Seasonal vege way to cut food costs: author

Rowan Bishop's Vegetarian Kitchen,
David Bateman, $34.99
With the price of food skyrocketing, now's a good time to think about how to save money at the supermarket. One way is to cut back on meat. A vegetarian meal once or twice a week is a great way to save a bit of money without sacrificing health and taste.
Rowan Bishop's Vegetarian Kitchen is packed with delicious ideas for meals without meat.
The book includes starters, soups, sauces and dressings, mains, salads and sides, sweets, baking and even has a chapter on preserves to ensure nothing goes to waste.
Rowan has written about food for more than 30 years.
Linda Hall asked her some questions about her latest book.
Firstly, are you a vegetarian?
I certainly prefer to be - but I do write generic columns which require me to taste meat; and my specialty catering service in Dunedin, which I ran for almost 10 years, required me to taste what went out of the commercial kitchen.
So I guess the answer is that although I prefer to eat vegetarian, I'm more correctly a semi-vegetarian.
What inspired you to write another cookbook?
Once you've been involved in the food industry, have a passion for it and a curiosity about food flavours, methods, traditions and combinations, there's no getting away. I just can't help myself.
Writing columns about food is the end product; I'm always cooking with a notebook by my side and the logical conclusion to that is a collation of those recipes.
I also think that now vegetarian food has become part of mainstream cuisine, it's timely to produce a good vegetarian cookbook.
What is your favourite vegetable to cook with?
Heavens, I couldn't choose a favourite cuisine, let alone a favourite vegetable. It's what I feel like at any particular time or that's in season. Maybe it's more pertinent to say I can't think of a vegetable I don't like.
And eat?
Same answer.
What do you think are the most versatile vegetables to have in your garden?
Without a doubt, herbs; they're so valuable in terms of adding flavour (as opposed to, as used to be the case, fats and sugar) easy to grow and versatile.
What can't you do without in the kitchen?
A food processor is indispensable for grinding nuts, making pastry, pesto, soups, purees, sauces, dressings and more.
What is it about cooking that makes you feel good?
It's a creative outlet, especially as I can't paint or sing. And it's a fascination with flavours and textures - that harmony that when you achieve it makes a dish sing. A big part of that creative challenge for me is creating something delicious from quite ordinary and readily accessible ingredients. Also, of course, it's about the satisfaction of creating dishes. My family and friends really appreciate the gift of great food.
Do you have any money-saving tips when it comes to the weekly shop?
Buy fruit and vegetables in season, when they're cheap and fresh.
What's next on the agenda for you?
Immersing myself in local recipes in France and Italy for five months, and working towards another book.