Darina Allen: Three recipes from Jamie Oliver's newest cookbook

Jamie Oliver: He’s poured everything he’s learnt into the pages of this most recent book, a fantastic reminder of the power of food to make us feel good.

I wonder how on earth Jamie does it? Book number 30 with an accompanying TV series, Eat Yourself Healthy has just been launched. 

Of course, he’s got an ace team behind him but nonetheless his continued commitment and achievements are super impressive.

He too believes deeply that our health is our wealth. We all agree, but I’m sure you’re asking yourself the same question, how do we help our bodies to be the very best they can be?

How do we maintain a healthy weight? How do we sleep better? How do we support our immune system so that it can protect us from common illnesses?

Ultimately, how do we become healthier and happier in a world full of cheap, ultra-processed foods designed to be addictive and make us unhealthy?

Have you noticed the extraordinary increase in the number of pharmacies in virtually every town and village around the country over the past couple of decades?

It would seem the less we invest in real food, rather than edible food-like substances, the more we spend on meds.

We’ve never had more information at our fingertips on what is deemed ‘healthy’ with new trends flooding our feeds every day and an overwhelming list of new supplements, diets and products promising quick health fixes, yet obesity and diet-related illnesses continue to spike.

In true Jamie fashion, he’s stripping things right back to the bare essentials on how to live a healthier life. 

He’s been a chef for over 40 years now but I didn’t know until recently that he had studied for a Royal Society of Public Health Level Four Award in nutrition at St. Mary’s Twickenham University under Professor Ann Kennedy, which gave him a deeper understanding of our bodies' relationship with food and how what we eat affects us and the impact it can have.

He’s poured everything he’s learnt into the pages of this most recent book, a fantastic reminder of the power of food to make us feel good.

It’s obvious that an enormous amount of thought has gone into the layout of Eat Yourself Healthy.

There’s a brilliant Pantry Kit, 50 Healthy Hacks and in a food environment that markets junk food right to our doorstep and into our shopping baskets, he’s asking us to look at the way we shop for food. We can shift the way we eat and live, one small habit at a time!

For those of us who would like to take a deep dive into Jamie’s philosophy, he’s created a two-week Kickstarter. This is about making a commitment to 3 delicious meals a day, all of which promote healthy eating and good ingredients.

For many, it’ll actually be about a change of lifestyle, not a diet, a chance to focus on yourself and put your health first.

In Jamie’s own words, ‘For me, Eat Yourself Healthy is about helping you to have a joyful relationship with food, and proving that healthy cooking should be a celebration, not a commiseration! 

'I’m talking generous, colourful, undeniably delicious platefuls that I just know you’ll want to tuck into. 

'In a time where there is an avalanche of information out there, I want to help you cut through the noise with easy ideas to satisfy, nourish and revitalise you. 

'With every recipe, you can be confident you’re getting lots of good stuff, plus I hope to empower you with simple bite-sized nuggets of nutritional knowledge, too. This is about food to change your life’.

Eat Yourself Healthy by Jamie Oliver is published by Penguin Michael Joseph © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2025, Eat Yourself Healthy). Recipe photography: © David Loftus, 2025.

Jamie Oliver's easy egg & bean filo twists

Filo is such a versatile pastry. No matter how you put this together, the results are always fun.

Servings

4

Cooking Time

 22 mins

Total Time

 22 mins

Course

 IEC-recipe-root

Ingredients

• olive oil

• 8 sheets of filo pastry

• 2 x 400g tins of haricot beans

• 1 heaped tablespoon harissa paste

• 2 heaped tablespoons tomato purée

• red wine vinegar

• 4 large free-range eggs

• 40g Cheddar cheese

• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

• 2 mixed-colour peppers (320g)

• 2 spring onions

• 1 bunch of dill (20g)

• extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.

2. Spritz 2 sheets of filo with olive oil, line up the two short sides so they slightly overlap, then scrunch up lengthways and twist into a nest about 15cm wide, making sure it has a base. Place on an oil-spritzed baking tray, and repeat.

3. Drain the beans, toss with the harissa, tomato purée and ½ a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, then divide evenly between the filo nests. Crack an egg onto each one, season with sea salt and black pepper, grate over the cheese, then divide and sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

4. Meanwhile, deseed and very finely chop the peppers. Trim and finely chop the spring onions. Finely chop the dill, mix together, then dress with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and a good pinch of salt.

5. Serve the egg filo twists with the pepper salsa on the side.

Jamie Oliver's sardines on toast & tomato salad

I love making simple working lunches like this that are colourful, tasty and big up tinned oily fish.

Servings

2

Cooking Time

 11 mins

Total Time

 11 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 5 of your 7-a-day

• 1 red onion (160g)

• 1 fresh red chilli

• 1 small bulb of fennel (160g)

• red wine vinegar

• extra virgin olive oil

• 1 x 400g tin of cannellini beans

• 160g jarred roasted red peppers

• 300g ripe mixed-colour cherry tomatoes

• 8 black olives, stone in

• 2 slices of wholemeal sourdough bread

• 1 x 105g tin of sardines in spring water, from sustainable sources

Method

1. Peel the onion, deseed the chilli and trim the fennel, reserving any leafy tops. Very finely slice or speed-peel it all, place in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons each of red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, and massage well.

2. Drain and add the beans, slice and add the peppers. Chop and add the tomatoes. Destone and tear in the olives, then mix really well and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper.

3. Toast the bread. Drain the sardines (I like to toss the liquor into the salad), arrange on the toasts, sprinkle with any reserved fennel tops and divide between your plates. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, to serve.

Jamie Oliver's banana & almond cake

Brilliant bananas and almonds take centre stage in this deliciously moreish chuck-it-all-in cake.

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 11 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 56 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 50ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing

• 500g ripe bananas

• 2 large free-range eggs

• 250g ground almonds

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 100g natural yoghurt, plus extra to serve

• 100ml maple syrup, plus extra for brushing

• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas 3.

2. Grease a deep 23cm springform cake tin with olive oil and line the base with greaseproof paper.

3. Put 350g of the peeled bananas into a food processor, crack in the eggs, and add all of the remaining ingredients. Go in with 50ml of olive oil, add a small pinch of sea salt, then blitz until smooth. Tip the mixture into the cake tin and spread out evenly. Slice the remaining bananas and arrange on top, then bake for 45 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

4. Remove from the oven, brush with a little maple syrup, and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Run a palette knife around the edge of the tin, then release the cake and transfer to a wire rack to cool, or serve warm.

Seasonal Journal

Jeremy Lee Pop-Up Dinner at Ballymaloe House

On Monday, 27th October 2025, celebrated chef Jeremy Lee joins the Ballymaloe House kitchen team for a one‑night‑only pop‑up dinner. 

Experience the best of seasonal Irish produce with a modern British twist as Jeremy brings the flavours of his iconic Soho restaurant, Quo Vadis, to East Cork.

Spaces are limited, so early booking is recommended.

• For more information, email [e-mail]

Samhain Festival of Food and Culture, 6th – 9th November

Celebrate Ireland’s rich culinary and cultural heritage at Samhain Festival of Food and Culture, running from the 6th -9th November 2025. This unmissable festival brings together the best of Irish food and drink, featuring a packed program of events, including the renowned Sheridan’s Irish Food Fair.

• For more information, see www.foodcultureireland.ie/samhain

It’s never too early to start to collect some little gems for Christmas pressies.

I’ve just come across Tara Wigley’s most recent cookbook ‘how the cookie crumbles and other culinary confusions’ published by HarperCollins. 

Not to be misunderstood, a brilliant book for the loo – it’s in rhyme but least you think it’s flippant, far from it. 

It’s jam-packed with invaluable food facts and cooking tips – a perfect pressie for a keen cook…