Cooking on a Bootstrap: Over 100 simple, budget recipes

by Jack Monroe

Jack Monroe is a campaigner, food writer and activist. Her first cookbook A Girl Called Jack , was a runaway bestseller selling nearly 60,000 copies. The sequel Cooking on a Bootstrap makes budget food fun and delicious, with 118 incredible new recipes including Fluffy Berry Pancakes, Self-Love Stew, Marmite Mac ‘n’ Cheese and Hot Sardines with Herby Sauce.

Chapters include Bread, Breakfasts, A Bag of Pasta and a Packet of Rice, Spuds and Eat More Veg. There are vegan, sweet and what Jack calls ‘contraband’ dishes here, as well as nifty money-saving tips. With her trademark humour and wit, Jack shows us that affordable, authentic and creative recipes aren't just for those with fancy gadgets or premium ingredients.

Initially launching this book as a limited edition on Kickstarter, Jack reached the funding target in just one day. This updated edition contains illustrations and original full-colour photographs to really make your mouth water.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Health

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Jack Monroe is a British food writer, journalist and activist known for campaigning on poverty issues, particularly hunger relief. Monroe has published a blog and several books of "austerity recipes", and has campaigned alongside various British charity organisations. Monroe initially rose to prominence for writing a blog titled A Girl Called Jack (now renamed Cooking on a Bootstrap), and has since written for publications such as The Echo, The Huffington Post, The Guardian, and The New Yorker. Monroe identifies as non-binary.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done, putting simple recipes with easy to find, budget friendly ingredients for a UK audience (since quite a few ingredients are so UK specific, e.g. tinned potatoes). Would love to see similarly well put together budget books for other places.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Jack Monroe’s earlier cookbook, A Girl Called Jack, where she listed recipes she to feed herself and Small Boy (as she calls her son) for £10 (about U.S. $12.50) per week in 2012. Well, Jack’s back with Cooking on a Bootstrap, which boasts 100 more recipes. A few are too similar to what was in A Girl Called Jack and some weren’t to my taste (fish paste? Beetroot Chocolate Loaf Cake? Green Juice? No thanks), but I really enjoyed the recipes overall and will be trying them out.

Despite some of them being cheaper than US$1 and often derived from canned foods and pantry staples, they’re pretty delicious. Jack was even able to impress diners at a posh restaurant with one of her dishes, showing that you don’t have to spend a lot to eat well. Her homemade breads, Pappa al Pomodoro, Sausagne, Tarka Daal, Pear and Almond Tart and more — all made so cheaply — will delight foodies and the cash-strapped alike. Highly recommended.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a history to this book, as I suppose there is for the preceding two Jack Monroe cookbooks but not quite the same one. This is a version of the Kickstarted one, waiting for which latter did not seem to bring out the best in people. My copy says nothing about 'bon vivants' (mercifully) but there are some allusions to the high life and travel of a sort I'd not anticipated, and various restaurant kitchens have rubbed off. I was surprised that there wasn't more reference to some of the issues that now in play - Monroe's remarkably evangelistic about the joys of kneading bread for example, despite rheumatoid problems affecting hands and often compromising cooking operations (and I appreciate that something doesn't stop being a joy because a particular individual can no longer or only intermittently do it) I felt that some of the comments verge on the sneery and faux snobbish in a way they haven't previously. Short grained rice does something different to long grain, if you are on a tight budget you need to know your substitutions and some will find they prefer them, but people don't use a different sort of rice for some dishes out of pure affectation. Monroe also doesn't go out of the way to be inclusive of dietary requirements eg there are some interesting general substitution suggestions in the introduction but not on a by recipe basis. That is not to say that there aren't plenty of options.

Still, it's the chatty approach that makes Monroe's cooking so endearing (even when it contradicts itself). I note with grim satisfaction (and sympathy!) that the Small Boy has gone the way of most child flesh in rejecting some foods. Some of the recipes smack delightfully of just plain mucking about in the kitchen and are liable to put off the nervous (yet it's Monroe's own wise point in the introduction that the indigent really can't afford mistakes)

I wasn't quite as keen to rush off and try any of the recipes (although I shall) but it was still an enjoyable read.

[Cidney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was brilliant! A really good cookbook, Jack Monroe seems to specialise in coming up with good recipes for those who are struggling to feed themselves and/or a family on limited means. She starts the book with suggestions for setting up a store cupboard, the benefits of balancing carbohydrates and protein, and ideas for the kind of equipment you need (you don't need masses and charity shops are good places to look). I liked the fact that she doesn't use a rolling pin but a wine bottle instead (I've just bought a rolling pin) and the no need for a bread maker just use your fingers, and using black tea instead of red wine, it still gives you the tannin!

I've written a list (don't want to mark my book, I know it was second hand from online but I still like to keep them readable!), and there quite a lot of recipes I want to try out, the corn muffins and the three recipes for tinned sardines are just a few. I bought a lot of sardines and other fish when I had low blood saturation levels during covid and needed more iron, I didn't use the sardines because I couldn't find any ideas for tinned ones. Jack has three recipes!! I really want to try those first! This is ridiculous getting excited over recipes for tinned sardines but I really am so happy!!

[Alena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing jumped out at me, but I got a few new ideas for favorite veg.

[Kir · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐
So my copy of the book arrived a few days before the release date, so whilst I haven't actually cooked anything from it yet, I did sit down and read it cover to cover like I do a good book.
After the introductory segments, the recipes are divided into 9 sections: bread, breakfasts, soups, packet of pasta or a bag of rice, spreads, beans pulses lentils, contraband, eat more greens, sweets and treats. I'm a big fan of Jack's blog, Cooking on a Bootstrap, which is where many of my staple recipes have come from. The recipes are marked vegetarian or vegan where appropriate but a lot of the non vegetarian or non vegan recipes can be quite easily adapted, speaking as a vegan myself.
I'll try and update this review once I have cooked a few of the recipes.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this cover to cover as if a regular book. Jack's humour and down to earth speech gives this book a special feel. Their quirky humour also alleviates fears I had about my abilities to make certain recipes. I feel excited to try lots of the recipes and even adapt some of them myself as Jack has done before me.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t just a cook book for those on a budget it was a great cookbook for those of us not normally allowed in the kitchen unattended for public safety

The no nonsense and straightforward approach even help produce dinner much to the shock of my family

Plan to buy other cook books by same author

[Siobhan J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked it a shade less than the other book I have from her, the cooking from cans one, but still got a lot of good recipes. I especially love that she's very much "adapt to your own tastes", which is pretty obvious when you've been cooking for a while (as I have) but as a new cook seems pretty daunting.

[Gem ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic easy to make, delicious and importantly budget friendly recipes. The mushroom Rogan Josh is my favourite so far and I have quite a few others lined up to make from it. There's plenty of veggie/ vegan dishes and ones that use up cupboard basics. Mmmmm!

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read from cover to cover in one sitting. It's entertainingly written with honest anecdotes and the story of each recipe's inception. Great tips for alternative ingredients for each recipe too. Can't wait to try them all out!

[Kamilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it through, looks promising, though I must say, not many recipes really "stuck out" at me, like they did from her first book.

Still, love her work, and what she is doing for the industry - it's not all about spending $$$ its about good food!!

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Very Useful

What I love about all of Jack Monroe's books is, how useful they are. With so many cookbooks, you get intimidated and end up never using them. Not Jack's books. I have already book marked some recipes to try.

[Jannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous and simple. My sense of cooking confidence is constantly fluctuating but I find I like to take a recipe and experiment and doing things to the dot is not my thing. I like to play around and don't set like stress. This book is a nice match to that.

[Maria Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! I particularly recommend the mushroom Rogan josh - awesome as it but also fantastic with lamb!

[Just_me · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fab cookbook by Jack Monroe. These recipes are both cheap and tasty I've tried quite a few now and all have been delicious.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspired by both the want to be more organised in my food shopping and by watching sky Arts Bookclub where Andi Oliver asks all the guests if they read cookbooks this ticked both boxes.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on the Kickstarter, and it's chock full of adorable illustrations. Only problem was a lack of contents/index in my version, but I believe the commercial version is different.

[Highlyeccentric · Rating 4 out of 5]

It remains to be seen, but on first read this book seems less /interesting/ than ‘A year in 100 recipes��� but more useful- likely as useful as A Girl Called Jack.