When the Bosh! book came out back in April the vegan world was pretty excited. At least the ones who were fans of their recipe videos. Me, not so much. I can’t really cook from videos. I like things written down. Excited or not, I couldn’t resist when I saw it half price.

I struggled a little to find what recipe to make first. A lot of the recipes call for ingredients that aren’t Kate-approved: lots of courgettes, aubergine, and sweet potato in various bakes and sauces. Jane’s Pan Con Tomate seemed like a safe bet. I thought it was delicious at least. The seasoning worked really well.

Kate agreed with me on the Patatas Bravas though: we both thought it was delicious. As a bonus it was easy to make. All these recipes are. That’s kind of the point of it really. Simple, flavourful recipes, all vegan. It’s a great book to have around for weeknight suppers.

In the few short months I’ve had this book the Special Fried Rice has worked its way into our rotation. And it’s a great example of what I said above. It’s simple, the flavours are great, it’s got your carbs, veggies and protein all in one bowl. But then it also highlights one of my main problems with the book. What’s the deal with all the salt? I’m not anti-salt, I don’t have a heart problem, I’m not big into healthy eating. But this is too much to taste good. This fried rice serves 2, it has three tablespoons of soy and then has you add salt at the end. However, with the salt taken out and the soy sauce halved it’s now a regular. We like to switch up the veggies. Here there is edamame instead of peas and no pepper. Kate doesn’t like pepper.

Another recipe that’s great with a serious salt reduction is the Quick Puttanesca Spaghetti. It has capers, olives, brine and salt. Again if you cut the salt you get a wonderful meal. The addition of the broccoli really makes it.

Last up is the Southwest Bosh! Bowl. Because I’m so bloody hot right now that I’ve stopped cooking. It was actually my least favourite of the recipes. This time I used all of the seasoning but it came out kinda bland. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

At the end of the day this isn’t a groundbreaking book, or a perfect one, and aside from the salt issue the recipes can also get a little repetitive. But if you are after simple recipes, quick ideas, and fuss-free cooking then check it out.