This book is about being creative in the kitchen, cooking what you love and not having to please anyone else! Solo cooks should revel in having the kitchen exclusively to themselves; they shouldn’t view it as a solitary experience but a real chance to have fun and experiment. In showing you how to cook for yourself, I hope to be able to inspire you to make the effort – and it’s not even a big effort! It’s exciting, and much more so than just chucking a couple of boring slices of bread in the toaster. With a bit of guidance, you’ll soon get back into the joys of really good food.

The winning idea of this book is that you can make two different dishes from one core ingredient: by cooking the main recipe you are halfway to preparing another, which you can enjoy the next day and even take to work in a lunchbox. This not only saves you loads of time but it also makes financial sense. How often are you left with a lonely chicken breast in the packet and no clue what to do with it the next day? You end up making the same thing again, right? But no one wants to eat the same thing over and over. I want to show you how to solve that problem, and turn it into something different and just as tasty to eat tomorrow.

Sometimes it’s also much easier and more economical to buy a whole joint or bird and turn that value-for-money, supermarket offer into a real bargain by creating four separate dishes that will last you over half the week – look out for the Big Cook recipes. This is something I often do myself, and in this book, I’ll show you how. There’s no magic to it. You can fit it into any routine, whether that means picking bits up from the shop on the way home from work, or booking in a big online delivery and using your fridge/freezer space.

In this book I’ll share delicious recipes that are perfect for anyone dining alone, whether that means something quick and easy, or comforting and indulgent. There are some fantastic leftover options, too. Cooking for one shouldn’t be apologetic – it’s a celebration. For me, whether I’ve got a house full of people or I’m on my own for the night, I always like to make something delicious to eat. Cooking for yourself gives you more freedom. You are cook and critic. So with only yourself to please, and a stack of great recipes to choose from, you’re bound to get rave reviews.