• Eat Your Books

  Later published as River Cottage Easy (2017).

• Cati on December 30, 2017

  This book has been republished as Easy.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Fennel, orange, watercress

  • MmeFleiss on February 15, 2015

    Ridiculously easy and delicious. I found myself taking two extra helpings of this, which never happens with salads.

• Fennel, apple, goat's cheese

  • tui on May 13, 2013

    A delicious salad which I served with roast chicken. I added celery because I had some and substituted shaved parmesan for goat's cheese. Definitely one to make again.

• Celeriac, lentils, raisins

  • rmcgowan on June 25, 2013

    I was very unsure while I was putting this together but it was delicious. I served it with a pan fried fillet of cod

• Cauliflower, tomatoes, capers

  • eeeve on February 18, 2019

    Made this with a slight adaptation: grilled my slightly-past-their-prime tomatoes instead of using them raw, and tipped them over the (assembled) rest of the ingredients while still hot. I thought the salad tasted good warm, but not so later on in the day after a few hours in the fridge. Warming up the leftovers again on the next day didn’t really do the trick either, so not one to repeat for me.

• Cabbage, avocado, lentils

  • Hannaha100 on May 17, 2020

    I enjoyed this, met with indifference by family. DH found the avocado a strange addition.

• Asparagus, yoghurt, dukka

  • eeeve on May 31, 2015

    What a great combo, and good fun to eat with people who don't mind sharing food from the same bowls. We also tried this with radish, turnips and beetroot, but had to concede that the asparagus really brings out the flavours of the dukka (or is it the other way round).

• Smoked fish, leek, potato

  • ruth115 on March 04, 2014

    Delicious and easy- did with undyed haddock and full cream milk rather than the cream.

• Broad beans, meatballs, flatbread

  • joneshayley on February 15, 2020

    Really enjoyable.

• Leeks, cheese, bread

  • eliza on December 01, 2015

    Good and easy. Basically this is cheese on toast with some cooked leeks in between. I added some mushrooms to the filling. It's important to use a strong cheddar to stand up to the leeks and the toasting.

  • Hannaha100 on June 17, 2017

    This was a nice quick meal. I think my leeks could have cooked for a touch longer and @eliza is right about needing a strong cheese. Next time I might try the suggestion of a smear of mustard as well.

• Beetroot, mozzarella, balsamic

  • joneshayley on February 15, 2020

    A wonderful combination of flavours, with a rocket salad this makes a great light lunch

• Aubergine, tomatoes, chickpeas

  • Zoeplankton on April 08, 2014

    http://zoedougdinner.wordpress.com/2012/12/13/doug-does-hugh-fws-baked-aubergine-tomatoes-chickpeas/

• Asparagus, new potatoes, halloumi

  • sharifah on June 30, 2014

    Very simple, and delicious!

  • Astrid5555 on April 27, 2021

    Great weeknight dinner, loved the oven-baked halloumi cheese with the vegetables. No complaints from the family, always a good sign.

• Cabbage, onion, bread

  • eliza on May 14, 2020

    Delicious! Made this using kale instead of cabbage as noted in the recipe. Also added optional cheese and some cassoulet beans I had cooked, used my own chicken stock, and toasted the bread first. This is so simple but is so so good. I would serve this to company for brunch or lunch and it could easily be made vegetarian with veg stock. Great pandemic cooking as it uses bits and pieces such as stale sourdough, greens, and odds and ends of cheese. Will definitely repeat.

• Parsnips, shallots, puff pastry

  • Hannaha100 on November 13, 2016

    This is a savoury tarte tatin. Had high hopes for this recipe - thought it might be a contender for Christmas. The parsnips and shallots were lovely (I could have eaten the cider vinegar/brown sugar mixture on its own!) but the actual tart didn't work that well for me. Now this could have been because I used GF puff pastry for the first time but I'm inclined to reinvent the dish as a different type of tart instead.

• Mackerel, new potatoes, shallots

  • CourtneyT on January 04, 2026

    Nice combination. Simple, easy to throw together, and as I had everything on hand, it allowed me to avoid the grocery store on a Sunday! Win win.

  • cuaileanruadh on January 13, 2026

    A lovely, easy way to cook fresh mackerel. Added cabbage to the tin as well for an all in one delicious dinner!

• Smoked fish, spinach, Béchamel

  • sharifah on May 25, 2017

    Very nice and tasty dish; simple with just a few ingredients. I used smoked basa fillets, and I added the poached egg. Proportions were exactly right for two - served with Paul Hollywood's Soda Bread.

• Chicken, plums, soy

  • pomona on February 02, 2021

    Tasty and quick to prepare. And it looked just like the picture.

• Pork, celeriac, garlic

  • HanaYork on September 23, 2020

    https://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/pork-celeriac-garlic

• Pasta, courgettes, mozzarella

  • mowat27 on July 20, 2015

    I used cream cheese instead of double cream (who ever has a couple of tablespoons of cream just lying around I'll never know!) and added a bit of chorizo.

  • Astrid5555 on February 18, 2021

    Comfort food at its best and a grea way to get kids to eat zucchini.

  • lou_weez on August 29, 2025

    Simple, quick and tasty.

  • CourtneyT on September 09, 2025

    Delicious! So simple to make. We added a half a bag of chopped kale for extra fiber and colour. Will certainly make this again.

• Blueberries, yoghurt, lemon curd

  • Varundel on April 14, 2015

    Lemon curd recipe is excellent. I feel this combo of flavours is a little tart for me though with just Greek yoghurt. Needed a little sweetener - perhaps some crushed meringues or use half whipped cream and half yoghurt?

• Plums, crumble, ice cream

  • tui on January 20, 2014

    The 'independent crumble' is a great idea. I actually served it with roasted peaches rather than plums and it was delicious. I added some cinnamon because it seemed a good idea. The recipe does make a lot of crumble - I think I will make only half as much next time, even though the it can be kept for another meal.

• Rice, milk, sugar

  • eeeve on December 08, 2022

    Really delicious! Husband says it’s just like his late Nan‘s rice pudding - big compliment. Doesn’t need the cream IMO, and we like to add nutmeg instead of vanilla. Cooking instructions were spot on.

• My Recipe Book Blog

  Would I recommend the book to a Foodie Friend? Yes, if they could afford the luxury of a book that's more for 'ideas', otherwise I would recommend a library borrow first...

  Full review