Elly When I was nine – I copied my big sister because it was the 80s and we were learning about animal cruelty at school and vegetarianism was getting popular. Families choose to spend their money on different things, and ever since we were small, my parents took us to restaurants. Bright, inventive and meat-free, this cookbook is packed with recipes that show how achievable it is to get delicious food (that just happens to be vegetarian) on the table.

Her bright, inventive, meat free cooking is influenced by world cuisine but always with an eye on the local greengrocers. Elly says: “If you’re already a veggie or vegan, I’m going to show you lots of things you may not have tried – new ingredients, different ways of doing things or fresh approaches to cooking.I take these straight from the packet, then fry them in butter and oil so they go all crunchy and crispy. I taught myself completely, but I don’t cook difficult food – just delicious food that’s fun to make and won’t stress you out. The third stop is special treats – like a lime or an avocado, because we’re lucky that we can get them.

Elly Curshen, founder of Bristol’s Pear Café, better known as Elly Pear and author of Sunday Times bestseller, ' Fast Days and Feast Days' (2016), is passionate about encouraging people to cook from scratch and try new things. The Guardian vegetarian food expert Anna Jones is a fan, saying: “Green is full of smart, stand-out, delicious vegetarian recipes. You can make this Greek-inspired dish vegan by swapping the feta for chickpeas and use up leftovers by mixing it with beaten eggs for a rice frittata. Being connected to the outdoors and noticing the seasons changing is hugely important to me and my mental health. This is an infinitely adaptable pasta bake to use up whatever you have such as leftover pesto, fresh and frozen peas, surplus cooked meat.

Although it would give the finished dish a very different flavour, you could use all sorts of different spice pastes – madras curry paste would work just as well. She came to my kitchen to help me make one of her iconic recipes and it was an education in a new way with food. Recipes to prep at the weekend for the week ahead – again, a really practical approach based on how we really live our busy lives. Jars of sweet red peppers are a good thing to have in the fridge – they’re delicious whizzed into a dip or sliced up in a frittata. Recipes we love: Rose Harissa Chickpeas with Za’atar Baked Feta; Pumpkin Gnocchi; Jalapeno-brined French Toast Crumpets and Curried Cauliflower Frittata.

With easy-to-find ingredients, bulk-cooking and meal-prepping ideas, chapters on freezer food and 20-minute meals as well as ideas for seasonal cooking all year round, Green is all about making it easier to eat well every day of the week. I’m always thinking about balancing textures and flavour – and this dish has chewy grains, a crispy egg, juicy vegetables, but it needs something sharp, pickly and crunchy.Clients for recipe development work include Tio Pepe, Sarsons, Bonne Maman, MacSween, Strong Roots and Peter’s Yard. From midweek meal planning to weekend feasting, you’re sure to find a cookbook on this list that will help you on your path to vegetarian eating. My parents were self-employed and worked all the time – and I’m always working, but I’m okay with that. Lots of veg and the fresh zing of herbs makes your mouth feel really alive – and you don’t need to have a lie down afterwards, even if you eat loads.

She has also contributed to a wide range of publications both online and in print, including Waitrose Food Magazine, Olive Magazine, Stella Magazine, Sunday Times Magazine, Delicious, Sainsbury’s Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Root and Bone and The Pool and was the food columnist for Instyle Magazine for over a year.Elly I’d never worked in kitchens up until that point, but my mum instilled a can-do attitude in us all – you just get on and do it. With beautiful photography, more than 100 recipes and helpful sections for weekday and weekend cooking, this is a cookbook you can go back to time and again. If a restaurant has asparagus on the menu out of season, I immediately know what does, and doesn’t, matter to the chefs.