Little Leons by Henry Dimbleby, Kay Plunkett-Hogge, Claire Ptak & John Vincent

When UK restaurant chain Leon released the Leon: Family & Friends cookbook earlier this year, I became smitten with their joyful approach to recipes and book design. Now Leon continues to charm with a collection of four Little Leons, each one focusing on “naturally fast recipes” for a different course or meal. I think a set of these would make an especially sweet gift for families, new cooks, and anyone who appreciates fun, wholesome food.

• Who wrote it: Henry Dimbleby, Kay Plunkett-Hogge, Claire Ptak & John Vincent
• Who published it: Conran Octopus
• Number of recipes: 26
• Recipes for right now: A Breakfasty Banana Split, Jonny Jeffrey’s Fluffy Eggs, Gluten-Free Saturday Pancakes, Ultimate Mushrooms on Toast, Tiger’s Milk
• Other highlights: For busy weekdays and lazy weekends, the recipes in this little book are chock full of ingredients to start the day right, like wheat-free grains, nuts and seeds, and fruit. Eggs are a particular focus with eight recipes including perfect scrambled and poached eggs and a deconstructed, lighter huevos rancheros.

• Who wrote it: Henry Dimbleby, Kay Plunkett-Hogge, Claire Ptak & John Vincent
• Who published it: Conran Octopus
• Number of recipes: 34
• Recipes for right now: Blackberry Power Smoothie, Watermelon Slurpie, Soul Fruit Cup, Kamomila Fizz, Champagne Granita
• Other highlights: The drinks in this book will take you from morning to night and summer to winter. There are energy-boosting power smoothies and refreshing fruit juices; cool cocktails (including a non-alcoholic one for kids); summer ice pops, granitas, and sorbets; and winter warmers like hot chocolate, Halloween punch, and glögg.

• Who wrote it: Henry Dimbleby, Kay Plunkett-Hogge, Claire Ptak & John Vincent
• Who published it: Conran Octopus
• Number of recipes: 24
• Recipes for right now: Better Brownie, Honey & Rose Baklava, Bar of Good Things, Almond Date Oat Muffins, Zucchini Mini Cupcakes
• Other highlights: This book features mostly sweet but also some savory baked goods including brownies, bars, cookies, crackers, muffins, cupcakes, and buns. There are solid recipes for classics like brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and cut-out cookies, as well as healthier recipes without wheat, dairy, and/or sugar.

• Who wrote it: Henry Dimbleby, Kay Plunkett-Hogge, Claire Ptak & John Vincent
• Who published it: Conran Octopus
• Number of recipes: 31
• Recipes for right now: Apple’s Persian Onion Soup, 3 Sisters Superfood Salad, Bean Salad with Pickled Onions, Leon’s Halloumi Wrap, Lentil Masala Dip
• Other highlights: Almost all of the recipes in this book can be made in five steps or less, making it totally possible to have a wholesome, from-scratch lunch or snack. Despite the book’s small size there’s quite a variety of dishes and flavors so you’ll never get bored. The “things on toast” and “things on potatoes” features are especially inspired.

Find these at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon:

• Leon Breakfast & Brunch
• Leon Smoothies, Juices & Cocktails
• Leon Brownies, Bars & Muffins
• Leon Soups, Salads & Snacks

• Visit the author’s website: Leon

Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.

(Images: Emily Ho)