Why I Wrote Table For One

Feel the love for cooking solo

When I first began dreaming up Table for One, I kept thinking about the many friends and readers who had quietly confessed to me that cooking for themselves felt like “too much effort.” I heard the same words again and again: it feels wasteful, it takes too much time, it never seems worth it when it is only me.

Those words stayed with me. I wanted to write a book that pushed back against that idea, a book that would remind people that even one person at the table deserves care, colour and flavour. Solo cooking is not second best. It can be simple, nourishing and full of love.

It’s since emerged there are a whole other group of solo diners I hadn’t focused on, those who are the only plantbased eaters in their families.

I also wanted to weave in something I feel deeply about: sustainability. Cooking for one often means more packaging, more leftovers, more energy wasted. With Table for One I wanted to show how solo meals can be lighter on both effort and the planet. That is why you will find recipes that are quick, one-pot, batch-friendly, no-cook or made with energy-saving methods like the air fryer. You will also find notes on how to use up every last scrap, swap ingredients, and keep waste out of the bin.

This book is personal too. Living in rural Andalucía, I know how central food is to the rhythm of the day. Even when life gets busy, even when I am on my own, I want my meals to be colourful and satisfying. Writing these recipes became a way of sharing that philosophy. They are dishes I turn to myself: bowls of spiralised vegetables with creamy cashew dressing, comforting one-pot stews, a quick cookie baked just for me.

Throughout the book you will also see Alba, the thread who runs through all of my cookbooks. Her voice offers little nudges and quotes to remind us that mealtimes matter, whether there are two at the table or just you.

In the end, Table for One is about changing the story. Cooking for yourself should not feel like a compromise. It is a chance to pause, to look after your body, to enjoy flavour and texture, and to know that you matter enough to make yourself something good.

I hope this book feels like a friend in the kitchen, one that encourages you to keep cooking, even when it is only for you.