What inspired you to write your book?

I had so many friends at university that would come to me saying ‘Nish, I want to try going vegetarian/vegan but I have no idea where to start, how did you do it?’ So I put together an A4 sheet of top tips that I could just send to people when they asked. On a whim I then just decided to compile all the recipes I had gathered over the years, again to be able to share to my friends with ease and I treated it more as a personal creative venture than anything potentially professional at this point. One day I just took a step back and realised I had enough content for a book, so I sent it off to some publishers for some advice and constructive criticism (I didn’t think it would ever come to anything). To my complete and utter shock, Austin Macauley offered to publish it! A dream I never knew I had came true that day.

How long had you been wanting to publish your own cookbook?

I never thought it was something I had wanted to do, but I had always had creative projects in other areas, like photography. I knew I always wanted to share what I knew with those around me and it never occurred to me that a book would be the best way to do that, until I had the impulse to put one together and see it through.

What was the biggest challenge you faced when writing Nourish with Nish?

Not knowing which recipes to include – it was hard to draw the line between including a recipe I loved but knowing it wouldn’t be appealing to other students (because it might take longer or use ingredients they’re not familiar with), and including recipes that would be successful with students but not necessarily things I enjoyed making (even if they tasted good). I found the balance by picking recipes that ultimately never compromised on taste, that mostly were things I enjoyed making and if in the eyes of others the recipes took too long then those had to be able to be frozen/a batch-cook recipe.

What inspires you when coming up with new recipes?

My local market – I live on the doorstep of Leeds’ biggest and best indoor and outdoor market. There’s an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables on my doorstep and every Saturday I go and pick out something I’m not familiar with, do some research and make something out of it. This process of experimentation is key when developing new recipes and it’s a privilege to be able to navigate it in this way, but it’s such a joy. I also get inspiration from other cuisines. It’s hard to draw inspirations from my Portuguese side, as so much of the traditional dishes are reliant on meat and fish for their taste, but I combine a lot of the cooking methods and techniques my grandma taught me with the knowledge I now have of veganism to make things I, and many others, love.

What is your favourite recipe from Nourish with Nish?

My favourite recipe is the sweet and sour tofu. It tastes amazing, it’s one of those recipes where you’d never know it was vegan and I have the happiest of memories cooking it for others as I knew it was a good one to get people to realise you can eat vegan without missing things. My final year uni house loved it and so often when we used to sit down for dinner together, we’d enjoy that! 

Should vegans be the only people to grab a copy of your book?

Absolutely not! On the inside, I talk a little about the importance of veganism, but more important than that is to understand that even if you’re just looking to get one plant-based meal into your diet a week/fortnight/month, or if you want to add more veggies to your diet, or you want to just see what veganism is all about but you don’t want to spend too much time on learning, a lot of what you need to know to get started is in this book. It’s more impactful to have large numbers of people doing veganism imperfectly, than a small number of vegans following it to the letter.

What do you think is the biggest challenge for a student who’s a vegan?

Two things: firstly, alcohol – so many alcoholic drinks aren’t vegan (wines, certain flavours of drinks commonly sold in clubs) and it’s not widely known, which is why it’s important to not be too hard on yourself. Secondly, planning: it can be hard to balance studying, part time jobs, relationships, and good health/cooking all in one; usually one or two of those things take a hit at a time but you need your health to succeed at all the other things and prioritising that can sometimes feel like a chore amid uni life. The good thing is there has never been a better time to be a lazy vegan – on-the-go and pre-prepared options are everywhere so you’re never short of things to grab. Eating lazy is better than not eating at all!

What advice would you give to a student starting university who is a vegan?

Be vegan as far as is practical and possible. Keep all your takeaway boxes, batch-make your meals and freeze portions in boxes so on the days you don’t want to cook, you can still eat well (especially around exam periods). Don’t be afraid of cooking with

ingredients you’ve never heard of before – things like cornstarch and tahini might feel alien, but they’re staples in veganism and as soon as you get over their unfamiliarity, they’re a great addition to your diet (for texture and taste, respectively).

What do you hope to achieve with Nourish with Nish?

I hope to show people that you don’t have to be vegan to eat vegan. I hope to show people that eating vegan doesn’t mean missing out on moments of connection around food with friends, or missing out on any of your favourite and most comforting dishes. I hope to show people that there is a reason why so many people are adopting it, that it’s not a fad and that most people can benefit from veganism in one way or another.

What was the best piece of advice given to you in your writing journey?

I never told a soul that I was writing my book at the time, so I never received any. However, if I had to impart a piece of wisdom to anyone thinking of writing a book, never be the one to say no to yourself first. Let someone else do that. Give yourself the chance to succeed and if someone else down the line has to say no, then they will. But don’t be the one to say no to yourself first.

Have you got any other books you’re looking to work on in the future?

I’m currently studying for a Masters in nutrition, so a second book is currently on the back-burner while I focus on studying. But it would be an absolute pleasure to write a recipe book with a focus more on the community and connection side of food, as opposed to just the cooking side. We’ll see…!

Is there anything further you would like to say that we haven’t covered in this interview?

If you’re unsure as to whether you want to buy my book, head over to my social media channels where there are photos of all the recipes, videos of some and loads of new recipe ideas where you can start getting familiar with ingredients before diving in head first! Get in touch @nourishwithnish, I’ll see you there! Oh, and eat something delicious today. I know you deserve it.

Inês Teixeira-Dias’ Nourish with Nish

is available in Paperback and eBook.

Find out more about Nourish with Nish here.
 

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