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kirkw1972's review
5.0
I've followed Jack on Twitter for a while now and have a couple of her books already. I love the concept behind this one. Like her, and Matt Haig who wrote the foreword, I suffer from depression and when high you just don't take care of your health. For me, I overeat and overeat junk food so to have a book on the shelf of nice easy, often under 15 minutes to make meals is a game changer. Being a cook book it's jam packed full of easy to make, tasty sounding meals but I also really liked the reasoning behind them or how they came about.
Taking advantage of my good mood at the minute I'm going to try a few of these and see which feels best for me for down days. It's a brilliant book, I love it.
Taking advantage of my good mood at the minute I'm going to try a few of these and see which feels best for me for down days. It's a brilliant book, I love it.
3rdpandora's review
As a long time fan of Jack Monroe's (I already own 4 of their previous books) and as someone with a history of mental illness, I was thrilled to find a new book filled with 'depressipes'. I quickly ordered it and evangelised to those around me how excited I was to read it. However, I found myself disappointed.
Many of the recipes have long lists of ingredients and steps that would seem overwhelming whilst in the grips of depression, while the chapter around making food in advance seemed to require a great deal of forethought (something I tend to lack whilst under the dark cloud). I was hoping for recipes that could be made for the days where boiling a kettle seems a huge effort, but the chapter on quick meals felt especially sparse.
I did appreciate the chapter on slow cooking to heal the mind, and found the introduction to that chapter inspiring. There can be a great deal of comfort and solace felt in chopping vegetables and letting a pan bubble, but generally I find that in my worst days these recipes can just be too overwhelming.
Perhaps the issue is my own high expectations, and a genuine hope for low effort food to make in 5 minutes on my worst days. But I do question the judgement of including a recipe for grapefruit cake in a book targeted at people with mental illnesses, knowing that grapefruit is the only food many people taking antidepressants should not eat. Many of the recipes do sound delicious, and I'll be sure to make them, but I don't think this book was the home for them. I hoped for more from Jack Monroe, and couldn't help but feel let down.
Many of the recipes have long lists of ingredients and steps that would seem overwhelming whilst in the grips of depression, while the chapter around making food in advance seemed to require a great deal of forethought (something I tend to lack whilst under the dark cloud). I was hoping for recipes that could be made for the days where boiling a kettle seems a huge effort, but the chapter on quick meals felt especially sparse.
I did appreciate the chapter on slow cooking to heal the mind, and found the introduction to that chapter inspiring. There can be a great deal of comfort and solace felt in chopping vegetables and letting a pan bubble, but generally I find that in my worst days these recipes can just be too overwhelming.
Perhaps the issue is my own high expectations, and a genuine hope for low effort food to make in 5 minutes on my worst days. But I do question the judgement of including a recipe for grapefruit cake in a book targeted at people with mental illnesses, knowing that grapefruit is the only food many people taking antidepressants should not eat. Many of the recipes do sound delicious, and I'll be sure to make them, but I don't think this book was the home for them. I hoped for more from Jack Monroe, and couldn't help but feel let down.
thewoollygeek's review
5.0
I love Jack Monroe, she is an inspiration, I love her cooking, it’s real, practical and affordable but it’s also amazing. This was such a great idea for a cookbook and like her other books which I own (and I’ll be buying a copy for the kitchen of this) it’s got amazing mouthwatering recipes in, that are easy to make, clearly explained and make you want to cook them all. It’ll be difficult choosing what to make first. Practical and beautiful food.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
fiendfull's review against another edition
4.0
Good Food for Bad Days is a cookbook that focuses on eating when you're feeling bad. From one pan recipes and things you can just stick in the oven to recipes that take under 15 minutes or things that are great to keep in the fridge, the book is divided into practical sections and the recipes tend to have alternate ingredients and ways of freezing them if possible. It is also part memoir (as cookbooks often can be), with Monroe's reflection on mental health and anecdotes about when to eat the recipes.
This is a practical cookbook but also a kind of inspiration to find the food and simple recipes that might work for you when you're feeling bad and still need to eat. Practically, actually making the recipes on bad days isn't necessarily very likely, but there's a lot of good ideas for things you can make and freeze, and comforting yet healthy meals that aren't too expensive. The book has a candid tone and the feel of someone just sending you some recipes that might help, with their own asides where you might want to change them.
As someone who never owned a blender, I've always found it hard to make a lot of the meals in Monroe's books, but I actually got a stick blender recently so I'm far more likely to try making some of these. People who like cookbooks full of aspirational, more complex cooking probably won't enjoy this one, but it's a good kind of cookbook for those looking for something that is simply practical and more of a pick me up than an in-depth guide.
This is a practical cookbook but also a kind of inspiration to find the food and simple recipes that might work for you when you're feeling bad and still need to eat. Practically, actually making the recipes on bad days isn't necessarily very likely, but there's a lot of good ideas for things you can make and freeze, and comforting yet healthy meals that aren't too expensive. The book has a candid tone and the feel of someone just sending you some recipes that might help, with their own asides where you might want to change them.
As someone who never owned a blender, I've always found it hard to make a lot of the meals in Monroe's books, but I actually got a stick blender recently so I'm far more likely to try making some of these. People who like cookbooks full of aspirational, more complex cooking probably won't enjoy this one, but it's a good kind of cookbook for those looking for something that is simply practical and more of a pick me up than an in-depth guide.
clarab12's review against another edition
4.0
I was excited to read this book and try out some of the recipes but to be honest I thought this book might not be quite for me.Living in a rural area it can be difficult to find many ingredients in these kinds of books.I was wrong! Most ingredients I either had or could easily find. I did make some recipes from here and they were all delicious and a big hit with my family!
What I did try I really enjoyed though my favourites in this book were the
Apple peanut butter,
Chicken butter
fluffer nut french toast (this was a big hit with my son)
Stewed steak lasagne
and the hot apple pies
So if you are looking for easy to make recipes with store cupboard ingredients then this is the book for you!
What I did try I really enjoyed though my favourites in this book were the
Apple peanut butter,
Chicken butter
fluffer nut french toast (this was a big hit with my son)
Stewed steak lasagne
and the hot apple pies
So if you are looking for easy to make recipes with store cupboard ingredients then this is the book for you!
intothevolcano's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Pan Macmillan / Bluebird and Netgalley for the ARC!
Not all of the recipes were to my taste (I have a personal vendetta against corguettes), but I really appreciated the frankness here. This is a very open, and honest book - I empathised with just how difficult it can be to cook for yourself sometimes, and it was a relief to see recipes presented which acknowledged this reality. As my tastes in food (and cooking habits) are quite predictable, I found the "just bung it in the oven" (paraphrased!) and sweet stuff chapters most relevant, but I earmarked recipes throughout the book. As the recipes themselves are simpler, I'm more likely to actually attempt to make them. I definitely got lots of meal ideas and inspiration from Good Food for Bad Days, even if I'll change up some of the flavours. It also made me feel the urge to buy a bullet-style blender!
Not all of the recipes were to my taste (I have a personal vendetta against corguettes), but I really appreciated the frankness here. This is a very open, and honest book - I empathised with just how difficult it can be to cook for yourself sometimes, and it was a relief to see recipes presented which acknowledged this reality. As my tastes in food (and cooking habits) are quite predictable, I found the "just bung it in the oven" (paraphrased!) and sweet stuff chapters most relevant, but I earmarked recipes throughout the book. As the recipes themselves are simpler, I'm more likely to actually attempt to make them. I definitely got lots of meal ideas and inspiration from Good Food for Bad Days, even if I'll change up some of the flavours. It also made me feel the urge to buy a bullet-style blender!
thefloatingbookworm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
5.0
Jack Monroe is an absolute legend, known for her bootstrap store cupboard recipes and anti poverty campaigns. She writes honestly and candidly about mental health and her own personal challenges.
Her newest book is more luxurious than her previous ones, full of comforting recipes for tough days. She includes mugs of warming goodness, nutritional blasts, tasty snacks (mmmm popcorn AKA ‘lunch’) and ready in fifteen minute meals.
It’s an essential book for improving self care. It’s practical, inspiring and open hearted. A manual for eating well when everything feels like a struggle.
Thanks to @netgalley and @panmacmillan for my #gifted eARC.
Her newest book is more luxurious than her previous ones, full of comforting recipes for tough days. She includes mugs of warming goodness, nutritional blasts, tasty snacks (mmmm popcorn AKA ‘lunch’) and ready in fifteen minute meals.
It’s an essential book for improving self care. It’s practical, inspiring and open hearted. A manual for eating well when everything feels like a struggle.
Thanks to @netgalley and @panmacmillan for my #gifted eARC.
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