Denai is a Jamaican chef who loves to make vegan food and in Plentiful she debunks this taboo about Jamaican food.

It was so hard to decide which of all the recipes in this wonderful book to share with you today, but inspired by my love of the Thai version, Yum Khao Tod (I go regularly to Supawan Thai in King’s Cross for its divine iteration of it) I plumped happily for her Crispy Rice Salad with Crunchy Green Vegetables and Salted Cashews. Moore is the real thing: a proper eater and true cook with real flair for flavour; her recipes, along with her writing about them, are a-brim with such gleeful generosity, fusing the ingredients and traditions of Jamaica with foods of other cultures with Ottolenghi-like brio but entirely authentic to Moore’s own identity and appetite. An incredibly exciting, fresh modern twist on authentic flavours I love with bold clever and creative plays on veg! At the start of 2020, Denai collaborated with trusted Burger Joint ‘Honest Burger’, creating a Jamaican inspired vegan burger, featuring her Apricot Scotch Bonnet Ketchup.And may I add that I purchased another one to give to someone who truly appreciates flavorful and well seasoned food. My copy of Plentiful is so a-flutter with post-it notes that I don’t know how to constrain myself to a select few here, but I’ll do my best.

As a recipe developer, Denai has written for the Guardian , and has held cooking demonstrations for Time Out . This book is full of interesting, creative yet easily achievable recipes which bring something you’ve not eaten before to your table. Don’t expect a comprehensive guide to “the greatest Jamaican hits”, as Moore warns in her introduction: do expect recipe after recipe that will help you usher in real joy in the kitchen and at the table.

Jamaican food is often misrepresented, simplifed and reduced to being really spicy – and MEAT heavy. Jamaican food is often misrepresented, simplified and reduced to being really spicy - and MEAT heavy.

While we all know the old adage about not judging a book by its cover, I have to tell you that the vibrancy, vigour and exuberance of the cover of Plentiful by Denai Moore is a graphic evocation of exactly the mood and food you will find in its pages.

I've already bought two copies as presents for friends, and I know I shall be giving a lot more out as the year progresses. Author Denai Moore covers the spectrum of Jamaican dishes in this cookbook from Rice Pea Arancini to heart of palm-based 'Salt Fish' paired with fried savory green plantains.