Cook Book Review: In for Dinner by Rosie Kellett

Having followed part of Rosie’s journey on social media I was rather excited about receiving her first cookbook which is due to be released on the 1 May 2025 and is available for pre order now. Her journey has been an interesting one. Originally from Derbyshire, she moved to London at 20 and began her career in acting, writing, theatre, film and TV. As often happens, aspiring creatives head to hospitality to stay afloat. During this time she worked with Meringue Girls, e5 Bakehouse and as Claire Ptak’s personal assistant at Violet Cakes where she project managed the royal wedding cake for Prince Harry & Megan Markle. Moving to London was difficult with no friends or family and trying to find her feet living alone for the first time - a big city move that so many people experience and are familiar with.

In for Dinner by Rosie Kellett is due to be released on the 1 May 2025.Image credit Natascha Milsom.

After a challenging break up she found a listing for a place in an East London warehouse and moved from North London. Timing is everything and East London is the spot where it is all happening these days, especially in the foodie scene. Her stars were aligned and in 2020 she found herself with six house mates of varying heritage, stretching from UK to Italy, Denmark, Germany, Poland, and Southeast Asia - a rich source for her to come up with 101 recipes of delicious home cooked food. With £25 thrown into a kitty and bulk shopping for the week’s supplies, one person cooks dinner for everyone once a week. I suspect one can really bring enthusiasm to cooking dinner if you only do it once a week. As Kellett has said of the living situation - a game changer for finances, happiness and health. For the socially gregarious or time poor this sounds like nirvana.

The book title In for Dinner comes from the question the housemates ask on their group chat “Who’s in for dinner?”.  Guiding whoever is in charge as to how much to cook, then presto -there will be a delicious meal on the table every night or a plate set aside if you are home late – titled a “late plate ”.

Cheese Knödel recipe. Image credit Natascha Milsom.

Foodies will identify with Rosie. I laughed to myself as she described her food obsessed family. It sounded oh so familiar to me  - “The running joke is that while we are eating breakfast we are thinking about lunch and while we are eating lunch, we are discussing dinner, and if after dinner we aren’t talking about what we might eat for breakfast  the next day, well then, something must be wrong.”

I have managed to test 3 recipes so far and they have all been delicious. I am already certain I shall continue to reference this book regularly for inspiration. The recipes are all easily scalable and substitutions are simple enough. The illustrations and layout of the book work well with a “How to use this book” section worth reading. The only part I wasn’t too much in agreement with was not including some sort of overall cooking time. Rosie states “they are never all that accurate or useful” on the basis that it could be misleading as it is dependent on how competent a cook you are.  Surprisingly in most cookbooks it is not common place to include times in this way but one of my go to cookbooks for family meals is the Simple One Dish Dinners by Rukmini Iyer. She specifies preparation and cook time which is super useful when you are deciding what to cook. Is there anything better than finding a recipe with a 5-minute prep time and a 20-minute cook time so you’ll have dinner on the table in half an hour after a long day’s work? I trust a reader will come to know if they are faster or slower than the times given. That aside everything went swimmingly with the recipes I tested.

Bothy Fregola & Tomatoes recipe. Image credit Natascha Milsom.

Finding the “Cheese Knödel” recipe brought me joy as I used to spend summers in Switzerland and Germany as a child and considering how much I loved knödel (essentially a dumpling) I never actually attempted to make one. It was comfort food on a plate and simply topped with butter (everything tastes better with butter!) and parmesan cheese. (I seriously need to bulk buy a wheel of the stuff as my family seems to get through Parmesan at the speed of light). I tested out the “Bothy Fregola & Tomatoes” containing the simplest ingredients and substituting fregola with orzo. It was 100% tastier than I expected and will become a regular meal at home. Lastly the “Sticky Aubergine Rice” served with a coconut rice.

Part of my holiday/travel rituals when I return home is usually to research the recipe of dishes I particularly liked while away and recreate it at home (London’s accessibility to ingredients is helpful in this regard).  It is my way of keeping the holiday vibes going. There are recipes in this book that have reminded me of my travels. From a Thai style “Tofu Larb in Lettuce Cups”, to a “Chinese style Shrimp and Scallion Pancake”, or the Asian breakfast of “Korean-inspired Marinated Eggs” versions of which you can find through Asia. A “Pierogi” recipe from Poland and several pasta dishes round out the around the world recipe options. For those with a sourdough starter that are alive and kicking, (mine is a “lockdown starter” named Maddoughna), there is a focaccia recipe and a recipe for the “Semi Sourdough Pikelets” which slightly resemble a crumpet and can be frozen and toasted when needed.  Simple dishes like “Mushroom on toast” are elevated with a simple salsa of olive oil, lemon juice and chives, a little touch that makes all the difference.

All seasons are covered from hearty soups which can be batch cooked to a summer gazpacho, summer salads, curry, risotto and several pasta dishes. There is nothing revolutionary about the Macaroni Cheese recipe but “if it ain’t broke don’t try and fix it.” There will be many who will be delighted with its inclusion.

Sticky Aubergine Rice recipe, served with a coconut rice. Image credit Natascha Milsom.

I am certain In for Dinner will be a best selling success. The timing couldn’t be better, in a cost-of-living crisis the thought of being able to limit your weekly shop to £25 a head is something to aspire to. Recipes are simple and delicious. It will get you out of the rut of always cooking the same thing because it’s not just a pretty cookbook destined to sit on your shelf with overly ambitious recipes that you need to psyche yourself up to cook. The recipes are easy enough that you don’t have to feel overwhelmed if you want to host a dinner party, and instead of manically trying to get everything on the table you will have time to talk to your guests. Lastly the recipes will cover the majority of dietary requirements of most groups.

For all the parents out there with children leaving for university soon, I cannot think of a better gift. Hand it over to your child and hopefully you can rest easy knowing despite the partying frenzy ahead, they might just cook up a nutritious meal with their flatmates for a wholesome night in (one can dream), or line their stomachs before a big night out.

Through her Substack newsletter The Late Plate Kellett has an engaging social media presence, sharing her thoughts and passions for affordable, joyful meals that bring people together, so if the 101 recipes in this book are not enough you know where to go. Or if you are a bit tired of working your way through the cookbook, take a break and head to one of her supperclubs (@suppersby) she hosts with Italian born Virginia Malavasi.

Sadly, the source of inspiration for this book – the Unit 16 warehouse is no more, having been evicted after five years of living together under unknown “pretty strange circumstances”. But for those that believe in fate, who knows, maybe it was time, and this book was always meant to punctuate the end of an era, and I have no doubt whatever situation Kellett finds herself in next will be a source of inspiration for whatever comes next. Happy Cooking!

Click here to order In for Dinner by Rosie Kellett.

Review by Natascha Milsom