Here, the high priestess of plant-based cookery shares her favourite digital finds, from the app that delivers straight from farms to doorsteps to the Instagrammers who have kept her sane this year.
Image credits: Issy Croker, John Dale
My favourite website...
101cookbooks.com, my friend Heidi Swanson’s site, celebrating cooking and the power of vegetables.
My favourite app...
Spotify is definitely my most used app after Farmdrop, where I order the weekly food shop.
My favourite blog...
My New Roots, by the brilliant Sarah Britton, a holistic nutritionist who has been sharing her plant-based whole food recipes on here for years.
My favourite podcast...
Farmerama.
My favourite YouTuber...
Alison Roman, she has a wonderful new series called ‘Home movies with Alison Roman’. A joy to watch and cook from.
My most recent buy online...
Moisturiser from Ren.
Last book you downloaded or read...
Intimations, Zadie Smith’s essays on the experience of lockdown.
Favourite Instagrammer...
So many. Into Ed Smith @rocketandsquash at the moment.
Favourite tech gadget...
Dishwasher – is that tech? Mine is self-closing, so I’m going with it.
The most useful gadget/item on your desk...
This year my Yeti mic for podcasts and interviews.
Most useful digital resource during lockdown...
Farmstofeedus.org, a brilliant initiative connecting consumers directly with farmers.
Most inspirational digital resource lockdown...
My two favourite yogis: @nadianarain and @naomiyoga. They have kept me sane this year.
First thing/app you look at on your mobile when you wake up/in the morning...
Instagram (though I am trying to kick that habit).
Last thing you binge-watched...
It’s A Sin. Heart-wrenching.
Favourite brands have you discovered online...
Sideline. I have a dress from their latest collection which I don’t ever want to take off.
Social media allowed me to meet...
A lot of other amazing cooks and writers, from Samin Nosrat to Heidi Swanson. It’s been an amazing tool for building friendships and connection.
The best digital advice I've been given...
There is a person on the other end of every interaction.
My screensaver is...
My son Dylan at four days old, smiling his first smile.
My standout online memory...
Launching One, my latest book online has been quite a ride and the culmination of a life lived online this crazy year.
My pet online hate is...
Rudeness and expectancy. Treat people with the same graciousness as you would if you were face-to-face.
Do you have any online rules or resolutions?
I try to take forty-eight hours away from apps, social and news at the weekends.
The Internet. On balance, a force for good or ill?
Good. It just needs a bit more human kindness.
By Nancy Alsop
April 2021
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