The Modern Cook's Year: More than 250 Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes to See You Through the Seasons

by Anna Jones

The Modern Cook’s Year offers more than 250 vegetarian recipes for a year’s worth of delicious meals. Acclaimed English cookbook author Anna Jones puts vegetables at the center of the table, using simple yet inventive ingredients. Her recipes are influenced by her English roots and by international flavors, spanning from the Mediterranean to Sri Lanka, Japan, and beyond. Attuned to the subtle transitions between seasons, Jones divides the year into six significant moments, suggesting elderflower-dressed fava beans with burrata for the dawn of spring, smoked eggplant flatbread for a warm summer evening, orzo with end-of-summer tomatoes and feta for the early fall, and velvety squash broth with miso and soba to warm you in the winter, among many others. The Modern Cook’s Year shares Jones’s uncanny knack for knowing exactly what you want to eat, at any particular moment. 
 

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Food and Drink, Womens, Food and Wine

480 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Anna Jones is a cook, writer and stylist, the voice of modern vegetarian cooking and the author of the bestselling A Modern Way to Eat, A Modern Way to Cook and The Modern Cook’s Year.

Her books are sold in ten countries and have been translated into five languages. In 2018, The Modern Cook’s Year won the coveted Observer Food Monthly Best Cookbook Award and The Guild of Food Writers Cookbook of the Year. Her previous books have been nominated for the James Beard, Fortnum & Mason and Andre Simon awards.

She also writes a weekly, well-loved column for The Guardian.

Anna believes that vegetables should be put at the centre of every table, and is led by the joy of food – the spritz of freshness when you peel an orange or the crackle and waft of deep savoury spice when you add curry leaves to a pan of hot oil.

She lives in Hackney, east London with her husband and young son.

Reviews

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you have previous books, then its probably safe to assume you know how creative she is, how beautifully she writes about food (not as luciously as Nigella tho), how clear the instructions are...

This book is separated into seasons(6 of them, to be exact), list of veggies at the start of each chapter and every season has breakfast ideas, mains and desserts. There are also- as usual- the helpful pages with how-tos (kombucha making anyone?).

Not only her creativity amazes me, the photography is amazing! Ana Cuba is fashion photographer and her approach is amazing! Thank god no overstylised/shabby/wooden spoon/foliage photos here!

I made several recipes, Smoky Corn Chowder definitely stands out, Mustardy Mushrooms on toast had been repeated already, right now Ive got boston beans in the frigo... As usual, no fails, clear instructions. If there is obscure ingredient or something I dont like I replace and she often even suggests replacement or how to mix it up.

This book is beautiful, heavy and there is tons of stuff! Over 250 recipes- thats a lot. Its so inspiring and doesnt disappoint. I love it. Recommend.

[Hélène Vandorpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een goede gezel bij je etentje met kimchi, miso en gefermenteerde gesprekken over Black Garlic Matters en de LGBQuinoa-revolutie in middelstedelijke lunchplekken. Maar goed, de milennial way of cooking ís wel degelijk de modern way of cooking die Anna Jones zo mooi uiteengezet heeft in dit kookboek. Ze blaast leven in vergeten knollen en leert je duurzaam met de seizoenen mee te koken. Een feest voor de planeet én smaakpapillen!

[Dominic Carlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have cooked most and eaten almost all of the recipes in this book and the only thing stopping it being a 5 star is the beetroot.

[Shagufta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Anna Jones's other cookbooks but this one didn't have as many recipes that appealed to me. The recipes I did try weren't as flavourful as I expected.

[Resireads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das Cover ist sehr ansprechend und künstlerisch gestaltet. Es ist ein richtiges Schmuckstück im Regal und macht viel Lust sich die Rezepte anzusehen und auszuprobieren.

Das Buch ist in 6 verschiedene Saisonen unterteilt. Die klassischen vier Jahreszeiten, sowie den “Jahresbeginn” und “Die ersten warmen Tage”. Jedes Abteil umfasst circa 70-80 Seiten. Es gibt zu fast jedem Rezept auch ein eigenes Bild, was mir persönlich sehr gut gefällt. Diese sind auch wunderschön gestaltet und man würde am liebsten das Essen sofort probieren.

Bei den Gerichten findet man nicht die typischen Basics sondern oft raffiniert zusammengestellte Gerichte aus regionalen Zutaten. Das finde ich besonders spannend, da das in den meisten Kochbüchern nicht berücksichtigt wird.

Die Rezepte sind einfach und übersichtlich aufgebaut. Zu jedem Gericht gibt es auch noch einen kleinen Text von Anna Jones, indem sie noch Tipps gibt oder die Geschichte vom Rezept erzählt. Das hebt das Buch von anderen ab und macht es persönlicher.

Ich habe natürlich ein paar Rezepte ausprobiert und bin begeistert von den vielfältigen Geschmackserlebnissen. Es macht richtig Spaß in dem Kochbuch zu blättern und neue Sachen auszuprobieren. Das Buch besteht nur aus vegetarischen und veganen Rezepten. Wer also hier noch mehr Inspiration benötigt sollte auf jedem Fall mal in diesem Buch nachschauen. Toll ist auch, dass es ganz hinten im Buch ein Register mit Zutaten gibt, bei denen man zu den Zutaten passende Rezepte findet.

Zudem gibt es auch noch verschiedene farblich abgehobene Seiten bei denen man verschiedene Bausteinen angegeben hat, um beispielsweise Bratlinge oder Ofengemüse zu machen, angegeben hat.


Schoko-Zitronen-Mousse mit Meersalz
Empfehlung: Auf jeden Fall! Die Gerichte sind sehr lecker und sehr abwechslungsreich. Wer schon immer mal mehr in die vegetarisch und vegane Küche reinschnuppern wollte, ist hier genau richtig. Aber auch bereits länger vegetarisch oder vegan lebende Menschen finden hier noch viel neues. Ich gebe dem Buch 5/5 Sterne und freue mich schon darauf noch mehr neue Rezepte zu probieren und in mein Repertoire aufzunehmen.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein wunderbares Buch!
Alles (ja, alles, ohne Ausnahme) was ich bisher daraus gekocht habe, hat mir und meiner Familie sehr gut geschmeckt. Auch wenn man manchmal zweifelt sollte man der Köchin vertrauen. Es wird prima. Gleichzeitig leiden die Rezepte auch nicht wenn man Kleinigkeiten abändert, weil man zum Beispiel eine Zutat am Rande ersetzt. Besonders entspannend fand ich auch, dass Jones oft erstmal die vegetarische Variante liefert und dann darauf verweist, wie man das Rezept ohne Probleme vegan abwandeln kann.
Eine absolute Empfehlung!

[Dhruti · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who are still relatively new to vegetarianism but want more variation and maturity from a plant-based cookbook than your average roast-veg lasagne, I can imagine this cookbook being an absolute revelation. No two ways about it: it is gorgeous. The Modern Cook's Year is very much of the zeitgeist with impeccable food styling and photography and beautiful recipes which are clearly designed to fulfil a 'whole foods' - dare I even say 'clean eating' - style of dining and living. Props to Jones as I don't actually think she mentions this outright - but it's difficult to avoid thinking this, as the whole book is formatted in a very 'holistic' way. For instance, foods are categorised chronologically, by season, almost like an almanac. These recipes are healthy, light, inventive. There are also some lovely sections on DIY how-tos (how to compose a masterpiece of a salad or smoothie, with freeform component suggestions instead of concrete recipes, for example). Whilst I do like the format of ordering recipes by when the ingredients are most likely to be in season, it does make them more difficult to find. I also don't find myself cooking from this as frequently as I thought I would, as often the ingredients are on the more expensive or inaccessible end, much like other contemporary chefs who are currently en vogue - no fingers pointed at Ottolenghi, of course.

[Annie · Rating 1 out of 5]

There were a lot of recipes that appealed to me when I read the title, but the ingredients list made it evident that the titles were .. misleading. Don't call it asparagus and coconut soup if there's more spinach than anything else; don't call it lemon poha if its mostly peanuts and potatoes; don't call it cabbage slaw if you're adding as much fennel as cabbage.

The closest there is to a table of contents is the index, so it's a stream of recipes one after the other.

The instructions were strangely long-winded, in a way that wouldn't be helpful to a cook of any level.

There are a lot of recipes that look fine once you get down to it, and a few unique ideas - savory waffles are a very good idea, and there's a different riff on oatmeal/porridge/chia pudding for breakfast at the start of each season.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stylish, but forgettable.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't tried any recipes yet, so I can't speak to the quality in this review, but I have flagged quite a lot that I want to try. The ones I didn't flag didn't look as appetizing to me based on the recipe title and a quick scan of the ingredients.

As for a review on the cookbook content itself: There are a quite a lot of recipes, so there is definitely something for everybody. However, if you've ever read any of my other cookbook reviews, you know I like a picture; it helps me visualize what I'm meant to be making but I'm also quite a visual person, so I really get excited for a dish (or anything) if I see it in a photo. You can't just write "beetroot and mustard seed fritters with cardamom yoghurt" and expect me to want to make/eat it (although "cardamom" is pretty much an automatic "ooh" for me because I love its flavour). Obviously, with over 250 recipes, it's impossible to include a photo of each dish - the book would be 800 pages. But there were some pages where they could've fit a photo (when recipes went across two pages, the design margins were that there was large white space), and I still find a lack of photos for each dish a minus for me. When there were photos, they were very beautifully staged and edited.

Aside from the photos, I found that the design of the recipes to be a hindrance when searching for something to make. The recipes lacked time references (no "Preparation Time: x Minutes" or "Cooking Time: x Mins") outside the body of the recipe method, as well as other quick ways to find potential substitutes. Jones mentions in the book's introduction that she includes vegan substitutions where possible, but that's strictly in her recipe introductions, so you'd need to scan those paragraphs to see what to substitute instead of having that content in a separate area of the recipe that you could quickly reference. The aesthetic design of the recipes (font styles, margins, etc.) is great, but I feel the functionality is not as good as it could've been. I haven't read any of Jones's other cookbooks, so I'm not sure if that's in line with her other two most famous ones.

The last thing I'll say is that I appreciated that she included a few extras like how to make kombucha, how to make a salad (as in, not a recipe on how to make a salad but a like step-by-step of general ingredients (base, main flavour, accent flavour, dressing, etc.) so that you can use your own creativity and taste, for any of us who are like, I don't know how to make a tasty salad that isn't a Caesar salad or whatever), other little how-to's, a basics section before the index. It helps to break up the content, but it is also very helpful for anyone who doesn't know the first thing about making a soup from scratch without following a recipe or anyone who doesn't know the aquafaba to egg white ratio.

I'll try to update this review whenever I get around to making something.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This colorful cookbook is chock full of recipes that incorporates vegetables that are in season by the season.  There are six sections including each season, start of the year, herald of spring, first warm days, and basics.  There are even Flavor Maps which give you a place to start whether it is soups, flatbreads, fritters, or other dishes.  Then it walks you through each step of deciding what to add from other vegetables, spices, to what to serve the dish with at mealtime.  For a newer cook these are invaluable as it isn't a recipe to follow per se, but a guide to trying different spices or vegetables in the same basic recipe.

I like that this cookbook focuses each section based on what is in season because we all know that is when those fruits and vegetables taste the best.  There are 250 recipes in this cookbook and you could make something different every day and not repeat any recipe for nearly a year.  I'm sure you will find some favorites that will become a staple in your home.

The recipe that I am going to try first (because I have a picky husband) is Tomatoes with Whipped Feta.  This is in the summer section and while not quite summer, close enough for me! Plus I love tomatoes and this looks like an easy side dish to make.

I have several other recipes tagged including Orzo with spiced tomato sauce and feta, Mini squash and chive dumplings, and Sea-salted chocolate and lemon mousse.  There are so many delicious recipes I can't wait to try them all and see what my family thinks.

Overall I give this 4 1/2 paws up only because some of the ingredients are not common and might be harder to find in the store.  The author is from the UK so some things may be easier for her to find than me without running around to multiple stores or shopping online for some of the less common ingredients.

[Adrian Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've cooked through about a quarter of these recipes this year and I will likely make a few more throughout the seasons but I'm mostly leaving it on the shelf. Part of this has to do with the quality of recipes and part has to do with the fact that this book steered me on a path to becoming vegan and I no longer eat a lot of the ingredients here.

The good? I love the concept. Focusing on ingredients as they become available throughout the seasons is a GREAT idea. It pairs well with my gardening hobby and I think there are a lot of wonderful reasons to keep food connected to location.

There are a few flavor combinations and recipe formulas that surprised and delighted me. Pomelo and winter peanut noodles (pg 32) and Not-Chicken Soup (pg 28) are going to stay in my rotation, for example.

The bad? Some of these recipes are dogs. The polenta cake, lemon pizzettes, and pistachio and ricotta dumplings come to mind. In fact, although the book starts off very strong the recipes seem to get more hit or miss in late chapters. At least that's been my experience.

As to the book's production I'm torn. On the one hand it is very beautifully designed. The photos are gorgeous and the layout is aesthetically pleasing. On the other hand there are ridiculous printing choices that really feel like errors. Some recipes start on one page and finish 20 pages later, with no indicators on either page. It would hand also been nice to have a list of recipes at the beginning of each section instead of only a list of ingredients (though, I do dig the instinct there).

This is a good cookbook. It gets a lot right and hey, it transformed my lifestyle and that's no small thing.

[Siobhan McRibbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book while looking for vegetarian cookbooks to invest in since we started eating less meat, and went in with high expectations - for the part these were met. Although I side eye some of her stories, the recipes are amazing (try the beet fritters or the halloumi wraps with peppers) and not too difficult. This book really expanded the dinners we eat and opened the door to more focus on veg in our house. That said, I found the baking recipes to be hit-or-miss and some of the portions quite small, so some adaptation is needed as well as a bit of your own cooking intuition to fill in gaps here and there. All in all, and amazing book with amazing food - though a bit of a cooking foundation might be needed to fully take advantage.

[Libraryassistant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ms. Jones had a wonderful aesthetic. Both the creative nature of the food pairings, and the beautiful food presentation and photography are inspiring. The stories are mainly sweet and comforting. Some foods used are not so easy to get in this country, but if I had the opportunity I would try many of these recipes.
The kimchi and miso soup I tried had wonderful depth of flavor from a simple handling of the ingredients. I hope to try more.

I did get tired of reading straight through— though this could be more because it is an incredibly hot part of a New England summer and the winter food just didn’t have the same appeal just now.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this is a book full of seasonal vegetable recipes in the most elegant lay out I have seen yet.

Just a few of the recipes I have on my must make list:

Green peppercorn and Lemongrass Coconut Broth

Winter Tomatoes with Whipped Feta

Pistachio and Ricotta Dumplings with Peas and Herbs

Coconut Raspberry Cakes for Mum

Cauliflower Topped Puy Lentil Pie


If you'd like to add some new vegetable dishes to your table this is the book to look at.

Highly recommended.

[Naomi Brearley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a vegetarian by any means but have definitely begun wanting to integrate more veg-heavy meals into my weekly rotation. This book is a glorious introduction and manual for putting vegetables at the centre of your eating. Divided into 6 “seasons” Anna Jones presents a beautiful roadmap to eating more in season, and more local. I thoroughly enjoyed the photography too (it’s a visually stunning experience) and cannot wait to start cooking! more! veg!

[BookBec · Rating 2 out of 5]

IMO, this is more of a coffee table cookbook than a useful collection of recipes. Very highly styled with lots of white space, faceless photos, chatty notes about what the author ate at her destination wedding, and way more pages than recipes. The recipes I tried were fine but not splendid, and they were hit-and-miss in terms being enough food for a meal.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything from Anna Jones. She's absolutely incredible! And it is extra lovely that in this cookbook each section is laid out with what produce is best/most in season during those months. Everything I've made from it thus far has been absolutely lovely.

[Jo-anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sumarios recipes and luscious photos provide a feast for the belly and eyes. Definitely makes vegetables the highlight of a meal rather than a dejected side. Anyone else like the sounds of Twice-baked potato skins with crispy buffalo chickpeas?

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elegant,seasonal vegetarian cookery with food mapping creativity.It takes a minute to get the knack and then you are off and running.
A must have for any lovers of simple,beautiful and easily prepared vegetarian fare for one or for a family.

[solène · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in French for work. This was a big yes, from the delicious meals to the stunning pictures. Some recipes seemed quite traditional, yet there were always that ~one ingredient that made them unique.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite recipe books of all time. Everything I’ve cooked is delicious. Anna’s flavour combinations are stunning, and add a fresh twist on everyday ingredients. I reach for this book again and again, for either recipes to follow or inspo.

[Laura Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really love these recipes and it's so easy too be seasonal. I may well re-rate it 5* but the end of the year.

[Thibault · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a revelation.

[JoJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting recipes with out being too pretentious.

[Kate W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous and aspirational. Love it but perhaps not as practical as her other 2 books.

[Réka Vajda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An utterly beautiful, carefully written cookbook. Highly recommend.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The recipes are too complicated for my taste.

[gathering feather organiceden · Rating 5 out of 5]

there are some absolutely delicious recipes in this book!

[Rohan Cadney-Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and delicious