more selfish in the kitchen? Celebrating the joy of self-reliance and self-sufficiency (which couldn’t be more timely), Johansen shares eighty brilliant recipes for indulgent solo cooking.

Solo includes a range of tasty and uncomplicated no-cook fast food, as well as one-pot dishes which will, we think, enhance your, ahem, quaroutine. Signe shows how to make big batch recipes that you can reinvent and enjoy throughout the week (more time for other solo activities, work and Netflix bingeing). There’s also a chapter with more adventurous recipes for when you’re feeling a little more jazzed about being in the kitchen. Buy here.