River Cottage chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall dangles a carrot to help us eat more veg

His TV ventures have led to huge campaigns aimed at reducing food waste and changing EU fishing policies, and also the publication of several cookbooks, including his hugely successful first vegetarian cookbook, River Cottage Veg Every Day back in 2011, which set out to make plants more appealing.

Now Hugh's back with Much More Veg and a selection of new recipes dedicated to inspiring people to become less dependent on meat - but this veg book is also vegan to boot.

"It was so close to being vegan anyway, and I thought, actually, the most inclusive form of cooking is vegan cooking," he says, "especially as I was already talking about vegetables in their unadulterated form - making the best out of all our plant ingredients. It would have been a bit bonkers for it not to have been a vegan book. But of course, it's for everybody."

Bring out the natural flavours

Hugh says he finds the huge rise of veganism amongst young people really exciting, explaining, "it has to be the direction of travel". But you have to ask, if Hugh himself is still a carnivore - which he certainly is - does he truly think you can make plant-based meals as delicious as ones that contain meat?

"We know how easy it is to make meat delicious - you put salt and pepper on it and you put it in a frying pan and the caramel flavours are delicious. The problem with veg, for so long," he muses, "is we've steamed it and boiled it and we haven't done enough. With veg, we can caramelise the edges, we can add a little spice, we can use amazing, funky dressings - all those things will bring up the natural flavours of vegetables, which incidentally, are already pretty tasty."

Motivation for meat-eaters

Hugh acknowledges that a lot of people set to buy the book are likely to be omnivores, hence why the book's 'meatiest' chapter, in terms of volume, is the one concerning tapas, mezze and side dishes. Think spiced cabbage with sunflower seeds and wine baked mushrooms that have been given a "little tweak" for some edge.

"You want to put a barbecued chop next to one of these recipes? I'm a carnivore, I'm not going to hold that against you," Hugh jokes. "But I didn't see any need to put the chop in the book, because I've covered a lot of ground in meat and fish [previously].

"What people need more help with is making vegetables delicious. Because they have to compete in the end; we have to make them super tasty for people to want them, not just virtuous, and we need to make them tasty raw, tasty cooked, tasty fried, tasty roasted."

Cook from scratch to keeps costs down

"If you've got no interest in cooking and you want to eat, as many people do these days, essentially by choosing ready-to-eat food - whether it's ready meals in the shop or takeaways, or combinations thereof, and nothing is cooked from fresh - then yeah, it's quite hard," says Hugh, considering the costs involved with rising food prices and relying on packaged meals.

"But if you're prepared to cook from scratch then fresh fruit and veg - in their raw form - are not especially expensive. And if you're prepared to spend a little time in the kitchen, just chop up a load of vegetables and pop them in the oven with a little bit of salt and pepper and some spices, if you've got them, that is a very easy win."

"Creamy coconut milk and chunky grains of pearled spelt make this veg-packed dish rich and satisfying," says the River Cottage TV presenter and chef, who's just released his new cookbook, Much More Veg. "It makes a lovely main meal for three people - but serves four or more if you add a dish of dhal too."

Ingredients

(Serves 3-4)

125g pearled spelt or pearl barley

1tbsp cumin seeds

1tbsp coriander seeds

1tsp fenugreek seeds (optional)

2tbsp rapeseed oil

1 large onion, quartered and sliced

250g chestnut or open cap mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces

1tbsp grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, finely grated or crushed

1 medium-hot red or green chilli, deseeded (for less heat, if preferred) and chopped

200ml coconut milk

150g spinach, any tough stalks removed

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon and the juice of 1/2 lemon

Sea salt and black pepper

Coriander leaves, to finish

Method

1 Soak the pearled spelt or barley in cold water for 20-30 minutes, if you have time. Soaked or not, rinse the grain thoroughly in a sieve, then tip into a saucepan.

2 Cover with plenty of water (it will expand a lot) and add a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and put the lid on. Simmer until tender - about 20 minutes for spelt, 40 minutes for barley. When the grain is tender, drain and return to the pan (off the hob) to keep warm.

3 Meanwhile, use a pestle and mortar or spice grinder to pound or grind the cumin, coriander and fenugreek seeds, if using. It doesn't matter if the cumin and coriander stay quite coarse, but the fenugreek should be broken down to a powder.

4 Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and fry for about 10 minutes, until soft, letting it colour just a little, but not brown.

5 Add the mushrooms and fry with the onion for about five minutes until tender and lightly coloured. Keep stirring so the liquid released by the mushrooms can evaporate.

6 Add the pounded spices and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli and stir briefly, then pour in the coconut milk. Stir well, making sure the coconut milk is fully amalgamated and mixed in. Scrape up any bits of caramelised veg or spice adhering to the base.

7 Bring the coconut milk to a simmer and let it bubble gently for a couple of minutes to reduce a little. Then add the spinach, a handful at a time, stirring it in as it wilts.

8 Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Add the cooked spelt or barley to the pan and stir well. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed, then spoon into warmed dishes, scatter with coriander, and serve.

For one of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's heartiest, flavour-packed dishes in his new cookbook, Much More Veg, he's turned to a past recipe for inspiration.

His pepper, potato and chard stew - which he suggests adding saffron to for an "earthy, pungent tang" - is based on his chachouka in River Cottage Veg Every Day.

But this time, there are no eggs. Instead, the stew has even more veg stirred through the rich pepper and tomato base.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

2tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

1tsp cumin seeds

1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced

1 large (or 2 small) red pepper(s) (about 250g in total)

200g chard

500g new, waxy or salad potatoes, scrubbed

2 garlic cloves, finely grated or crushed

2 x 400g tins tomatoes

A large pinch of saffron strands

1/2tsp hot smoked paprika

1tsp sugar

Juice of 1/2 small lemon, or to taste

Sea salt and black pepper

To finish:

30g toasted flaked almonds

A handful of coriander leaves

Extra virgin olive

Method

1 Place a large flameproof casserole or small stockpot over a medium heat and add the oil. When it's hot, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a minute or two. Add the onion with a pinch of salt, stir well, then cover and lower the heat. Let the onion sweat, stirring once or twice, for about 10 minutes.

2 In the meantime, quarter, deseed and thinly slice the pepper(s). Separate the chard stalks and leaves and cut both into 1cm thick slices. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks.

3 When the onion is nice and soft, stir in the garlic, then add the red pepper, chard stalks and potatoes. Replace the lid and cook gently for about 20 minutes until the pepper is softened, stirring now and again to ensure nothing sticks and burns.

4 Add the tomatoes with their juice, crushing them with your hands as you do so. Add the saffron, smoked paprika, sugar and some more salt and pepper and stir well. Simmer gently, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender, stirring regularly.

5 Toss in the chard leaves, cover the pan and cook for another five minutes, or until they have wilted. Stir the leaves into the stew. Take off the heat.

6 Add the lemon juice, then taste and adjust seasoning as necessary, with more salt, pepper and/or lemon. Serve scattered with the toasted almonds and coriander and a trickle of extra virgin oil.

When summer starts to fade, it can be daunting trying to think of ways to keep salads as appealing and comforting as hot dinners.

But Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's latest cookbook - Much More Veg - has a stunning solution involving roasted squash, apple and raw sprouts.

"This wonderful autumnal salad, from my ever-brilliant collaborator Gill Meller, is hot and tender, spicy and aromatic, crisp and raw - the range of textures and flavours is superbly satisfying," says Hugh, "and it's so easy to throw together."

Ingredients:

(Serves 3-4)

About 1kg squash, such as a medium butternut or acorn squash, or 1/2 Crown Prince

2tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

4-5 bay leaves, roughly torn

2 sprigs of rosemary, roughly torn

A small handful of sage leaves, roughly torn (optional)

1tsp fennel seeds

A pinch of dried chilli flakes

About 175g Brussels sprouts

2 medium eating apples

25g sunflower seeds (or other seeds of your choice)

Sea salt and black pepper

For the dressing:

2tbsp extra virgin olive or rapeseed oil

2tsp English mustard

1-2tsp sugar

1tbsp cider vinegar

Sea salt and black pepper

Method:

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds, but don't remove the peel. Cut into slim wedges, about 2cm wide at the outside edge, and place in a large roasting tray. Trickle over the oil then scatter over the herbs, fennel seeds, chilli flakes and some salt and pepper. Turn the pieces of squash over in the oil and seasonings, then place in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes until tender and nicely browned in places.

2 Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a large bowl, adding salt and pepper to taste. Trim the sprouts and remove any damaged or dirty outer leaves then slice very thinly. Add them to the bowl of dressing and mix well, breaking up the layers of sprout a bit as you go.

3 Core and quarter the apples, and cut each quarter into two or three wedges (no need to peel). Set aside.

4 When the squash is tender and starting to brown, add the apple wedges and stir them in with the squash and seasonings. Return to the oven for about 15 minutes or until the apples are tender but not broken down. Scatter the seeds over the veg and apple for the last few minutes of cooking, so they toast lightly.

5 Spoon the dressed sprouts over the hot squash and apple wedges, then serve.

River Cottage Much More Veg by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is published by Bloomsbury, priced £26. Photography by Simon Wheeler. Available now.