It’s really good for your gut and that crunchy astringent lift you get from pickles is a great balancer. I’m always thinking about balancing textures and flavour – and this dish has chewy grains, a crispy egg, juicy vegetables, but it needs something sharp, pickly and crunchy.

The Guardian vegetarian food expert Anna Jones is a fan, saying: “Green is full of smart, stand-out, delicious vegetarian recipes.

My parents were self-employed and worked all the time – and I’m always working, but I’m okay with that. I want to teach people to use beans, lentils and fresh veg – and to eat with the seasons as much as possible. With no formal training, Elly Pear (real name Elly Curshen) opened Bristol’s Pear Café 13 years ago, which was such a ridiculous success she’s since written three cookbooks, been a magazine food columnist, cooked at festivals across the UK, and judged The Great British Food Awards. My dad’s side of the family is Jewish and the way you show love is to fill your table with nice things, most often bought from the deli.

She has also contributed to a wide range of publications both online and in print, including Waitrose Food Magazine, Olive Magazine, Stella Magazine, Sunday Times Magazine, Delicious, Sainsbury’s Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Root and Bone and The Pool and was the food columnist for Instyle Magazine for over a year. Everyone has their own journey in life and it’s taken me a long time – success does take a long time. Recipes we love: Rose Harissa Chickpeas with Za’atar Baked Feta; Pumpkin Gnocchi; Jalapeno-brined French Toast Crumpets and Curried Cauliflower Frittata. Emma It’s taken minutes to make, it’s totally delicious, and it looks to me a bit like ‘things on a plate’? Recently named one of the UK’s top 20 Veggie Heroes, Elly Pear champions cooking from scratch and greener ways of eating.Slaws like this one are a great option if you want to make a salad to keep in the fridge as it won’t go floppy! Jars of sweet red peppers are a good thing to have in the fridge – they’re delicious whizzed into a dip or sliced up in a frittata. This is an infinitely adaptable pasta bake to use up whatever you have such as leftover pesto, fresh and frozen peas, surplus cooked meat. If you’re currently a meat-eater, my aim is to prove a meal with no meat can still be satisfying, exciting and delicious”. Elly I’d never worked in kitchens up until that point, but my mum instilled a can-do attitude in us all – you just get on and do it.

If a restaurant has asparagus on the menu out of season, I immediately know what does, and doesn’t, matter to the chefs. From midweek meal planning to weekend feasting, you’re sure to find a cookbook on this list that will help you on your path to vegetarian eating. She has appeared as a judge on numerous panels, including Veggie Magazine Awards, Great British Food Awards (alongside Raymond Blanc, Michael Roux, Nathan Outlaw, Mark Hix, Rosemary Shrager and more) and appeared on the highly regarded Great Taste Awards head judges panel for the last two years.

Her bright, inventive, meat free cooking is influenced by world cuisine but always with an eye on the local greengrocers. Restaurant collaboration events include Silo in Brighton (winner of Britain’s Most Innovative Restaurant and OFM’s Most Ethical Restaurant) and Salon in Brixton and pop ups in various locations including Borough Market and Skip Garden in London and a recent dhal pop up at Corner 77 in Bristol. She has also contributed recipes to both Cook For Syria charity books and produced two e-books, Let’s Eat: Elly Pear’s Home Fridge Deli and Elly Pear’s Fast Days and Feast Days: Tips and recipes to reset your diet for the New Year. Elly says: “If you’re already a veggie or vegan, I’m going to show you lots of things you may not have tried – new ingredients, different ways of doing things or fresh approaches to cooking.