Anna Jones x Planthood:
Q&A

Anna Jones is the first in our brand-new guest chef series. We sat down with her over a saag aloo shepherd's pie to talk family dinners, crispy bits and how her cooking has changed.

When we drew up a list of the people with the biggest impact on plant-forward and plant-based cooking, Anna Jones was at the top. Her books have been on our kitchen shelves since before Planthood existed, so we're thrilled she's our guest chef. Two of her recipes join the menu this November: a saag aloo shepherd's pie and a baked daal with tamarind sweet potatoes. Anna joined Will and Hilary in the studio to cook them, and over dinner we asked her about family mealtimes, how food has changed, and why the crispy bits are what it's all about.

01
You were at the top of our list of people with the biggest impact on plant-based cooking.
Why did this partnership feel right?
“Well, that is so lovely to hear… It feels like a really natural partnership to me in terms of the things that you do, the dishes that you make, the quality of the food that’s important to you. And the message as well about getting people excited about eating more plants, but in a really delicious food set-up rather than sausages or burgers… So dishes that really just hit all the notes in terms of flavour and texture. I feel like you guys are really good at that.”

02
What does it mean to work with a business built around plants?
“So often the vegan or vegetarian conversation is the sideline or the add-on, and it’s so nice to be talking to people where that is the crux and the basis of your business, and in such a nice way. It’s not telling people they need to make big decisions. If people are vegan or vegetarian, wonderful. But also it’s just bringing this in as an option for people on a daily basis.”

03
Will’s parents always turned to your recipes when cooking for a vegan and vegetarian family.
How does that feel?
“Oh, I love that. To be able to be part of a family’s mealtime, or the joy of eating together, feels genuinely like magic to me… And I know those moments because we’ve had them at home. My brother and his girlfriend are vegan, and when they come over everyone doesn’t know what to make… Food should be democratic. Everyone around the table should be able to eat it.”

04
Your first book came out over a decade ago. How has your cooking changed since then?
“When my books came out, being vegetarian just seemed so alien. It was alien. It wasn’t something that felt mainstream. 
And personally, my life has changed in the last 12 years. I have had kids… And so the recipes have become simpler and simpler. As a cook, I always want to be doing something interesting, using crazy ingredients or interesting techniques. But more often than not, it’s the very simple recipes that really hit home with people and are loved by their families.”

“Food should be democratic. Everyone around the table should be able to eat it.”

Anna Jones

05
Most Planthood customers actually eat meat. Do you ever feel you’re missing out?
“I’ve been vegetarian now for 15 or 16 years – I can’t even remember – but I never really feel like I’m missing out. Obviously I cook nice food. But I do think a dish like this, a shepherd’s pie, is familiar to people. If people aren’t used to eating plant-based food, there is a link, there’s a familiarity. So if you’re cooking for people who are used to having more traditional food, I think things like this are a really good way in.”

06
Tell us about the two dishes you’ve made with Planthood.
“I’ve made two what I think are amazing recipes, a shepherd’s pie, and a baked daal with tamarind glazed sweet potatoes. They’re two of my favourite ever recipes, and Planthood has done the most amazing job at getting them to its community in a way that’s easy to cook and quick and perfect for weeknights. So I’m really excited for everyone to eat them.”

07
What’s the idea behind the shepherd’s pie?
“I think it brings together a few different things that I really love. We’ve got a delicious base of almost masala beans, loads of lovely, rich spices cooked down into this delicious gravy… And it’s one tray-ish. It all goes into the oven, which is my favourite… It is, I have to say, one of the recipes I’m proudest of.”

08
It’s a mix of British comfort food and Indian spices. How do you decide which spices make sense?
“It’s experimentation, but I have default spices I always lean towards, that just work, that are the flavours my palate loves. So coriander seeds, I love turmeric, I love smoked paprika. I really love cumin. I use a lot of mustard seeds. I just love that pop and how they work, especially in Indian recipes.”

09
Any tips for cooking it at home?

• Leave the skins on: “The skin actually turns into this very delicious crispy texture. So you’re saving yourself a job and you’re getting some extra texture from the crunchy skin, but also some goodness.”

• Use the whole cauliflower: “We’re using the stem of the cauliflower here and some of the leaves – that’s often the bits that get thrown in the bin. The leaves do a similar thing to the skins of the potatoes. They get extra crispy.”

• Be brave with the spices: “This is where I’d be quite brave with the spoon. So it’s picking up all that colour from the turmeric and the spice.”

• Go for the crispy bits: “The crispy bits. That’s what it’s all about… I feel like my whole life is trying to create crispy bits.”

10
How does cooking a Planthood recipe compare to cooking from scratch?
“Cooking a Planthood recipe still very much feels like cooking. The spirit of cooking is still there… There’s just a few little helping hands. Whether that’s a sauce that you’ve made or some delicious onions you’ve pickled, you’ve just taken those little bits that do take a bit more time and done them for people. But they’re not things that have lived in a fridge for weeks and weeks and weeks. They’re made fresh… the really important thing is people are still in the kitchen, they’re still learning cooking processes. They’re still doing those critical things that make us better cooks and connect us with food at the same time.”

Thank you, Anna, for cooking with us and for bringing two of your favourite ever recipes to Planthood. Whether you're cooking for plant-based or flexi, these are dishes to put in the middle of the table and share. As Anna put it: "Everything gets solved over the dinner table."

On the menu for a limited time only. Both dishes are made in our East London kitchen and finished by you at home. Place your order with our chefs here.