I Quit Sugar: Simplicious Flow
by Sarah Wilson
Pan Macmillan
Sarah Wilson has made a name for herself as one of Australia’s most popular health and lifestyle gurus, with her debut book I Quit Sugar quickly becoming a bestseller and changing the way many readers shop and prepare food for themselves and their families. The ex-editor of Cosmopolitan Australia has paved the way for many who have considered the benefits of a sugar-free lifestyle, providing access to easy and delicious recipes that won’t break the bank.
Her most recent cookbook I Quit Sugar: Simplicious Flow is a game-changer. First of all, it is the world’s first zero waste cookbook! Every picture taken for the book – including the preparation and serving of each dish – was done with zero waste, and the book itself heavily focuses on how to live and cook as low-waste as possible. No shortcuts were taken, one baking sheet was used for every recipe (there are over 300), and a compost bin was brought into the office for any stray scraps – a truly magnificent feat. Wilson does not just talk the talk, she has completely overhauled the way in which the entire book writing and publishing process is run, and has proven that you can be a kickass author and save the planet.
As for the content of the book, Wilson talks readers through every step, starting from the very beginning with the must-have grocery staples. The recipes are meticulously organised by clearly labelled sections, making everything extremely simple to find and the layout of each page is clean and beautiful. The one and only eye-roll-inducing part of the book is when Wilson assures readers that they will probably already have all of these ingredients in their fridge as leftovers, then the first few recipes required things like dandelion flowers. Does everyone else have those as leftovers instead of three-day-old pizza?!
The recipes (even the more complicated ones) are tasty and crowd-pleasing, a favourite being the red velvet crunch bowl. Who would’ve thought beetroot could be that good? There are an array of family favourites reimagined to be slightly healthier (but still delicious), like pizza and tacos. Wilson is a risk-taker and she goes against the grain to take the road less-travelled to provide alternatives to the food industry. The book also contains one-pot-wonders and budget meals that are targeted at people who may struggle financially and aims to prove that tasty and nutritious food doesn’t have to be expensive. This book is just like Wilson: quirky, interesting, helpful and delightful. This is a must-have recipe book for each and every kitchen.
SAMANTHA FERGUSON
