GBBO Alumni's Cookbook Made New York Times' Best Of 2022 List
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People who have competed on "The Great British Bake Off" have gone on to do some pretty great things. While many alums have gone on to publish cookbooks, appear on TV, and write for major papers like The Guardian, a few have really stood out. Season 3 winner John Whaite competed on "Strictly Come Dancing," a British reality program similar to "Dancing with the Stars" (per Screen Rant). Season 9 contestant Kim-Joy Hewlett created a card game called Kim-Joy's Magic Bakery. Then of course there's perhaps the show's most successful alum, Season 6 winner Nadiya Hussain, who went on to become the host of multiple TV shows and author of over a dozen books, from children's stories to cookbooks.
However, there's another alum on the scene who may just give Hussain a run for her star baker crown. Season 4 competitor and food writer Ruby Tandoh is making waves with her latest literary work, a cookbook called "Cook as You Are: Recipes for Real Life, Hungry Cooks, and Messy Kitchens" (via The New York Times).
GBBO's latest prolific author
"Great British Bake Off" alum Ruby Tandoh has kept busy crafting a literary career since her 2013 appearance on the mega-popular baking competition. Her third cookbook, "Eat Up!: Food, Appetite, and Eating What You Want," was published in 2018 and is a love letter to the simple joys of foods like Cadbury eggs and the British quick comfort food marmite toast (per The Guardian). The prolific Tandoh let no grass grow under her feet before getting out her next work: a cookbook that has already landed her on the coveted New York Times "Best Cookbooks of 2022" list.
"Cook as You Are: Recipes for Real Life, Hungry Cooks, and Messy Kitchens," includes the sort of thoughtful, practical advice we've come to expect from Tandoh, including a section on "cooking with limited energy or mobility" for those dealing with disability or chronic illness. There are also tips that make her recipes more accessible for those with sensory impairments, such as providing "lots of different sensory cues rather than relying on just one sense" (per Amazon). The book also includes tips on swaps and substitutions, because realistically, you don't have everything every time and Tandoh knows that, which feels incredibly refreshing. There's also advice on how to store and reheat recipes, an area generally skipped over in cookbooks despite the fact that leftovers make up an inevitable part of life. It also includes swaps to make recipes vegan or vegetarian, taking the work out for our veg-oriented friends. This book of accessible recipes was also named a Bon Appetit Best Book of the Year, according to Penguin Random House.