Table For One has a new home, and it’s now an app! 🎉

As you know, I’ve been sharing meal plans and some recipes here on Substack, but I’ve been wanting to create a space where all of my One Pot One Portion recipes could live alongside flexible, adjustable weekly meal plans. So I’ve created the new Table For One app.

From now on, the Table For One app will be the only place you’ll find my recipes for one, and I can’t wait to create even more exclusive recipes for you over there.

So, what can you do in the app?

Firstly you can access all of my recipes for one, with videos and step by step instructions.

Alongside all of my recipes for one, you’ll find weekly meal plans that you can either follow as they are or customise to suit your preferences.

You choose the meals, and the app does the rest. It will automatically scale your shopping list up or down depending on how many people you’re cooking for, and you can generate a printable shopping list to take with you.

I’ve also uploaded some of my favourite meal plans to get you started, so you can dive straight in!

I’m so excited about this new chapter, and I really can’t wait to continue my mission of encouraging people to find the joy in cooking for one over in this new space.

And because I’d love you to come and join me, the first 100 new subscribers will get 50% off an annual subscription, making it the equivalent of £2.50 per month, forever. Your price will be locked in at £30 per year for every year that you remain subscribed. But this offer is limited, so be quick if you want it!

What happens to this Substack?

I’m not going anywhere!

I’ve got some plans for this newsletter, including a rename, so I’ll still be popping up in your inbox, but the recipes and meal plans will now live over on the Table For One app.

Here’s what you need to do:

If you’re a free subscriber to this newsletter:
If you’d like to join Table For One, you can register here:

JOIN TABLE FOR ONE →

If you’re currently a paid subscriber:
Your subscription will continue over on the new Table For One website, so you won’t need to start a new subscription or pay twice. You’ll still have access to meal plans, just as you do now, but you’ll also get access to all of my recipes for one. You just need to follow the very quick onboarding process.

I’ve included some further details below on exactly what you need to do to continue your subscription.

I’m so excited to have finally built a proper home for Table For One, and I hope you’ll come and join me there.

Big love and happy cooking,

Eleanor x

Already a paid subscriber?

To keep your subscription going smoothly, all you need to do is:

1. Go to https: https://tableforone.eleanorgwilkinson.com/onboarding

2. Enter the same email address you use for Substack (the email this message was sent to).

3. Enter the 6-digit code sent to your email.

4. Create a password.

5. Confirm your payment method.

Your subscription price and renewal date will remain exactly the same.

To set up the Table For One app on your phone, follow the prompts during onboarding. The app is not available in the App Store.

You can view the app installation instructions at any time by opening the menu on mobile and tapping “Use the app”.

Tiramisu Crumble Coffee Cake

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love a single-layer cake and the nostalgia of simple sponge, so when thinking of new bakes I’m never far from settling on this as my foundation. Enter the tiramisu. Coffee-soaked lady fingers are only a hop and a skip away from a coffee cake sponge, so taking the creamy cocoa-topped mascarpone whip from a tiramisu and splodging it on top of my coffee crumble cake really only seemed right. Recipe here.

Homemade Crumpets

There are few greater joys in life than a hot, buttered crumpet. Buttery enough that the rich fat seeps through the holes in the crumpet and puddles on the plate, ready to be mopped up (and dripped) all over again. The rate at which I can devour a crumpet is quite astonishing, something to behold. As one of my lovely followers pointed out, when it comes to a store-bought packet, two crumpets is polite, three crumpets is truly the only satisfactory portion size. Double toasted, always. One must solely be buttered (liberally, as above), with a little extra salt, and the other I like to think of as my dessert crumpet—with butter, honey and salt. Recipe here.

Self-Saucing Chocolate Mug Cake

This Self Saucing Malt Chocolate Mug Cake is a microwave-baked, single-serve dessert designed for maximum comfort in minimal time. Made directly in one mug, it creates a soft chocolate sponge with a rich, molten sauce underneath as it cooks. The flavour is deeply chocolatey with a nostalgic malty note from Horlicks, giving it a cosy, pudding-like finish. Ready in minutes, it’s a one-portion dessert that’s perfect for solo treats. Practical, fast, and indulgent, it’s ideal for those moments when you want dessert without committing to baking. Recipe here.

Plum & Cardamom Upside Down Cake

As above, it’s another single layer cake! The simplicity of one summons a powerful nostalgia for me, though I can’t entirely place what for. Perhaps simply for the joy I found in baking, watching bake off, reading baking blogs and researching baking as a teen. In a world of social media over-the-top-ness, this is a grounding bake with comforting results. This cake might be the perfect autumnal bake. Easy enough to whip up on any day of the week, it gets better each day and can be eaten at any time of day (I certainly won’t judge you if it’s for breakfast.) Recipe here.

Ricotta Banana Bread

This might just be the most delicious banana bread I’ve ever made, and it came about by happy accident! Well, maybe not entirely by accident. There was plenty of research and testing involved, but the initial idea arrived unexpectedly. Cooking for one often means having leftover ingredients in your fridge. Here, leftover ricotta is used in my classic banana bread recipe, adding moisture, depth and a creamy tang. Recipe here.

Big love, and happy baking!

Eleanor x

Happy Monday team! Hope you had a gorgeous weekend.

I’ve been writing this substack for 2 years now and it’s served as a brilliant platform to share weekly meal plans with other solo cooks, share more in-depth information on recipes than other platforms allow you to, and most importantly to create a community of people who want recipes for one that bring ease and joy. I love this platform both as a writer and a reader but I realised it probably wasn’t serving you in the best way possible.

I currently share meal plans every other week and recipes around once or twice a month, with my other recipes being hosted on my website. Whilst I hope this has proven useful to you, I think we can do better! So things are going to be changing.

Very soon you’re going to have the ability to have a meal plan every week, with the additional benefit of swapping out meals you don’t like or want for other options (and a shopping list that adapts to this), plus all my single-serve recipes in one place so you don’t have to jump between a meal plan and a website- it’s all on one app!

I’m incredibly excited to fully launch this and really hope it makes cooking for one even easier, and we’re only a couple of weeks away!

In the meantime, I appreciate meal plans have been a bit slower, so I wanted to share 5 of my previous summery meal plans for you this week, so you have multiple options depending on what you fancy.

Big love and happy cooking,

Eleanor x

The sun is shining, the heat is relentless, and I’m back sharing another meal plan! I must start by apologising for a lack of meal plans over the last few weeks. I have been in the process of moving house whilst also being in the process of setting up a new format for these meal plans. I’ll share more (on both) soon, but I’m really hoping that the new format for recipes and meal plans will be much more user friendly for you all, and will give you even more freedom to wonderful weekly meal plans.

For now, enjoy this one! It’s full of some of my favourite simple summery suppers from my cookbook (which was published 2 years ago yesterday!). If you don’t already have the book you can find it here. A reminder to read the recipe notes in this one as there are a couple of swaps to ensure there’s as little food waste as possible.

Big love, and happy cooking,

Eleanor x

MEAL PLAN 45: July 26

Recipes:

• Gnocchi Con Tomate (page 119)

• Tortellini & Sausage Soup (page 120)

• Kale, Salmon & Sweet Potato Salad with a Creamy Garlic Dressing (page 114)

• Fish Pie (page 30)

• Pickled Vegetable Salad with Soy-Glazed Meatballs (page 78)

Dietary Swaps:

Gluten-Free:

• Gnocchi Con Tomate: ensure your gnocchi is GF

• Tortellini & Sausage Soup: use a GF tortellini and make sure your sausages are GF

• Kale, Salmon & Sweet Potato Salad: already GF

• Fish Pie: already GF

• Meatball Salad: use tamari instead of soy sauce

Vegetarian:

• Gnocchi Con Tomate: already V

• Tortellini & Sausage Soup: use vegetarian sausages and tortellini

• Kale, Salmon & Sweet Potato Salad: you could use tofu instead of salmon, or add something like vegetarian chicken pieces or even mushrooms instead of salmon

• Fish Pie: you could use mushrooms again (oyster mushrooms would be great), or you could use beans or pulses for a different type of pie. If you want to recreate a fish flavour then you could add some chopped nori sheets too

• Meatball Salad: use vegetarian meatballs

Vegan (follow the steps above for vegetarian, and do the following):

• Gnocchi Con Tomate: already VG

• Tortellini & Sausage Soup: use vegan sausages and tortellini

• Kale, Salmon & Sweet Potato Salad: as above, then use a vegan mayonnaise and yoghurt and use maple syrup or agave instead of honey

• Fish Pie: as above, then use a vegan creme fraiche or yoghurt, and a vegan cheese alternative

• Meatball Salad: use vegan meatballs

Recipe notes:

• Gnocchi/Tortellini: we’re not actually using tortellini here! Instead we’re using leftover gnocchi from making the gnocchi con tomate. A simple swap that leaves you with the same satisfying result

• Salmon: salmon fillets are usually bought in packs of two so you could use one in the kale and salmon salad, and one in the fish pie.

• Sweet Potato: for the fish pie, instead of using white potato, you could use leftover sweet potato from the kale salad. Either or, both would work well!

• Yoghurt/Creme Fraiche: you need yoghurt for the kale salad and creme fraiche for the fish pie but you could just choose one of them and use it for both. Either would work well- I think I’d opt for creme fraiche just because it’s extra creamy and delicious.

• Sausages/Pork mince/Meatballs: you have your pick of the pork here. You need pork both for the pickled veg salad, and for the tortellini soup. You could use sausages, pork mince or meatballs. If using sausages simply deskin them for the soup, and deskin and roll into meatballs for the salad. If using meatballs, just break them up for the soup and leave as they are for the salad. If using mince, follow the recipe for the salad, and break up into crumbles for the soup.

Tips for Leftovers:

1. If you have leftover creme fraiche, stir it through just-scrambled eggs for extra creaminess and a little tang

2. Herbs- as usual there may be a few leftover so either maybe a delicious herby dipping oil or a salsa verde

3. Kale can be baked or air fried with olive oil and salt to create crispy kale (not a replacement for actual crisps if you ask me, but a tasty snack in it’s own right

Shopping List

Meal Plan 45 Shopping List

55.1KB ∙ PDF file

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Staples

• Olive oil

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 1 tbsp tomato puree

• 1/2 chicken stock pot/cube

• 1 tbsp mayonnaise

• 1 tsp honey

• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

• 15g butter

• 1 tbsp plain flour

• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 2 tsp caster sugar

• 3 tsp sesame oil

• 3 tsp soy sauce

• Salt

• Black pepper

Fresh

• 250g fresh gnocchi

• 5-6 sausages/300g pork mince/300g pork meatballs (see recipe notes)

• 2 salmon fillets

• 3 tbsp natural yoghurt (see recipe notes)

• 2 tbsp creme fraiche (see recipe notes)

• 175ml milk

• 30g cheddar cheese

• 2 large vine tomatoes

• 1/2 white onion

• 1 1/2 carrot

• 100g cucumber

• 2 sweet potatoes (or 1 sweet potato and 1 white baking potato)

• 150-200g kale

• 1/2 avocado

• juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1/2-1 red chilli

• 1 spring onion

• 5g fresh basil

• 5g fresh coriander

• 1 tsp fresh parsley

• 1 tsp fresh dill

Cupboard/Freezer

• 30g frozen peas

I created this particular recipe to bring all the elements of a perfect crumble together in a smaller portion for my small batch bakes series. The mandatory custard too, is homemade, though don’t let that scare you. It’s truly exceptionally simple and incredibly delicious.

I’m also going to share the links to all of my previous Small Batch Bakes recipes, for ease & inspiration.

Big love & happy baking,

Eleanor x

The Perfect Apple Crumble

A 3 ingredient crumble with a ratio that’s easy to remember, so you can scale up or down as you please. Half pressed, half scattered, for the perfect biscuity crumble topping.

Homemade Vanilla Custard

A reminder to you, and to myself, that homemade custard is so much easier than you might think. Serve warm or cold and eat any leftovers with sliced banana for true nostalgic comfort.

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Small Batch Bakes: All Episodes

If you’re new here (hi hello welcome) then you may not know that I write weekly meal plans complete with (printable) categorised shopping list, recipes notes, tips for leftovers and dietary requirement swaps to make cooking for one even easier!

We’ve got some really summery recipes this week. I adore my greek chicken skewers with tzatziki slaw, they’re fresh and so flavourful but incredibly satisfying! That and my sticky halloumi slaw slider are in strong competition for my favourite Friday night dinner so feel free to swap the days around according to what you fancy! I’ve included prep and cook times for each recipe (as always) so you can organise according to your schedule too.

I hope you love them!

Big Love & Happy Cooking,

Eleanor x

MEAL PLAN 44: May 2026

Recipes:

• Greek Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Slaw (prep time: 20 mins, cook time: 10 mins)

• Sticky Halloumi & Slaw Slider (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 10 mins)

• Halloumi Bean Bake with Harissa & Green Olives (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 25 mins)

• Spicy Vodka Beans (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 15 mins)

• Sticky Soy Chicken (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 15 mins)

Dietary Swaps:

Gluten-Free:

• Greek Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Slaw: serve with GF bread

• Sticky Halloumi & Slaw Slider: serve with GF bread

• Halloumi Bean Bake with Harissa & Green Olives: serve with GF bread

• Spicy Vodka Beans: serve with GF bread

• Sticky Soy Chicken: use tamari instead of soy sauce

Vegetarian:

• Greek Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Slaw: oyster mushrooms, aubergine, tofu, tempeh, or courgette would all work well for the skewers

• Sticky Halloumi & Slaw Slider: already V

• Halloumi Bean Bake with Harissa & Green Olives: already V

• Spicy Vodka Beans: already V

• Sticky Soy Chicken: as for the chicken skewers, choose any alternative

Vegan (follow the steps above for vegetarian, AND do the following):

• Greek Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Slaw: use vegan yoghurt and mayonnaise

• Sticky Halloumi & Slaw Slider: swap halloumi for tofu or tempeh

• Halloumi Bean Bake with Harissa & Green Olives: swap halloumi for tofu or tempeh

• Spicy Vodka Beans: serve with vegan yoghurt and leave out the cheese or sub for a vegan hard cheese

• Sticky Soy Chicken: use a vegan oyster sauce

Recipe notes:

• The halloumi bake is served with toasted bread but I would use a flatbread as you’re buying them for the chicken skewers anyway. Similarly for the halloumi & slaw burger, you could buy brioche buns as well or similarly this would work so well in/on a flatbread!

• Vodka Beans:

  • Use 1/4 of an onion instead of a shallot

  • Serve with greek yoghurt instead of creme fraiche.

  • Use either cannelini beans or butter beans for the vodka beans and the halloumi bake

• Sides

  • Choose some of your favourite vegetables to buy and serve with the halloumi burger, the sticky chicken and the beans, if you like!

Tips for Leftovers:

• Freeze any leftover tinned tomatoes in an ice cube tray until you next need them

• You could add some leftover spinach to the vodka beans if you like, or you could wilt it in boiling water then squeeze dry and freeze too!

Shopping List

Meal Plan 44 Shopping List

58KB ∙ PDF file

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Staples

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Sesame Oil

• 10g Butter

• 3 Cloves of Garlic

• 1 tbsp Garlic and Ginger Paste

• 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce

• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce

• 1 tbsp Shaoxing Rice Wine

• 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar/Sherry Vinegar

• 1/4 tsp White Pepper

• 2 tsp Brown Sugar

• 2 Tbsp Mayonnaise

• 2 Tbsp Tomato Puree

• 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika

• 1 Tsp Dried Oregano

• 1/2 Tsp Dried Mixed Italian Herbs

• 1/2 Tsp Chilli Flakes

• 1 Tsp Maple Syrup

• Salt

• Black Pepper

Fresh

• 4 Chicken Thigh Fillets

• 200g Halloumi

• 110g Greek Yoghurt

• 20g Parmesan/Pecorino

• 160g White Cabbage

• 1 1/2 Small Red or White Onions

• 1/2 Lemon

• 1 Lime

• Handful of Fresh Spinach

• 2 Spring Onions

• 5g Fresh Mint

• 5g Fresh Dill

• 10g Fresh Coriander

Cupboard

• 1 Portion of Cooked Basmati Rice

• 2 Tortilla Wraps or 2 Flatbreads

• 1 Brioche Bun (or another wrap/flatbread- see notes)

• 300-320g Butter Beans or Cannelini Beans

• 200g Tinned Tomatoes

• 50ml Vodka

• 1 Tbsp Harissa Paste

• 1 1/2 Tbsp Ballymaloe Relish

• 1/2 Tsp Wholegrain Mustard

• 20g Green Olives

• Jarred Sliced Jalapeños

We’ve got the world’s greatest picnic sandwich, simple one pot pastas, small batch bakes perfect for sharing in the sun and much more. Enjoy!

1. Gilda Caesar Salad

The most delicious summer snack on the most delicious summer salad and quite frankly the perfect lunch or dinner to eat in the sun.

2. Aubergine Carbonara & A Spritz

A vegetarian alternative to everyone’s favourite roman pasta, with silky strands of rich and slightly smoky carbonara contrasting with the herbaceous fizz of the spritz, you’ve got a late summer dinner that you’re not going to want to share- and thankfully, you don’t have to x

3. Ricotta Banana Bread

I despise a dry banana bread but this couldn’t be further from that. Exceptionally moist, flavourful and, as always, completely delicious. Light, bright and perfect for summer.

4. Tomato Spaghetti with Vanilla

The base of this is Marcella Hazan's 3 ingredient pasta sauce, which is unbeaten in my eyes. The only different I'm making is adding vanilla…truly, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. It’s quick, easy and fresh.

5. Loaded Hashbrowns

I don’t have a written recipe for these because they’re so simple. Crispy hash browns topped with either smashed avocado, feta & hot honey, or creamy scrambled egg, chorizo & pecorino. A quicker, easier and, in my opinion, more delicious brunch alternative to a full English and great for summer hosting.

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6. Crumpets Original

Picture this, it’s early morning on what is going to be a beautiful, warm summers day. You’ve got a hot cup of tea and, even better, a plate of hot crumpets soon to be dripping with butter. Baking on a hot day might not sound like the most appealing activity, which is why crumpets are so perfect for summer. If you fancy something more savoury, try my chive crumpets with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

7. Homemade Quiche

Not only is it one of my favourite things to eat, but also one of my favourite things to bake. What’s more it’s another brilliant summer bake, best served warm with a crisp salad. Try my Herby Feta & Spinach Quiche or my French Onion Quiche.

8. Halloumi & Crispy Chickpea Salad

A summer salad that won’t go soggy, is packed with flavour and leaves you satisfied is my kind of summer salad. Fresh, creamy and punchy.

9. Meatballs with Romesco & Feta

Romesco might be the epitome of a summer sauce. The flavour is so fresh, with a slight edge from vinegar and nutty underdone from almonds. Perfect with homemade meatballs (even better if they’re barbecued).

10. Cheese Scones

Another great bake for summer, the oven only needs to be on for 20 minutes or so, and these would be the perfect picnic treat.

11. Halloumi Bean Bake with Harissa & Green Olives

Fresh summer flavours of tomatoes, herbs and green olives topped with sticky, sweet halloumi. Minimal prep time so you can spend more time in the sun.

12. Tomato & Garlic Spaghetti

Simplicity at its finest. I actually need to make this again because looking at this picture is making me salivate.

13. Muffaletta Focaccia Sandwich

When I say this is the best sandwich I’ve ever made I’m not lying. The chopped olive salad with the rich meats and salty cheese might change your life. Must make for my next picnic.

Big Love & Happy Cooking,

Eleanor x

If you’re new here (hi hello welcome) then you may not know that I write weekly meal plans complete with (printable) categorised shopping list, recipes notes, tips for leftovers and dietary requirement swaps to make cooking for one even easier!

This week’s meal plan is pretty delicious, if I do say so myself! Most of the recipes can be made in under 15 minutes— and all of them can be prepped in under 20, meaning dinner is on the table in not time at all. Minimal effort for maximum reward is exactly what I want when cooking for one.

I hope you love them!

Big Love & Happy Cooking,

Eleanor x

MEAL PLAN 43: May 2026

Recipes:

• Fish Finger Katsu Brothy Rice (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 15 mins)

• Sticky Gochujang Fish Tacos with Lime Slaw (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 20 mins)

• Satay Slaw with Curried Chicken Skewers (prep time: 20 mins, cook time: 10 mins)

• Chicken Salad Tostadas (prep time: 15 mins, cook time: 5 mins)

• Coconut Curry Baked Rice (prep time: 15 mins, cook time: 40 mins)

Dietary Swaps:

Gluten-Free:

• Fish Finger Katsu Brothy Rice: use tamari instead of soy sauce, and make sure your curry cubes are gluten free

• Sticky Gochujang Fish Tacos: use 100% corn tortillas, or gluten-free flour tortillas

• Satay Slaw with Chicken Skewers: use tamari instead of soy sauce

• Chicken Salad Tostadas: use 100% corn tortillas, or gluten-free flour tortillas

• Coconut Curry Baked Rice: use tamari instead of soy sauce

Vegetarian:

• Fish Finger Katsu Brothy Rice: you could use a breaded tofu fillet for this, or 1/2 an aubergine (to bread, simply coat in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs). You could also use a vegetarian breaded chicken or fish alternative

• Sticky Gochujang Fish Tacos: similar to above, you could use breaded tofu, aubergine or mushroom for this, or a veggie breaded alternative.

• Satay Slaw with Chicken Skewers: use any vegetable you like for the skewers, or use tofu, tempeh or vegetarian chicken pieces.

• Chicken Salad Tostadas: I would use tofu instead of chicken because I love the texture, but you could use beans, butternut squash or vegetarian chicken pieces instead

• Coconut Curry Baked Rice: use the leftover veg, beans or tofu from your previous recipes instead of chicken

Vegan (follow the steps above for vegetarian, AND do the following):

• Fish Finger Katsu Brothy Rice: as above, ensure the fillets are vegan, and if breading yourself then you can use a flour & water mix instead of egg to coat the tofu/aubergine.

• Sticky Gochujang Fish Tacos: use vegan mayonnaise

• Satay Slaw with Chicken Skewers: as above

• Chicken Salad Tostadas: use vegan mayonnaise

• Coconut Curry Baked Rice: as above

Recipe notes:

• For the fish tacos, use 3-4 fish fingers or 1 fish fillet, rather than chicken tenders as stated in the original recipe. The fish works so well with the lime slaw!

• Use red onion in the katsu curry as you’ll have it leftover from other recipes

• For the coconut curry baked rice, you can use a Thai curry paste if you have it in, but if not then use another golden curry cube as you’ll have them from the katsu curry! Simply dissolve in the liquid before adding to the rice. Also use 1 chicken breast in this recipe. This recipe is also a great way to use up leftover vegetables so I would add 50g sweetcorn, 1/2 a sliced red onion and perhaps some chopped cabbage if I had that leftover too!

• Use peanuts or cashews to garnish the curried rice and satay slaw

Tips for Leftovers:

• As always, freeze any leftover coconut milk in an ice cube tray!

Shopping List

Meal Plan 43 Shopping List

58.4KB ∙ PDF file

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Staples

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Neutral Oil (e.g vegetable, sunflower or avocado oil)

• Sesame Oil

• 1 Clove of Garlic

• 6 Tbsp Mayonnaise

• 3 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar

• 6 Tsp Light Soy Sauce

• 3 Tsp Honey

• 2 Tsp Curry Powder

• 2 Tsp Caster Sugar

• Salt

• Black Pepper

Fresh

• 6-8 Fish Fingers or 2 Fish Fillets

• 3 Chicken Breasts

• 3 Small Red Onions

• 225g White Cabbage

• 1/2 Cucumber

• 1/2 Apple

• 30g Fresh Coriander

• 1/2 Thumb of Ginger

• 2 Red or Green Chillis

• 3 Limes

Cupboard

• 4-6 Soft Flour Tacos

• 1 Portion of Sticky Rice

• 75g Basmati Rice

• 100g Sweetcorn

• 275ml Coconut Milk

• 2 Golden Curry Cubes (S&B is the brand I use)

• 1½ Tbsp Crunchy Peanut Butter

• Pickled Ginger

• Black Sesame Seeds (optional)

• 1 tsp Gochujang Paste

• Handful of Roasted Peanuts or Cashews (optional)

Other

• 3 Skewers

I’ve got a double wammy for you today!! The fifth instalment of my series ‘More Ways Than One’ is out, and I’m including those recipes in my Solo Cook’s Meal Plan for the week, which is at the end of this newsletter.

If you’re not familiar, every month I make one prepable dish and show you how to make at least 3 deliciously different dinners from it. If you’re new to the series, welcome, here’s a reminder of what we’ve made so far:

Halloumi, Chickpea & Aubergine Traybake 3 Ways

Roast Chicken 3 Ways

Pulled Harissa Chicken 4 Ways

Beef & Lentil Ragu 4 Ways

For this month’s recipes, we’re starting with delicious, juicy, homemade meatballs!! These are then transformed into 4 different dishes: my Thai red curry coconut noodle soup, my roasted red pepper & mozzarella meatball orzo, my garlic honey soy meatballs and my meatballs with romesco and feta.

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A large part of why cooking for one can be overwhelming is having to think of something new to cook every single night. So, to make this as easy as possible for you, I also write weekly meal plans complete with (printable) categorised shopping list, recipes notes, tips for leftovers and dietary requirement swaps to make cooking for one even easier!

This week’s meal plan features these 4 meatball recipes, plus another, so you have a recipe for every night of the week ready to go.

So, without further ado, here are the recipes, plus the meal plan.

Big Love & Happy Cooking,

Eleanor x

Prepable Beef Meatballs

The starting prep for this is homemade juicy beef meatballs. They’re incredibly easy to make and can be used so many ways throughout the week. Note that the meatballs can stay raw in the fridge for 3-4 days (so enough time to make all 4 meals) as long as the beef mince doesn’t expire before that. If it does, you can freeze the meatballs raw and thaw before cooking each day.

Garlic Honey Soy Meatballs

The meatballs are pan-fried in sesame oil until golden, then set aside while a simple glaze of garlic, soy sauce, honey and water comes together in the same pan. Everything goes back in to finish cooking and absorb the sauce, which reduces down into a rich glaze that coats every meatball. It is the kind of weeknight dinner that tastes like considerably more effort than it actually was.

Roasted Red Pepper, Meatball & Mozzarella Orzo

Jarred roasted red peppers, coconut milk, fresh basil and water are blended into a silky, vibrant sauce that the orzo bakes directly in, absorbing every bit of flavour as it cooks. The meatballs sit on top throughout, finishing in the oven alongside the pasta. It is a one-dish dinner that looks and tastes far more involved than it actually is, and it comes together in around 30 minutes once your meatball prep is done.

Thai Red Curry Meatball Noodle Soup

This Thai red curry meatball noodle soup is a single serve, one-pot noodle soup that takes four meatballs from the prepable beef meatball batch and simmers them in a rich, fragrant broth of Thai red curry paste, coconut milk and water. Knife-cut or ramen noodles and tenderstem broccoli cook directly in the broth, absorbing the flavour as they soften, before the whole thing is finished with soy sauce and a squeeze of fresh lime juice for a slight zing that lifts everything beautifully.

Meatballs with Romesco Sauce & Feta

These meatballs with romesco sauce and feta are a single serve dinner that takes four meatballs and serves them over a bold, smoky, homemade romesco — a Spanish-inspired sauce made by blending jarred roasted red peppers, blanched almonds, garlic, vinegar and fresh basil. The whole thing is finished with crumbled feta and fresh herbs, with crusty bread for scooping.

MEAL PLAN 42: May 2026

Recipes:

• Initial Recipe: Prepable Beef Meatballs (prep time: 20 mins, cook time: 0 mins)

• Garlic Honey Soy Meatballs (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 20 mins)

• Roasted Red Pepper, Meatball & Mozzarella Orzo (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 30 mins)

• Thai Red Curry Meatball Noodle Soup (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 20 mins)

• Meatballs with Romesco Sauce & Feta (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 15 mins)

• Toasted Corn & Coconut Mac & Cheese (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 15 mins)

Dietary Swaps:

Gluten-Free:

• Prepable Beef Meatballs: use gluten-free breadcrumbs

• Garlic Honey Soy Meatballs: use tamari instead of soy sauce

• Roasted Red Pepper, Meatball & Mozzarella Orzo: use gluten-free orzo

• Thai Red Curry Meatball Noodle Soup: use rice noodles and tamari instead of soy sauce; check your curry paste label

• Meatballs with Romesco Sauce & Feta: naturally gluten-free; serve with gluten-free bread

Vegetarian:

• All five recipes are built around the beef meatball batch and are not suitable for vegetarians or vegans as written. For a plant-based version, substitute the beef meatballs with firm tofu or shop-bought plant-based meatballs across all four recipes.

• Garlic Honey Soy Meatballs: use maple syrup instead of honey in the garlic honey soy meatballs.

• Thai Red Curry Meatball Noodle Soup: ensure the Thai red curry paste is vegan (check for shrimp paste in the ingredients).

Vegan (follow the steps above for vegetarian, AND do the following):

• Roasted Red Pepper, Meatball & Mozzarella Orzo: substitute the mozzarella for a vegan cheese alternative, or omit

• Meatballs with Romesco Sauce & Feta: substitute the feta for a vegan feta alternative, or omit

Recipe notes:

• The meatball batch makes 16 meatballs: 4 portions of 4, one for each of the four recipes. Make the full batch at the start of the week and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

• The coconut milk tin is used across three recipes: 150ml goes into the roasted red pepper orzo, 150ml into the Thai red curry noodle soup, and 200ml is needed for the corn and coconut mac and cheese. This would be a great time to use and frozen leftover coconut milk you have from other meal plans, but if you don’t have any then you can just buy 1 400ml tin of coconut milk and use 100ml of coconut milk + 100ml whole milk in the mac and cheese.

• Again, for the mac and cheese, you can use macaroni or orzo, depending on what you have in and what you want to buy.

• The jarred roasted red peppers are used across two recipes: 1½ peppers in the orzo and 1½ peppers in the romesco. One standard jar should cover both.

• For the seasoning test on the meatballs, fry off a small piece before rolling the full batch and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Tips for Leftovers:

• Freeze any leftover coconut milk in an ice cube tray. It keeps for up to 3 months and can be added from frozen to future soups, sauces and curries.

• The romesco sauce keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days and is excellent spread on toast, tossed through pasta or served alongside roasted vegetables.

• Uncooked meatballs can be frozen for up to 3 months. Flash freeze on a lined baking tray (baking sheet) before transferring to a freezer bag so they do not stick together.

Shopping List

Meal Plan 42 Shopping List

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Staples

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 4 Tsp Sesame Oil

• 7 cloves of garlic

• Sesame seeds, to serve

• 3 tbsp breadcrumbs

• 2 tbsp plus 1–2 tsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp honey

• Salt and black pepper

Fresh

• 400g beef mince (ground beef)

• 1 egg

• 3 tbsp whole milk

• 10g fresh basil

• 10g fresh parsley

• 140g green beans

• 4 stems of tenderstem broccoli (broccolini)

• 1 ball of fresh mozzarella (125g)

• 20g feta

• 3–4 spring onions (scallions)

• 10g fresh coriander (cilantro)

• 1 lime

• 2 fresh red chillies (chili)

Cupboard

• 10g plain flour

• 1 jar roasted red peppers

• 75g frozen sweetcorn

• 500ml coconut milk (or 400ml plus 100ml milk- see recipe notes)

• 90g orzo

• 75g macaroni (or extra orzo)

• 1 nest of knife-cut or ramen noodles

• 30g blanched almonds

• 1 tbsp Thai red curry paste

• Jasmine or sushi rice, to serve with the soy meatballs

• Crusty bread, to serve with the romesco

Honestly I absolutely love the freedom that cooking solely for myself brings. Call me selfish if you so please, but choosing what to eat every day is FUN and if I don’t have to consider someone else in that decision then that makes life a whole lot easier.

So here’s a day on my plate. Is it tragic? I’ll let you decide, but you already know my answer.

7.30am A Cup of Tea: always. I am proudly my mother’s daughter and a cup of tea is truly what gets me out of bed in the morning. I don’t drink a full litre, like she does, but one mug (strong, but milky) usually back in bed or

8am Make Breakfast: I’m almost always a savoury breakfast person but had a hankering for bircher muesli this morning. Unsure why but I shan’t question it. I’ve found that if I don’t make my sweet breakfasts too sweet then I really enjoy them, and I’m not left craving something salty afterwards. This bircher is a really gorgeous alternative to a hot porridge, it’s lighter and fresher, so works well in the spring/summer months, but still substantial enough that I won’t be left screaming for a snack 30 minutes later. You can make it overnight but it only needs an hour or two to soak so if you’re a late breakfaster, like me, then you can make it in the early morning. The full recipe for my bircher muesli can be found here.

10.30am Eat Breakfast: I think fairly self-explanatory, though probably worth acknowledging that, though I love encouraging people to take time to enjoy their solo meals sans distractions, breakfast is almost always eaten at my desk. Either working or watching a youtube vlog (speaking of, I’ve launched my travel vlogging career if you fancy a breakfast watch yourself).

11am Coffee: A ritual I love and look forward to every day. I bought a huge 2.5kg bag of beans from my favourite independent coffee shop so it truly feels like I’m at the cafe every day.

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1pm Lunch Time: A thank you to my past self here, as lunch was mostly pre-made. My small batch bakes mini quiche are a gorgeous springtime lunch and because they make more than one portion (2-4 portions, depending on how hungry you are), I had some leftover from the previous day’s filming. I made two flavours of quiche: herby spinach and feta and double cheese and caramelised onion and served with a simple side salad. I must admit I’m fussy when it comes to salads because they can be soooo bad, but when you get a great dressing, they can also be soooo good. This dressing is a miso, mustard and sweet vinegar situation and provided the perfect balance of salt, sweet and heat for a salad dressing. Simply mix 1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp a sweet vinegar (I used my mum’s homemade damson vinegar but balsamic would work, or any other fruit-infused vinegar. Alternatively, use 1/2 tbsp white wine/cider vinegar and 1/2 tbsp maple syrup/honey), 1/2 tsp white miso paste, 1/2 tsp wholegrain mustard and a pinch of salt together until you have an emulsified salad dressing then toss through your favourite green leaf. I made two flavours of quiche: herby spinach and feta and double cheese and caramelised onion.

4pm Bone Broth: because I like a fun drink but don’t want the inevitable spiral of impeding doom that may or may not come from having a second coffee. Plus 11g of protein in one sachet is quite fun, if you like that sort of thing.

7pm Dinner: And of course, it’s a one pot one portion recipe. A very easy, very delicious one too, if I do say so myself. This halloumi hack is also one of the most brilliant cooking techniques I’ve ever heard of, and I will never skip it when cooking halloumi again!! This bake must be served with thickly-sliced, toasted bread slathered in a very generous layer of butter. I insist.

And there we have a day on my plate. I don’t know about you but that definitely didn’t feel that tragic to me! Each day looks different but truly, cooking for yourself really can be easy and freeing and delicious.

Finally, if you need more inspo for what to cook on a weekly basis then check out my meal plans!! 5 easy recipes, 1 shopping list, minimal food waste, maximum deliciousness.

Big love, and happy cooking,

Eleanor x

Welcome back to Small Batch Bakes, the series that serves more than one but fewer than many.

This series is very dear to me because for so many years I felt like I couldn’t bake, because the people I would want to share it with weren’t nearby, and it never felt accessible enough to me as a solo cook. This series feels like the perfect solution—baking the perfect amount, from scratch, with a few to share or keep for yourself for later.

This is the 13th instalment of the series. Unlucky for some, but not for us, because this week is all about quiche! Not only is it one of my favourite things to eat, but also one of my favourite things to bake. Quiche epitomises everything I love about baking. There are enough elements to it that you really feel as though you’ve made this from scratch (bonus points if you make your own pastry), but each element is simple enough that it doesn’t feel like an overwhelming task to create. Most importantly, the final bake is something I genuinely want to eat every day.

When developing this recipe, I couldn’t decide between two flavours and, if you know me at all, then you’ll know that there is only one solution to that—and that is to do both.

Caramelised Onion & Double Cheese Quiche

Loosely inspired by the flavours of a French onion soup, this quiche has a deliciously jammy layer of caramelised onions on the bottom and is topped with two cheeses: mature cheddar, for a punchy flavour, and Gruyère for a milder, nutty, and slightly sweet flavour.

Herby Spinach & Feta Quiche

Again, loosely inspired by spanakopita, this quiche is filled with a chopped mixture of spinach, feta, and lots of herbs. I opted for tarragon and dried mint, but fresh mint, parsley, or dill would all work well.

Tin Size

As these are mini quiches, you need a mini tin. I used a 15cm loose-bottom tart tin, which I actually found in Sainsbury’s. If you can’t find that, then you could also make super mini quiches in a muffin tin, but I tested this and found that you end up with much more pastry than filling, so I prefer the tart tin. If you don’t have—or don’t want to buy—either, then you could also just double up the recipe and make one large quiche (but where’s the fun in that, hey?).

The Recipes

For ease, I have separated the recipes for each flavour, and if you click the links below, it will take you to my website where the recipes are. It’s worth noting that each recipe makes 2 mini quiches of the same flavour. If you want to make one quiche of one flavour and the other quiche of another flavour, then keep the pastry and egg custard recipes the same and just do half the amount of each filling.

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RECIPE: Caramelised Onion & Double Cheese Quiche

RECIPE: Herby Spinach & Feta Quiche

Big love and happy baking,

Eleanor x

This recipe on instagram was in partnership with Ballymaloe Relish, but this post is not part of that ad. This post may also contain affiliate links which means I may earn commission on any products you purchase, at no additional cost to you x

I first had this combination on a solo trip to New York. I met a lovely friend and fellow cook Justine Doiron for brunch at Agi’s Counter in Crown Heights and she insisted we ordered devilled eggs with anchovies for the table. What a revelation! The earthiness of the curry powder, the salty depth of the anchovies and the fruity heat of the hot sauce completely transforms your standard eggs on toast into something really quite spectacular.

Loosely inspired by devilled eggs, with the curry powder and spicy hot sauce, I’m sharing two ways to eat it here, firstly fried—the anchovies nestled in as the egg cooks. Secondly, boiled and jammy— the anchovies gently laying on top upon serving. Different but equally delicious. I hope you love them!

Big love and happy cooking,

Eleanor x

2 Eggs

2 Anchovies

Heaped ¼ Tsp Curry Powder

Butter and/or Mayonnaise

Hot Sauce

Sourdough

Salt

Black Pepper

For jammy boiled eggs

Place a pan over a medium heat and fill with boiling water. Gently drop the eggs in and cook for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes pour out the boiling water and fill the pan with cold water. This will help when it comes to peeling the eggs as the shell will be easier to remove.

Toast your bread then liberally butter. Peel the eggs and slice in half, then place on the toast. Add dollops of mayonnaise on or around the eggs then sprinkle over the curry powder. Add a few splashes of hot sauce then lay the two anchovies over the eggs. Season with salt (if needed) and black pepper.

For crispy fried eggs

Add a knob of butter to a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the curry powder and let that cook for 1 minute before cracking in the eggs. Lay one anchovy on each egg. Let the eggs fry for 4-5 minutes while you toast your bread.

Once the eggs are golden brown and lacy around the edges and the white is set while the yolk is still slightly translucent, turn off the heat. Butter the toast then lay the eggs on top.

Top with a few splashes of hot sauce and season with salt (if needed) and black pepper.

Gluten-free: use gluten-free bread.

Vegetarian: omit the anchovies & add a dash of soy sauce to the eggs after cooking.

If you’re new here (hi hello welcome) then you may not know that I write weekly meal plans complete with (printable) categorised shopping list, recipes notes, tips for leftovers and dietary requirement swaps to make cooking for one even easier!

This week’s meal plan features some really lovely simple recipes like my chicken piccata and spicy vodka beans, as well as some recipes that, though simple, feel special like my chicken and prawn paella.

I hope you love them!

Big Love & Happy Cooking,

Eleanor x

MEAL PLAN 41: April 2026

Recipes:

• Chicken Piccata (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 20 mins)

• Spicy Vodka Beans (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 15 mins)

• Tomato Tamarind Pasta with Crispy Garlic (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 20 mins)

• Chicken & Prawn Paella page 172 (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 45 mins)

• Butter Prawn Pasta (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 25 mins)

Dietary Swaps:

Gluten-Free:

• Chicken Piccata: Use a gluten-free flour to coat the chicken.

• Spicy Vodka Beans: serve with gluten free bread

• Tomato Tamarind Pasta with Crispy Garlic: use gluten free pasta

• Chicken & Prawn Paella: already GF

• Butter Prawn Pasta: use GF pasta

Vegetarian:

• Chicken Piccata: use a vegetarian chicken alternative, tofu, or aubergine

• Spicy Vodka Beans: already veggie

• Tomato Tamarind Pasta with Crispy Garlic: already vegetarian

• Chicken & Prawn Paella: you could use any array of vegetables instead of the chicken and prawns!

• Butter Prawn Pasta: artichokes would be really delicious instead of prawns here. Courgettes, chickpeas/beans or tofu would also work!

Vegan (follow the steps above for vegetarian, AND do the following):

• Chicken Piccata: use vegan butter

• Spicy Vodka Beans: use vegan butter or olive oil, swap crème fraîche for plant-based cream, and omit the cheese or use a dairy-free parmesan alternative.

• Tomato Tamarind Pasta with Crispy Garlic: wap crème fraîche for plant-based cream

• Chicken & Prawn Paella: as above

• Butter Prawn Pasta: use vegan butter

Recipe notes:

• Use either cannellini beans or chickpeas for the spicy vodka beans and the tomato tamarind pasta

• Dried oregano can be subbed for dried mixed herbs and vice versa

• Use 50g cherry tomatoes instead of 1 large vine tomato in the paella.

• If you want alcohol-free options for the recipes that need vodka and wine, you can substitute with stock plus lemon juice or a little vinegar.

• For the prawn pasta, use the other 1/2 of the red pepper instead of the courgette in the original recipe, as you’ll have it leftover from the paella.

Tips for Leftovers:

• The paella rice will store in your cupboard for a long time but if you fancy a dessert I’d highly recommend my cardamom and coconut rice pudding which is on page 200 of my cookbook.

Shopping List

Meal Plan 41 Shopping List

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Staples

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 2 Tsp Vegetable/Avocado/Sunflower Oil

• 3 Chicken Stock Cubes

• 8 Cloves of Garlic

• 3 1/2 Tbsp Tomato Puree

• 1 Tsp Chilli Flakes

• 1 Tsp Paprika

• 1 Tsp Dried Mixed Italian Herbs or Dried Oregano

Fresh

• 3 Chicken Thigh Fillets

• 160g Raw King Prawns

• 35g Butter

• 4 Tbsp/60ml Creme Fraiche

• 20g Parmesan/Pecorino

• 150g Cherry Tomatoes

• 1 1/2 Lemons

• 2 Large Shallots or 1 White Onion

• 1 Red Bell Pepper

• 1 Red Chilli

• 10g Fresh Parsley

• 5g Fresh Basil

Cupboard

• 155g Short Pasta (e.g rigatoni/penne/orechiette)

• 75g Paella Rice

• 1 Portion of Pre-cooked Rice or Mashed Potato

• Sourdough (or other bread to eat with the beans)

• 400g Cannellini Beans or Chickpeas (including water)

• 2 Tbsp Plain Flour

• 1 Tbsp Capers

• 50ml Vodka

• 125ml White Wine

• 1 1/2 Tbsp Tamarind paste

Hope you had a glorious Easter weekend if you were celebrating (and a glorious weekend if you weren’t)! Welcome back to Small Batch Bakes, recipes that serve more than one but fewer than many. If this is your first time seeing the series then here are a couple of my favourite previous episodes:

I have a brilliantly easy recipe for you this bank holiday Monday and it’s the perfect way to use any leftover hot cross buns that you might have. Initially I was going to share a bread and butter pudding recipe but a) I’ve shared a few of those before and the method is the same every time and b) thought this recipe would be slightly more interesting, albeit just as simple!

So, these are my Hot Cross Bun Monkey Bread Muffins. If you’re not familiar, monkey bread (which I believe originates from Hungary) consists of small dough balls rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar, then stacked in a bundt tin and baked together to create a pull-apart sweet loaf.

I’ve taken inspiration from that idea, but used hot cross buns soaked in a simple custard, then rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked into individual muffins.

The result is 4 deliciously tender pull-apart muffins from gloriously squidgy insides and a crispy cinnamon sugar top. Very very easy but perhaps a little more exciting than your classic bread and butter pudding.

Big Love & Happy Baking,

Eleanor x

Small Batch Hot Cross Bun Monkey Bread Muffins

Makes 4 Muffins

1 Egg

80ml Double Cream

70g Light Brown Sugar

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

4 Hot Cross Buns

1 Tsp Cinnamon

Icing Sugar, to dust

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

2. Make the custard by whisking together the egg, double cream, vanilla extract, and 20g of the light brown sugar. Once smooth, set aside.

3. Cut each hot cross bun into quarters, then add to the custard. Toss gently until the pieces are well coated, then leave to soak for 10 minutes.

4. While they are soaking, add the remaining 50g of sugar into a shallow bowl along with the cinnamon and mix together, place the hot cross bun pieces in the bowl and toss in the sugar until fully coated.

5. Place 4 pieces of hot cross bun into each hole of a muffin tin. Repeat until you have 4 muffins, then bake for 30 minutes, or until the tops are crisp and the muffins have risen slightly.

6. Allow to cool slightly, then dust with icing sugar before serving.

If you’re new here (hi hello welcome) then you may not know that I write weekly meal plans complete with (printable) categorised shopping list, recipes notes, tips for leftovers and dietary requirement swaps to make cooking for one even easier!

This week’s meal plan is based around the third instalment of my series ‘More Ways Than One’ where I take one prepable halloumi, aubergine and chickpea traybake and make three delicious, single-serve dinners from it. You can find the recipes from this week in the newsletter before this.

I hope you love this week’s recipes!

Big Love & Happy Cooking,

Eleanor x

MEAL PLAN 40: March 2026

Recipes:

• Initial Recipe: Halloumi, Aubergine & Chickpea Traybake (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 40 mins)

• Halloumi, Aubergine & Chickpea Salad with Preserved Lemon Dressing with Crispy Tortilla Chips (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 10 mins)

• Halloumi, Chickpea & Aubergine Coconut Curry with Yoghurt Flatbread (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 20 mins)

• Baked Rice with Halloumi, Chickpea & Aubergine (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 20 mins)

• Coconut Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 15 mins)

• Sticky Soy Glazed Chicken (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 15 mins)

Dietary Swaps:

Gluten-Free:

• Halloumi, Aubergine & Chickpea Salad: use GF tortilla wrap (or corn tortilla chips)

• Halloumi, Chickpea & Aubergine Coconut Curry with Yoghurt Flatbread: use GF flour or a pre-made GF flatbread or naan

• Baked Rice with Halloumi, Chickpea & Aubergine: ensure your stock is GF

• Coconut Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup: use rice noodles

• Sticky Soy Glazed Chicken: use tamari instead of soy sauce

Vegetarian:

• Halloumi, Aubergine & Chickpea Salad: already veggie

• Halloumi, Chickpea & Aubergine Coconut Curry with Yoghurt Flatbread: already veggie

• Baked Rice with Halloumi, Chickpea & Aubergine: already veggie

• Coconut Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup: use tofu, mushrooms, aubergine or vegetarian chicken pieces instead of chicken. Use a vegetarian fish sauce or omit.

• Sticky Soy Glazed Chicken: use tofu, mushrooms, aubergine or vegetarian chicken pieces instead of chicken. Also use a vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce.

Vegan (follow the steps above for vegetarian, AND do the following):

• Halloumi, Aubergine & Chickpea Salad: use tofu instead of halloumi

• Halloumi, Chickpea & Aubergine Coconut Curry with Yoghurt Flatbread: use tofu instead of halloumi and use coconut yoghurt instead of plain yoghurt

• Baked Rice with Halloumi, Chickpea & Aubergine: use tofu instead of halloumi

• Coconut Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup: as above

• Sticky Soy Glazed Chicken: as above

Recipe notes:

• Use either thighs or breast for both chicken recipes

• Use fresh garlic and ginger instead of paste for the soy chicken, and cook 75g basmati rice to serve.

Tips for Leftovers:

• Freeze any leftover coconut milk in an ice cube tray, or make this chia pudding)

Shopping List

Meal Plan 40 Shopping List

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Staples

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Sesame Oil

• 6 Cloves of Garlic

• 55g Plain Flour

• 1 tbsp Tomato Puree

• Fish Sauce

• 1/2 Stock Cube

• 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme

• 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika

• 1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin

• 1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric

• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala

• 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

• 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce

• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce

• 1 tbsp Shaoxing Rice Wine

• 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar/Sherry Vinegar

• 1/4 tsp White Pepper

• 2 tsp Brown Sugar

• 1/2 tbsp Maple Syrup

• 1/4 tsp Mustard

Fresh

• 2 Chicken Breasts or 3-4 Chicken Thighs

• 1 Aubergine

• 1 Block of Halloumi (200g)

• 45g Plain Yoghurt

• Large Handful of Rocket

• 1/2 Baby Gem Lettuce

• 15g Fresh Ginger

• 3-4 Spring Onions

• 1/2 Lime

• 15g Fresh Coriander

• 10g Fresh Parsley

Cupboard

• 1 Tin of Chickpeas (240g drained weight)

• 1 Portion of Noodles

• 300ml Coconut Milk

• 150g Basmati Rice

• 1 Tortilla Wrap

• 1 Tbsp Pine Nuts

• 10 Black Olives

• 1/2 Preserved Lemon

• 1/2 tsp Nigella Seeds

Roast Chicken 3 Ways

Pulled Harissa Chicken 4 Ways

Beef & Lentil Ragu 4 Ways

I’ve had several requests for a vegetarian edition, so that’s what we’re making this month! I’m reentering a traybake era which takes me back to when I first started ‘one pot one portion’ over 3 years ago. The first recipe I ever posted was a marmalade sausage traybake (which you can now find in my cookbook) and I remembered being slightly baffled when it went viral because it was so simple—such is the beauty of a traybake! So we’re back, not only with a new single-serve traybake series on instagram, but also with a halloumi, aubergine and chickpea traybake forming the basis of this months ‘More Ways Than One.’

Halloumi, aubergine and chickpeas all complement each other with the 3 providing a great balance of texture, a nice saltiness from the halloumi and nuttiness from chickpeas. All 3 are also flavour sponges and work well with many different spices, which makes the perfect base for this series. In the initial traybake the aubergine is roasted on its own first, to begin the softening, before the chickpeas and halloumi are added with just a gentle spice and seasoning, to roast until everything is soft and just beginning to caramelise.

From there we’ve got 3 different dinners, each using a third of the traybake. Firstly a fresh but satiating salad with olives, pine nuts, fresh herbs and a preserved lemon and maple dressing. A bad salad is a truly tragic thing, so trust me when I say I wouldn’t share a salad recipe unless I was genuinely thrilled to eat it every day of the week. This one was gobbled up (though only on one day of the week, because I only made one portion, of course).

Secondly, a speedy turmeric and coconut curry. This recipe is also based on one of the very first one pot one portion recipes I shared for a similar chickpea and coconut curry (also available in my book thank you for asking). It’s been so long since I made it and I almost forgot how with just 2 spices you can make a particularly lovely curry. To go with it I’m also sharing a recipe for a simple yoghurt flatbread, a recipe I think everyone should know.

Finally, a baked rice with halloumi, chickpeas and aubergine. This recipe is actually based on a recipe I developed for a second book proposal* but I really wanted to share it because it was so brilliant. Initially somewhat inspired by jollof rice, this version is a herby tomato baked rice with the baked trio. I love that the halloumi soaks up some of the stock while it’s baking and gets even more squishy and delicious.

So there you have it! 1 base recipe and 3 ways to use it. I hope they help make cooking for one that little bit easier, and as always, if you’re cooking for more people then simply scale up as necessary!

Big love and happy cooking,

Eleanor x

Halloumi, Aubergine & Chickpea Traybake

Extra Virgin Olive oil

1 Aubergine, sliced into thick strips, sliced into thick strips

1 Block of Halloumi (200g), cut into thick strips

1 Tin of Chickpeas (240g drained weight)

1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika

1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin

Salt

Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

2. Add the aubergine to a large baking dish or tray and drizzle generously with olive oil. Season with salt and bake for 15 minutes.

3. After 15 minutes the aubergine should have started to soften so now add the halloumi, drained chickpeas, smoked paprika and ground cumin. Season with more salt and black pepper and roast for 25-30 minutes until everything is nicely golden,

Halloumi, Aubergine & Chickpea Salad with Preserved Lemon Dressing with Crispy Tortilla Chips

Large Handful of Rocket

1/2 Baby Gem Lettuce, shredded

Handful of Fresh Coriander, chopped

Handful of Fresh Parsley, chopped

1 tbsp Pine Nuts

10 Black Olives, sliced

1/3 of the Halloumi, Aubergine & Chickpea Traybake

1/2 Preserved Lemon, centre removed and rind finely chopped

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

1/2 tbsp Maple Syrup

1/4 tsp Mustard

1 Tortilla Wrap

Salt

Black Pepper

1. Add the rocket, lettuce, coriander, parsley, pine nuts, black olives and the halloumi, chickpea and aubergine to a bowl.

2. In a separate jug, mix the chopped preserved lemon, olive oil, red wine vinegar, maple syrup and mustard. Season generously with salt and black pepper and mix again, tasting and adjusting as necessary.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss together until everything is well combined.

4. Let that sit while you toast your tortilla. Cut into 8 triangles and place on a baking sheet or air fryer tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and bake for 8-12 minutes until golden and crisp.

5. Scoop up the salad with the tortilla chips.

Halloumi, Chickpea & Aubergine Coconut Curry with Yoghurt Flatbread

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped or grated

1/2 Thumb Ginger, finely chopped or grated

1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

200ml Coconut Milk

1/3 of the Halloumi, Aubergine & Chickpea Traybake

45g Plain Yoghurt

55g Plain Flour

2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Nigella Seeds

Salt

Fresh Coriander, to serve

1. Add a little olive oil to a small pan and gently fry the garlic and ginger over a medium-low for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the turmeric and garam masala and fry for another minute or two before adding the coconut milk.

2. Stir well until you have a smooth sauce then add the halloumi, aubergine and chickpeas and stir. Turn the heat to low and let that simmer while you make you flatbread.

3. Mix the plain yoghurt, flour, olive oil, nigella seeds and a sprinkle of salt in a bowl until you have a shaggy dough. Tip onto a work surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth, then roll out into a flatbread.

4. Heat a frying pan over a high heat and fry the flatbread for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

5. Once the flatbread is cooked, taste and season the curry with a little salt if needed then serve up with the flatbread and some fresh coriander.

Baked Rice with Halloumi, Chickpea & Aubergine

75g Basmati Rice

1/3 of the Halloumi, Aubergine & Chickpea Traybake

250ml Water

1 tbsp Tomato Puree

1/2 Stock Cube

1/2 tsp Dried Thyme

Salt

Black Pepper

Fresh Coriander or Parsley, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

2. Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear then add to a small ovenproof dish (like this one). Add the halloumi, aubergine and chickpeas too.

3. In a jug, whisk together the water, tomato puree, stock cube and dried thyme. Season with salt and black pepper then pour over the rice.

4. Mix well until everything is coated in the water then place a lid on the pan (or cover tightly in tin foil) and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.

5. Once cooked, fluff the rice up and top with fresh coriander or parsley before serving.

*before you get excited, the book that I wrote the proposal for actually isn’t happening. The publishers weren’t interested in that particular book idea, and to be honest, I wasn’t 100% sure on it either, but I have other ideas and I’m sure (or at least I really really hope…) that another book will come along one day, when the time and the concept are right.

I’m not unaware of the conversation around this type of content and how it could lead to comparison (or judgement). What you eat is unique to you and what works for me may not work for you for so many reasons, and vice versa.

That being said, I wanted to share this because, when it comes to cooking for one, I think my style of day-to-day cooking is less about planned recipes and more about seeing what I’ve got in and how best I can use it. I think this way of cooking, the tips and tricks for cooking for one, are better represented in a day of eating as opposed to a planned recipe, hence my decision to share—plus I personally love watching what other people eat, I think the anthropologist in me finds it incredibly fascinating.

So here it is! A relatively normal day that you can watch below, then I’ve written the recipes (plus additional tips, tricks and ingredient substitutions) for breakfast and lunch below. The dinner recipe was a test and is coming soon so make sure you’re following along on IG if you fancy that.

Big love and happy cooking,

Eleanor x

Peach & Rhubarb Coconut Chia Pudding

I’ve always been averse to chia pudding, and it can take a minute to get over the mental barrier of eating what looks like frogspawn. But once you do it can be very delicious! Essentially, you mix chia seeds with some form of liquid and let that absorb and gelatinise into a pudding of sorts. My main discovery is that it’s really best with coconut. Coconut milk is my preference but on this day I also had coconut water, which worked well for a slightly fresher option. Topped with kefir yoghurt, stewed rhubarb and peaches and it was practically summer.

Top tips

• Freeze any leftover coconut milk from recipes in ice cube trays, then when you’re ready to make a chia pudding, either let it defrost or defrost gently in the microwave, then add to the seeds.

• Stewing fruit is a brilliant way to extend its shelf-life. I bought some rhubarb from a farmer’s market last week and, while beautiful, it was already looking slightly floppy. I then forgot to bake anything with it for a few days so quickly chopped it up (around 500g) and got it simmering with a splash of water, the juice of about half a lemon, around 50g of caster sugar and a drop of vanilla extract. Leave it to blip until softened, then store in an airtight container.

• Don’t sleep on tinned fruit! Like stewed fruit it has a longer shelf life so, if you can’t eat a full punnet of fresh peaches, opt for tinned peaches instead and they’ll last longer stored in their juice.

  

1.5 Tbsp Chia Seeds

5 Tbsp Coconut Water

3 Tbsp Mango Passionfruit Kefir Yoghurt

2 Tbsp Stewed Rhubarb (rhubarb sliced and cooked until soft with a little sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract)

3 Slices of Tinned Peach

1. Add the chia seeds and coconut water to a bowl (or a silver coupe), mix and leave to sit for around 20 minutes to soak up and soften.

2. Top with the kefir yoghurt, then the rhubarb, then the tinned peaches!

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Leftover Greens Pesto Pasta

Ingredients are often sold to accommodate households with multiple people which means, when cooking for one, it’s not hard to have a veg drawer of odds and ends of several vegetables. This pesto pasta is not only deliciously comforting, but also a brilliant way to use up those odds and ends. this dish is yours to rely on when you need it.

Top Tips

• You could substitute the leeks and cavolo nero with any green veg here. Spinach and kale are easy swaps, but you could also do rocket, watercress, carrot tops, and even a softened onion.

• Same for the herbs and nuts, use whatever you have around! Basil, parsley and coriander are all great, plus hazelnuts, walnuts or cashews in place of pine nuts.

• And same for the dairy. I had some cream cheese in the fridge but you could use creme fraiche, sour cream, double or single cream, cottage cheese or plain yoghurt.

  

10g Garlic & Herb Butter

1/2 Leek, finely sliced

70g Cavolo Nero, sliced

100g Dried Red Lentil Pasta

1/2 Tbsp Pine Nuts

10g Parmesan, grated

5g Coriander, Basil or Parsley

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1 Tbsp Cream Cheese

70g Green Beans

Salt

Black Pepper

1. Add the garlic and herb butter to a pan then saute the leek and cavolo nero for 5 minutes or so, until they have softened.

2. Add to a blender then fill the pan with boiling water and get your pasta on to boil. When the pasta has 3-4 minutes left, add the green beans.

3. To the blender add the pine nuts, parmesan, herbs and lemon juice, plus a splash of water and salt and pepper. Blitz until you have a pesto-like sauce.

4. Once the pasta and green beans are done, drain but reserve a little pasta water. Put back in the pan and add the sauce, plus the cream cheese. Stir together, loosening with pasta water where necessary. Taste and season with salt and pepper, plus extra lemon juice and parmesan if you like.

Now I wang on and on about the joy that can be found in cooking or baking for one, but I thought it would be rude not to share at least some of that joy with the man I’m planning on sharing my life with (on his birthday, at least). And let me tell you there are very few things in life that bring this man as much joy as a kinder bueno. He’s tried every variation and I’d go as far as to say that there is rarely a day that goes by without at least one form of chocolatey hazelnuty wafery goodness being consumed.

So my cake plan this year was to move away from the safe, reliable zone of a classic, round, layered cake and plunge myself into the risky business of sculpting. Now I am no artist, but my skills with a palette knife aren’t bad (helped by 8 years working in a bakery as a teen/young adult) and I thought, if a regular kinder bueno brings him so much joy, imagine the wonder he would feel upon seeing a GIANT Kinder Bueno.

And so my quest began.

As with many important bakes, I do absolutely no testing beforehand. My nervous system loves me thank you for asking. If I’m not developing my own recipe I also tend to come up with the idea for the cake, plus the flavour profiles or specific components I want to include, then do a bit of research and pick a different recipe for each element. I don’t think I’ve ever actually followed a full cake+icing recipe from one person, there are always 3-5 different recipes involved. That’s also exactly what I did here and so actually I can take no credit for any of the recipes so please, if you do make any form of this cake, show these recipe creators some luuurve.

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So why did I choose these specific recipes?

Let’s start with the cake. I have used a chocolate cake recipe by Lindsay Conchar over and over and over again. It is practically the only one I make because it has everything I look for in a chocolate cake. It’s oil based, which keeps it unbelievably moist, it incorporates boiling water which hydrates and blooms the cocoa, and it’s basically made in one bowl. Everyone I’ve made it for LOVES it. This time was no exception.

A kinder bueno is filled with a delicious white chocolate hazelnut cream and I knew I wanted to make something similar to use as the filling of the cake, sandwiched between each layer. I found a recipe by Ash Baber, for what is essentially a white chocolate nutella, that fit the bill. I opted for something like this as opposed to a buttercream because it’s slightly thicker texture seemed more secure for the carving.

Finally, I don’t particularly enjoy an American buttercream but I do very much enjoy a Swiss meringue buttercream. They’re less sweet, more stable and smoother to ice with. However, Swiss meringue buttercream involves beating eggs over a bain-marie and if I’m completely honest I couldn’t really be bothered to do this—the mere thought of the sticky mess it creates was overstimulating me tbh. So I opted for an Italian meringue buttercream instead, which gives the same result but you only have to make a sugar syrup, which is far less sticky. BBC Good Food came through with a recipe for this.

THE RECIPE

I don’t have a formal written recipe for this but I will do my best to explain the process below. I have also linked all the recipes I used below.

Chocolate Cake Recipe

White Chocolate Hazelnut Cream

Italian Meringue Buttercream + Nutella

Milk Chocolate Shell + Dark Chocolate Drizzle

Baking

1. The link for the white chocolate hazelnut cream is for a full kinder bueno cake, but as you can see, I used different recipes for my cake and just made the white chocolate hazelnut filling from this link. Make this first, so it has time to set. You can put it in the fridge but it might get too firm so, if it does, microwave it for just a couple of seconds before using until you have a nutella-like consistency,

2. Make the chocolate cake in a large rectangular baking dish (mine was 14”x10” which worked very well). It took a similar amount of time to bake as the recipe states for a round tin, but keep an eye on it just in case. Let it cool completely when it’s baked.

3. Make the buttercream according to the recipe then, once done, gently whip through a hefty amount of Nutella. I didn’t measure, I just went on taste, but I’d say it was probably 400-500g.

4. The chocolate shell is just melted chocolate, but don’t do that until the rest of the cake is fully assembled.

Assembly

1. Start with your chocolate cake rectangle. You want to cut it in half lengthways but slightly off centre (so actually not in half if we’re being technical) so you have one half that is slightly wider than the other half.

2. You then want to cut them in half horizontally, so each half becomes 2 thinner halves. You should be left with 4 rectangular layers of cake, 2 slightly wider than the other 2.

3. Place one of the wider layers on your cake board, spread over around 1/3 of the white chocolate hazelnut filling until the layer is evenly covered. Place the other wider layer of cake on top of this and then cover that one with 1/3 of the filling too. Next, put a thinner layer of cake on top, then cover with filling. Finally, put the last layer of cake on top. Let this chill in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up.

4. Once firm, start to gently carve it. You want to smooth out the shape so rather than looking like stacked rectangles, it looks like a semi-circle (like a pipe cut in half). It doesn’t need to be perfect because the buttercream creates most of the shape, so don’t shave off too much cake. Once it’s slightly smoothed, cut out two ‘V’ shapes 1/3 and 2/3rds of the way along the cake so create the shape of 3 separate pieces of kinder bueno. You also want to shave the very ends of the cake down at an angle to create the right shape.

5. Cover the whole thing in a thick layer of buttercream, smooth it over into the shape of a kinder bueno, and keeping the buttercream in the V’s thinner, so the gap doesn’t fill in. Set in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight until the buttercream is set.

6. Melt the milk chocolate (probably around 600g) for the shell. You’ll be covering the whole cake in chocolate but do it one third at a time as it’ll be much easier to smooth out before it sets (I didn’t do this and regretted it. A hairdryer had to get involved). Once the whole cake is covered, let it set then melt the dark chocolate (only around 150g) and pipe a drizzle over the top.

7. You’re done!!

EDIT

I completely forgot to add a slice shot, mainly because I completely forgot to take one!! I will provide the only picture of the inside of the cake that I have, but I will warn you it ain’t cute, because it was accidentally stamped on…yes you heard that right. Several drinks were consumed and someone mistook the bag that the cake was in for something else and stamped on it hehe. Not to worry, the cake had already been served by this point so it was only the leftovers that were trampled. So yes, here is the photo I have, you can see what the layers would have looked like had they not been in contact with someone’s shoe xx

If you’re new here (hi hello welcome) then you may not know that I write weekly meal plans complete with (printable) categorised shopping list, recipes notes, tips for leftovers and dietary requirement swaps to make cooking for one even easier!

The meals are all recipes I’ve shared before across socials or in my cookbook and I try and pick meals that reflect the seasons/weather/general food vibes I think you might like!

Big Love & Happy Cooking,

Eleanor x

MEAL PLAN 39: March 2026

Recipes:

• Ginger Chicken Blanket Dumplings (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 10 mins)

• Herby Chicken Meatball Brothy Pasta (prep time: 15 mins, cook time: 20 mins)

• Puttanesca Chicken Traybake (prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 40 mins)

• Marry Me Chickpeas (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 20 mins)

• French Tomato Soup (prep time: 5 mins, cook time: 55 mins)

Dietary Swaps:

Gluten-Free:

• Ginger Chicken Blanket Dumplings: use gluten-free dumpling wrappers and tamari instead of soy sauce.

• Herby Chicken Meatball Brothy Pasta: substitute the anelli for a gluten-free pasta of your choice

• Puttanesca Chicken Traybake: already GF

• Marry Me Chickpeas: This recipe is naturally gluten-free! Just ensure your chosen flatbread or crusty bread for serving is gluten-free.

• French Tomato Soup: use a GF bread

Vegetarian:

• Ginger Chicken Blanket Dumplings: use finely chopped tofu, or you could use an equal weight of vegetarian sausages. Leave out the fish sauce

• Herby Chicken Meatball Brothy Pasta: as with the dumplings, use either tofu or vegetarian sausages (sausages will form better meatballs)

• Puttanesca Chicken Traybake: I would use halloumi instead of chicken thighs

• Marry Me Chickpeas: already V

• French Tomato Soup: already V

Vegan (follow the steps above for vegetarian, AND do the following):

• Ginger Chicken Blanket Dumplings: as above

• Herby Chicken Meatball Brothy Pasta: leave out the pecorino or substitute with a dairy-free cheese

• Puttanesca Chicken Traybake: use tofu instead of halloumi

• Marry Me Chickpeas: use a vegan creme fraiche instead of cream, or use coconut milk. Substitute the parmesan for a vegan hard cheese or nutritional yeast.

• French Tomato Soup: use a vegan creme fraiche and a cheese alternative

Recipe notes:

• Use either chickpeas for the puttanesca traybake, or cannelini beans in the ‘marry me’ dish so you only have to buy one.

• You will have 1/2 red pepper leftover so I would roast it with the tomatoes and add it to the tomato soup.

Tips for Leftovers:

• You can use any leftover double cream to make a single serve dessert recipe from my website or my cookbook!

Shopping List

Meal Plan 39 Shopping List

55.7KB ∙ PDF file

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Staples

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

• 2 Tsp Crispy Chilli Oil

• Knob of Butter

• 7 Cloves of Garlic

• 1/2 Tsp Fennel Seeds

• 1/2 Tsp Garlic Granules

• 1 Tsp Chilli Flakes

• 1/2 tsp Dried Mixed Italian Herbs

• 1/2 Chicken Stock Cube

• 1 tbsp Tomato Puree

• 3 Tsp Soy Sauce

• 1 Tsp Sherry Vinegar

• Splash of Fish Sauce

• 1/2 Tsp Caster Sugar

• 1/2 Tsp Honey

• Pinch of MSG (optional)

Fresh

• 225g Chicken Mince

• 2 Chicken Thighs

• 45g Pecorino/Parmesan

• 30g Comte, Gruyere or Cheddar

• 2 tbsp Double/Heavy Cream

• 4 Tbsp Creme Fraiche/Sour Cream

• 2 Springs Onions

• 300g Cherry Tomatoes

• 1 White Onion

• 1/2 Red Pepper

• 1/2 Thumb of Ginger

• 10g Fresh Parsley

• 10g Fresh Basil

• 1 Lemon

Cupboard

• 6-7 Frozen Dumpling Wrappers

• 1 Baguette (enough for 2 portions)

• 70g Anelli Pasta (or orzo)

• 1 Tin (400g) Chickpeas or Cannelini Beans

• 70g Frozen Peas

• 10 Black Olives

• 1 Tbsp Capers

• 2 Anchovies

• 1/2 tsp White Miso

• 1 tsp Harissa Paste

Why does doing things alone have to be a secret?

When it comes to solo dining and talking about solo dining, I’m never actually worried about being alone, only what people think about me being alone. Feeling comfortable in your own company is one thing but feeling comfortable being seen in your own company is another. And once you are comfortable with that I think the whole thing becomes even more enjoyable.

Whenever people do speak about solo dining it almost always includes an exclamation of ‘oh I love getting a counter seat when I’m eating on my own.’ There are only two reasons I can think of as to why a solo diner might choose a counter seat. Firstly, because you get a view of the chefs at work—but this isn’t something that only a solo diner could experience. A party of any size who books a counter seat can see the kitchen, and, sure, there are some restaurants for which people claim you absolutely must sit counter-side, but in my experience this phrase doesn’t come up anywhere near as frequently for multiple diners as it does for solo diners. Which leads me to think the second reason is more convincing. A counter seat means you are less exposed. Less seen.

Going back to the first video I made about solo dining, I think there’s a huge stigma around aloneness. Being seen as being alone comes with almost no positive connotations. If we’re pushing this thought outside of the boundaries of solo dining, then this is even more true for society’s views of women who are alone. The classic (see also: misogynistic) bachelor vs spinster narrative, attitudes to unmarried men vs unmarried women, distinguished gentleman vs crazy cat lady, as if women who do anything alone are either undesirable, problematic or completely mad.

God forbid a woman simply enjoy her own company.

I’m sure there are many people who would see someone eating alone and internally praise that person’s confidence, their self-assurance or ability to spend time with their own mind (or, perhaps even better, think nothing at all of it), but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to also assume that some people may feel pity towards said solo diner, perhaps wonder if they had no friends or had been stood up.

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It’s a funny thing, that people automatically assume that if someone is doing something alone it’s because they had no one to do it with. An exception to this, I think, would be solo travel but even then I think that’s because solo travel comes with a promise that ‘you’ll meet people along the way’. The idea being that you arrive solo but you don’t actually travel solo. I’ve done this type of travel, just as I have done dinner for one out of necessity rather than choice but, as I get older and more comfortable in my own company, I also do both simply because I want to experience them alone.

Experiencing something alone is different to experiencing something with someone else. Both great, don’t get me wrong, but different. If I choose to go for dinner alone it’s because I want that specific experience. Not because it was the last resort. (On a separate note, I sometimes feel a level of guilt towards my boyfriend, friends, or family when I choose to do something alone…perhaps that’ll be the topic of the next discussion).

It seems there are two barriers to entry when it comes to solo dining, then. The first is your own mind. The second is everyone else’s. You need to be comfortable in your own company (or at least, willing to practice) first, and once you’ve done that you need to be comfortable being seen in your own company. If you think about it, no one really knows why you’re there. You could have been stood up, sure. But you could also be a world-renowned food critic, the owner of the restaurant, an author finding inspiration for your next novel. The narrative is simultaneously entirely up to you and completely out of your control. So actually, if we can’t control the minds of everyone else in the restaurant, then I suppose we’re back to just one barrier.

Accepting that people may think things that aren’t true about your solo dining situation means that you can then be solely focused on your own enjoyment. Quite frankly I would never choose a counter seat because they’re so damn uncomfortable!! I hate perching and I hate having my legs either dangling above the floor or slipping off a bar that’s slightly too far away. Give me a table, a chair and sturdy ground upon which to place my feet please and thank you. Am I more visible? Yes. Is that more scary? Yes. Does that change how I feel about the experience of dining alone? Honestly yes a little bit, BUT less and less every time I do it.

A classic case of fake it ‘til you make it, being comfortable being seen alone does get easier and, what’s more, it gets more fun. I love taking my notebook and a pen with me and pretending I’m the next Grace Dent. Plus, other people might be looking at me but guess what, I’m looking at them too. The ultimate people watching experience, I love guessing whether a couple are on a first date or in a fully fledged relationship, wondering how the trio across from me know each other or what line of work the large group in the corner are in. I won’t find out but I guess they won’t find out if I’ve been stood up or not either and that’s a power balance I’m very comfortable with.

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I suppose part of the reason I want to start this discussion is because doing things alone shouldn’t have to feel secret or hidden, and it needn’t be seen as a last resort. As with many things that bring reward, practice is needed before it feels fully comfortable but this is a skill I’m more than happy to practice, and share along the way.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this, or about your own solo dining experiences so do feel free to leave a comment.

Big love,

Eleanor x