I was intrigued by Mississippi vegan as basically I have no idea what it is people eat in Mississippi. As ubiquitous as American film, television, music, and just about everything else is you don’t get much regional variance. Much in the same way, I imagine, that I keep having to explain to people what black pudding, treacle toffee, muffins and black peas are. There is also an emphasis on regional produce, seasonal food and foraged food that really speaks to me. The whole book is written in a gentle autobiographic style explaining why these recipes are important to the author, introducing the people, places and produce that inspired them.

First up was a batch of Everything Bagels with all the fixings. I love making bagels, it seems so transgressive to sneak the dough into a pot of boiling water before putting them in the oven. The seasoning was perfect but the bagel itself was a little denser than my preferred recipe. All sins, however, are redeemed by cream cheese.

The Garlic and Herb Bread has been a big hit around here. Garlic and herb butter spread on a split roll and baked. It simple, satisfying and comes in some great, creative variations. This one was the basil and chives. I skimped a little on the fine chopping (must follow instructions in future!) but the taste was spot on.

Of course I couldn’t resist making a po’ boy, I’m favourite po’ boy is the portobello variation in Vegan Sandwiches Save The Day but I’m not supposed to eat mushrooms so this fried popcorn tofu version is perfect. You’ll have to forgive the inauthentic bread but everything else was spot on. I even ordered some imported Old Bay seasoning for the occasion. The result was perfectly spiced, crisp and succulent tofu popcorn. Fully dressed for a perfect sandwich.

And, of course, I couldn’t end this review without trying the Classic Gumbo. I had to make a fairly major adjustment. I’m allergic to celery so my holy trinity was missing a member. This gumbo though was fabulous. Rich, creamy, flavourful. Everything it’s supposed to be.

I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of this book and I’m looking forward to exploring it a bit more. In the meantime I totally recommend you picking up a copy. It’s thoughtful, inspiring and the food is amazing.

Black Girl Baking isn’t an entirely vegan cookbook (although quite a few of the recipes are either vegan or have vegan variations), but I was tempted by the pictures I’d seen on Instagram so into my Amazon basket it went. And I wasn’t disappointed. Breaking away from traditional baking the recipes use a variety of flours, sweeteners, and even aquafaba to create a fantastic collection of baked treats.

I started with a chocolate cake. (Not an) Easy Bake Cake With Raspberry Glaze. It’s really easy to throw together the sponge. It’s made with whole wheat flour which makes me feel good about myself and it’s egg-free as-is and dairy-free with a simple substitution. The real star of the show is the glaze though. Made with real raspberries, it packs a very flavourful punch. I always say pink food tastes the best and it’s especially true when flavoured with real fruit.

For a savoury treat I made the Everything Chickpea Turmeric Crackers, which have the flour profile of a pakora mixed with an everything bagel. I like both of those things but even after eating a full batch of those crackers I couldn’t tell you if they work together. I kept thinking I’d made my mind up but then I’d take another bite.

These little guys are Kate’s favourite: Sticky Maple Mini Cakes. They’re made with with all the fanciest ingredients; dates, maple syrup, coconut milk, coconut oil. Basically it’s all the most expensive things in my cupboard. The texture is a little grainy but not in a bad way. The flavour though is incredible. Rich, caramely, and nutty. All of Kate’s favourite flavours.

That might be Kate’s favourite but the recipe that’s been added to our regular rotation is a little less sweet. Blistered Tomato Sheet Pizza is super simple. Just a good pizza crust and some beautiful blistered baby tomatoes. It transforms the meh cherry tomatoes of winter into a rich caramelised sauce and is now our favourite thing to do when we have cherry tomatoes hanging about.

I recommend you give this one a look. It might not be for you but between the pizza and the chocolate cake the price is justified for me.

When Leon brought out a vegan cookbook I ordered it straight away. I’ve been living with it for the past few months and it’s been in rotation ever since. The title implies that it’s all fast food but really it has a recipe for just about anything you could ask for. There are breakfast, desserts, 15-minute meals and ones that take hours. It’s an encyclopaedia of vegan food. And it’s pretty cool.

We’ll start with one of the quicker recipes. This Artichoke, Basil and Spinach Pasta. It’s a quick pesto recipe that has all the umami you could ever need coming from that artichoke. The recipes are more than just a token vegan option, they’re well-thought-out to give a full range of flavours.

Jackfruit Tikka Masala is one of the the recipes that puts the name fast vegan to shame, clocking in at just under 2 hours. However you will not regret a second of those two hours. This is the best vegan tikka masala you’ll ever have. And it’s a genuine tikka masala, you marinate and cook your jackfruit before tossing it in the curry sauce which just makes everything perfect.

One of the few misses we’ve had is this Spiced Moroccan Tofu. Overall it was just a little dry and the Moroccan flavours didn’t really work with tofu.

But let’s end on a happy, positive, chocolate-filled note. These chocolate brownie cakes are amazing! Really dense and they have chocolate and rich and they have chocolate.

There are some amazing recipes in this huge tome. And although I’ve become adept at translating recipes from American English into UK English it’s always great to have recipes written in my own culinary language. I would suggest you go out and buy this straight away and make the tikka masala because it’s amazing.