The last few weeks have seen even the most kitchen-shy among us take to cooking like never before. No restaurants and a whole lot of free time (if you’re not working of course) have led to baking, pickling, pizza-making, and pasta rolling on an unprecedented scale. Through social media and the internet, people are also sharing cooking tips and knowledge like never before too, with live cook-alongs on IGTV and recipe searches going through the roof on Google. As testament to these times, food photographer Issy Croker has spent the past few weeks gathering recipes from well-known chefs into a brand new e-book called Staying In.
Staying In is a collection of over 35 recipes, donated by well-known chefs and food writers, and shot by Issy whilst in isolation herself. Including recipes by Anna Jones, Melissa Hemsley, Gizzi Erskine, Thomasina Miers and GBBO winner Edd Kimber, amongst others, there’s something to get you from morning to evening – from quick lunches to slow cooks – and yes, there is a banana bread recipe in there. You’ll also find simple ingredient swaps throughout if you can’t find the listed ingredients, illustrated step-by-steps and reflections on lockdown life.
100% of the book’s proceeds will be going to Chefs in Schools’ emergency appeal fund to support their work on the ground, providing vulnerable children and their families with lunch boxes to replace free school meals. Each box feeds a family with pre-prepared hot lunches for five days, plus cereal and fruit.