Books & Breakfast

Alison Roman’s 'Something from Nothing' and a Very Good Figgy Granola Bowl

Killing time in bookstores is one of my favourite pastimes, though “killing time” is a polite lie. I never leave empty-handed. I leave weighed down, carrying more books than I can reasonably commit to while the unread pile at home watches on in quiet judgment.

When I need to justify a new acquisition, I make a beeline for the cookbook section. You can never have too many—especially when you’re a couple who both cook for a living. Sam and I don’t just own cookbooks; we collect them. Hoard them, maybe. We’ve long since run out of shelf space, so they’ve begun to colonise the flat on their own terms, stacking themselves across every available surface.

On a rare day off together, wandering a bookshop, I spotted Alison Roman’s new book, Something from Nothing, on the shelf. I picked it up and launched into what can only be described as an unsolicited five-minute lecture to Sam on why she’s one of the best home cooks in the world. Eventually, he took the book out of my hands and walked it straight to the counter.

I’m still not sure whether he wanted to put an end to my enthusiastic endorsement of the Queen that is Alison Roman, or whether he genuinely wanted me to have the book. Probably both. Ladies, take note of this trick.

This particular book lives in a softer chapter of Alison’s life—pregnancy, slowing down, and food that listens to the body instead of performing. And while I am very much not pregnant, it spoke to me in a way I didn’t expect.

The message is simple: tune in. Ease off the gas. Make something good without needing everything to be perfect.

And honestly? That’s exactly the place I’ve been moving through. Not just in my cooking, but in my career. Letting go of the idea that every plate, every step, every decision has to be optimised, polished, finished. Accepting that sometimes you work with what’s in the fridge—and what’s in you—and trusting that it’s enough.

Which brings me to my new series—Books & Breakfast: the things I’m reading and what I’m eating at the same time, letting words and food blur together, finding meaning in both. And this book? It felt like the only place to start.

Alison does what she does best: she takes the familiar and remixes it, still elegant and effortless. Her tuna salad “salad” actually inspired my own steak sandwich salad — a reminder that you can take a classic and make it new without trying too hard. The fennel with capers, roasted until almost candy-like, proves that patience is often a more important seasoning than anything else. And the chicken recipes, especially the piccata I haven’t made yet… well, if there’s one thing I know about Alison Roman and chicken, it’s that it’s going to be fucking delicious.

Which brings me back to breakfast.

You could call it my own little something-from-nothing moment:

Sheep’s milk yogurt whipped with vanilla protein (my usual base), figs I found at the market far earlier than they have any right to be, yet perfectly ripe and sweet, crunchy green grapes, my hazelnut butter granola, cinnamon, raw honey, and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

And no I did not try to match the colour of the book cover. But as a perfectionist Capricorn, I won’t pretend I wasn’t deeply satisfied when it all just… worked.
Clearly, the book found me for a reason.

Although this is a cookbook, I read it the way I read novels. Because like a novel, a good cookbook carries a message, not just instructions.

The lesson I’m taking from Something from Nothing is simple, but it feels very true to me:

There is no right way.
There is only your way.
And sometimes, that’s more than enough.

(Disclaimer: this does not apply to baking—apparently, there really is only one way.)

What was in the bowl (and why it loves you back):

• Sheep’s milk yogurt: easier to digest, rich in protein, calcium and probiotics.

• Vanilla protein: blood sugar balance and makes this more dessert-like.

• Fresh figs: fibre, antioxidants and prebiotics.

• Green grapes: hydration, natural sweetness and crunch.

• Hazelnut cookie granola: healthy fats, texture and pleasure (important).

• Cinnamon: blood sugar regulation and warmth.

• Raw honey: antimicrobial and natural sweetness.

• Extra virgin olive oil: anti-inflammatory, heart-loving and wildly underrated in sweet things.

Whipped Yogurt Bowl with Hazelnut Butter Granola & Fruit

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup sheep’s milk yogurt

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

• 2 fresh figs, quartered

• A small handful of green grapes, halved

• ¼ cup hazelnut cookie granola (recipe linked)

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp raw honey (or more, to taste)

• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, whip the sheep’s milk yogurt with the vanilla protein powder until smooth and creamy.

2. Spoon the whipped yogurt into a serving bowl.

3. Arrange the figs and grapes on top.

4. Sprinkle with the hazelnut cookie granola and cinnamon.

5. Drizzle with raw honey and finish with a splash of extra virgin olive oil.

6. Serve immediately and enjoy.