This month, we’ve teamed up with Penguin Books to review the delightful Eleanor Wilkinson and her cookbook ‘One Pot, One Portion’.
Eleanor Wilkinson, a culinary enthusiast and social media sensation with over 600k Instagram followers has captured the hearts of solo cooks everywhere with her innovative cookbook, One Pot, One Portion. This collection of recipes is tailored specifically for the 8.3 million Brits who live alone, offering simple, one-dish meals that cater for both convenience and flavour.
After the end of a long-term relationship, Eleanor found herself cooking for one, which inspired her viral Instagram series, One Pot, One Portion. The series instantly became a massive hit with her followers, which led to her finally publishing her favourite recipes in a book. Her book is a testament to her journey, providing solo cooks with delicious, easy-to-make meals that minimize food waste and maximize satisfaction.
In One Pot, One Portion, Eleanor emphasizes the importance of self-care through cooking, showcasing how preparing meals for oneself can be a profound act of love. The book features ‘partner recipes’ that cleverly use the same ingredients across different meals, such as splitting an avocado between Peanut Noodles and a Breakfast Skillet.
Organized into chapters based on mood—Comfort, Fresh, Simple, Special, Sweet—the cookbook ensures that there is something for every craving and occasion. With highlights like Risotto Carbonara, Gyoza Stir Fry, Chicken Pot Pie, Gnocchi Con Tomate, and Sticky Toffee Pudding, this cookbook proves that solo dining can be both indulgent and effortless.
In conversation with Eleanor Wilkinson…
Eleanor, your cookbook ‘One Pot, One Portion’ has resonated with so many people living alone. What inspired you to create this book specifically for solo cooks?
Initially I created this series for myself! When I began living alone for the first time ever I realised how uninspiring it can be to not only cook dinner for yourself (and often be faced with several containers full of leftovers) but then to have to tackle the washing up alone too. Once I started the series I realised how many people felt like this too, not just those living alone, but anyone who spends some of their meals cooking for one. It’s something that’s relevant to millions of people and yet is so rarely talked about or catered to. I hope that this book can bridge the gap between ease and variety and of course, bring the joy back to solo cooking!
The chapters in your book are divided into different moods like comfort, fresh, simple, special, and sweet. How did you decide on these categories, and why are they important?
One of my favourite things about cooking for one is that you have the privilege of selfish choice! You don’t have to worry about other people’s tastes or requirements and can just something that you fancy. These chapters make perfect sense to me as they’re the meal types I crave most! You can ask yourself what you fancy eating that day, then flick through the chapter that most aligns with that feeling and find a recipe that brings you what you need, whether that be warmth, energy, more time, peace or joy. The personalisation of food is so powerful, and I think that’s especially true when cooking for one.
The concept of ‘partner recipes’ is brilliant for reducing food waste and making the most of fresh ingredients. Can you tell us more about how you developed this idea and give an example of a pair of partner recipes from the book?
For me one of the biggest barriers to cooking single portions is the leftovers you have at the end. Ingredients aren’t always packaged to cater for solo cooks, so you’re almost always left with something at the end. I wanted to remove this barrier and ensure people had easy options for how to use those leftovers, plus tackle the issue of food waste which is so important! One of my favourite recipe partnerships is making my risotto carbonara, which uses an egg yolk, then using the leftover egg white to make my single serve chocolate brownie- a pretty perfect weekend meal if you ask me!
Cooking for yourself is described as the ultimate act of self-care in your book. What would be your top tips for people wanting to get into cooking?
It definitely feels like a form of self-care for me as it’s something we do so often that can impact our life in a huge way. I’d say my top tips are to have fun with it, don’t worry about making mistakes or cooking something you don’t like. That’s the joy of cooking for one, it doesn’t matter! Start with ingredients you know you enjoy and pick a recipe that uses them, maybe something from the ‘simple’ chapter of my book to get you started, and then gradually introduce new flavours or techniques. The more you do it, the easier it gets so enjoy the process!
With so many delicious recipes to choose from, you MUST have a favourite?!
I couldn’t possibly pick one! So I’ll give you one from each chapter to compromise. From ‘comfort’ it has to be the iconic lasagne, then I make the herby chicken and rice salad from ‘fresh’ all the time. The croque madame pastry from ‘simple’ is a weekend winner for me and I have a very soft spot for the steak and crisp sandwich with chimichurri from ‘special’. Finally, my favourite recipe from ‘sweet’ is maybe the baked peaches with caramel sauce. Now I feel guilty towards all my other recipes- I love them all!!
What does a normal day in the life look life for you, Eleanor?
Each day can look quite different, which makes my job a lot of fun! Typically though it always starts with a cup of tea (ideally in bed, while I solve my daily NYT puzzles) then it’s a combination of testing, filming and editing recipes for my social media- there’s almost always a trip to the supermarket involved- then it might be answering emails about the book, or writing my newsletter or meal plans. If it’s a particularly fun day I might have a foodie event in the evening and if not, it might be a boxing class or a night on the sofa with a delicious dinner.
Name three things in the kitchen you simply can’t live without!
Ok I think everyone should own a microplane grater! They’re life changing. Chopping garlic and ginger is one of those jobs I hate, and grating them makes everything so much easier. Also a citrus squeezer, because you get so much more juice out of your lemons and limes, and it doesn’t end up all over your hands. Finally. I’d say a set of scales, especially when cooking for one. Not only can it save on washing up when you weigh directly into your pan, but it also adds more accuracy than other ways of measuring, which is important when working with smaller quantities of ingredients.
Gnocchi Con Tomate Recipe
If you’re going to make one recipe from this book, make it this one! Well, actually, make them all, but definitely include this one. It. Is. Divine. It may seem simple, and it most definitely is, but it is mighty. The crisp bounce of the gnocchi replaces the bread traditionally used in Spanish ‘pan con tomate’ and takes it from a light lunch to a more substantial meal. Good quality tomatoes are essential here, as well as generous seasoning, as that’s where most of the flavour comes from.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 good-quality large vine tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- flaky sea salt
- extra virgin olive oil
- 150g gnocchi
- 5g fresh basil leaves, torn if large
Method:
- Start by grating your tomatoes onto your serving bowl or plate. Use the large hole of the grater and grate until you are left with the skin of the tomato, which you can discard. Add the garlic to the tomato and mix together. Season with salt and a good drizzle of olive oil.
- Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat and add another good drizzle of olive oil to the pan. Add in the gnocchi and fry for 4–5 minutes until golden and crispy. Season with salt then spoon over the tomato mixture. Scatter the basil over the top before serving.
Buy ‘One Pot, One Portion’ and Recreate a Recipe Today!
You can find where to purchase Eleanor’s NEW cookbook here and start being creative with food and flavours in the comfort of your kitchen.
Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these recipes! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt.
Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your own take on Eleanor’s recipes!
