Katy Beskow Q&A

Katy Beskow is a dynamic vegan cookery write who blogs at littlemissmeatfree.com. She develops recipes for a number of magazines and retailers and teaches vegan cookery at Yorkshire Wolds Cookery School. Katy is also now working on projects with the RSPB and other conservation charities as a Nature Revolutionary.

 

We caught up with Katy to talk about her first book, 15 Minute Vegan, and to find out what 2018 has in store for her.

 

What inspired you to write your first book 15 Minute Vegan?

 

In between writing, catering and teaching I find that I have very little time to prepare and eat a meal for myself, so I built up a repertoire of recipes that I'd cook and have time to enjoy. I posted a few online and had such a fantastic response - it seems like we are all want to spend less time cooking and more time eating! My second book 15 Minute Vegan: Comfort Food (released 8th March 2018) is a collection of my favourite recipes that will take you to a cosy, happy place. 

 

Who are your food influences?

I love chefs who make vegetables the star of the show. Andrew Dargue of Vanilla Black and Bruno Loubet are fantastic at making vegetables, and vegetarian food, accessible to everyone. I also love cookbooks by U.S. chef Isa Chandra and use them all the time. 

Who is doing something that you are excited about?

I love watching the growth of small vegan food businesses and the innovative, creative people behind them. 

What was your most memorable meal?

One of my earliest memories (aged 3 and living in Hong Kong) is eating a hot banana fritter. It was sweet, crisp, messy and fragrant. It's so memorable I've recreated the recipe in my second cookbook 15 Minute Vegan: Comfort Food.  

Tell us about your day in food…

Breakfast

Weekday breakfasts are simple homemade museli topped with fresh fruit; at the weekend I love cinnamon French toast. 

Lunch

If I'm at home, Ill be eating a hearty bowl of homemade soup with crusty bread. Spicy red coconut is my favourite!

Dinner

I love to create a feast for dinner, something like a butternut squash and apricot tagine with tabbouleh, pomegranate and mint salsa and flatbreads. I love pudding too, especially my raspberry and rose crumble with pistachio cream. 

What ingredient couldn’t you live without?

Marmite. It adds instant seasoning and depth of flavour to any vegan dish. Not tempted? Try a teaspoon of Marmite in chilli; it's a game changer!

What has been the most interesting thing that has happened since your book came out?

I was invited to provide a cooking demonstration at The Great Yorkshire Show during the summer. This is the UK's largest agricultural show, in farming heartland, so I wasn't really sure how the demo or the book would be received. It was so fantastic to have a full audience of engaged people asking questions about the lifestyle, and a queue so long for books that we ran out. A lovely surprise and great day. I also had a great response following an interview with Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2 from many non-vegans who like the concept of cooking a meal in 15 minutes! 

Who should we all be following on social media?

@Rubysoflondon always gets me hungry for baked vegan goodies.

@nigelslater Instagram posts are beautiful, natural and always make me want to be in the kitchen

What are you up to next?

I've just started writing my third book, which will be released by Quadrille early 2019. I'm continuing with my sell out cookery classes, and enjoying all the new experiences that come my way. 

 

15 Minute Vegan: Comfort Food is available for pre-order here.

15 Minute Vegan by Katy Beskow is available now from good shops that sell books and online from Waterstones and Amazon. 

Photography by Dan Jones