The Botanist: January | On Our Radar

Welcome to Cocktail Hour, a series of conversations with creatives about their craft – and their favourite cocktail. This month we’re speaking with plant-based chef Christina Soteriou. Christina is on a mission to make eating plants more exciting and she’s done exactly that with her debut book, aptly named Big Veg Energy. The vegan cookbook features 100 simple, delicious plant-based recipes with influences from Christina’s Cypriot roots. Think nourishing, colourful, joy-inducing dishes that are easy to recreate at home. We're talking Mushroom Skewers with Peanut Lime Sauce, Sweet Potatoes with Tahini Butter Chickpeas, Roasted Courgettes with Lemony Whipped Tofu and Peanut Butter Cherry Jam Semifreddo. 

If you recognise Christina, there’s a good chance you’re one of her 359K followers on Instagram @christinasots, where she posts even more vegan recipes. Formerly chef at Middle Eastern restaurant Bubala and senior food producer at Mob, as well as creating vibrant plant-based recipes, Christina is passionate about encouraging people to reduce food waste, eat seasonally and cook with whole foods.

Read on to find out what three ingredients Christina thinks everyone should have in their kitchen, her tips for incorporating more plants into your diet and her go-to cocktail. Plus, we have three recipes from her book and cocktails to go with them.

What inspires your cooking?

Lots of my recipes are inspired by growing up in Cyprus and the mishmash of Turkish, Greek and Middle Eastern cuisines - which is a lot to draw from. As well as being a chef, I've also studied holistic health, so lots of my recipes are inspired by nourishing the body with good food. I try to find a balance between flavour and health, and I am inspired by the thought of people cooking my recipes, enjoying the process and feeling good after eating them.

What's the first dish you can remember making?

It was probably mujadara, which is a Cypriot and Middle Eastern dish made of fried onions, lentils and rice. It's such a humble dish and one of my favourite Cypriot recipes, something that represents the connection that Cypriots have with our Middle Eastern neighbours, and also the joy of really simple food. My mum still makes this at least once a week back home in Cyprus, so I love going back to have hers! We eat it drizzled with malt vinegar and olive oil and sometimes a leaf of raw onion on the side.

For those new to (or wary of!) a plant-based diet, what recipe would you suggest they start off with in your book?

I would say flick through and find one that features one of your favourite vegetables, as you know you will like that flavour. The book is jam-packed with veg-forward recipes and recipes that use your regular veggies in different ways. For anyone looking to dip their toes, or for something familiar, there are three really easy pasta sauces. They are made by blending butter beans with things like sun-dried tomato, chilli and basil (recipe below, try it with a Botanist Spritz for an acidic kick). There’s also a very simple lemony one and a vibrant green one that's packed with herbs and goodness and some tahini for texture and flavour. Everyone loves pasta and these couldn't be easier to make.

What three ingredients should everyone have in their kitchen?

Tahini is such a versatile ingredient and can be used to make salad dressings, to thicken up sauces and soups, to drizzle over roasted veggies, onto your oats and even onto your ice cream. It's not only delicious but it's packed with healthy fats and vitamins. Make sure you get a good brand like Al Nakhil or Belazu, it should be thin and drizzle off the spoon, not thick like peanut butter.

Lemons are an essential for brightening up dishes, adding a finishing touch and adding vitamin C, which is essential for immunity, especially in the winter.

Chilli oil is another one that I find myself adding to so many dishes. Noodles, soups, avocado toast, rice bowls, you name it.

Actually stirring these three ingredients together with a little water makes a delicious and versatile drizzle, base for noodle soups or a sauce for noodles or stir-fries.

What's your favourite dish for hosting guests at this time of year?

I cannot and will not ever host a dinner party without a huge bowl of hummus on the table. Often it's loaded with something delicious and seasonal, so at this time of year that might be something like ras el hanout spiced oyster mushrooms or a big pile of caramelised cauliflower.

Do you have a favourite cocktail?

My go-to cocktail is a Gin Martini, dry and dirty, with a twist. I’d recommend serving with my Lemony Sunflower Seed Dip (see recipes below). But I will always try any experimental martini on a cocktail list, my favourites always being anything with a pickle in it!

What about dessert?

Affogato with two scoops of Bouja Bouja vanilla ice cream, a generous drizzle of tahini, some date syrup and a little sprinkle of Maldon salt. Heavenly and it takes 5 minutes to make. Or, my No-Bake Fudgy Chocolate Log (recipe below), served with a sharp Raspberry Martini.

What are your favourite bar snacks?

My favourite bar snacks are usually spicy nuts or a bowl of juicy Nocellara olives. Or if I’m feeling hungry and there’s a dip on the table, I’ll definitely order it.

In the spirit of the new year and new beginnings - what recipes make you feel good?

I try not to put too much stress on myself in the new year, but after a fairly indulgent festive period, I do crave lots of fresh things. So bright, crispy, lemony salads, super green noodle soups, hearty soups and grain bowls with delicious dressings and making sure to eat the rainbow. I have been making the smacked cucumber salad with peanut dressing from my book on repeat!

Are there any food trends we should look out for in 2025?

I think an understanding of what foods are good for gut health is going to be a focus this year. Adding fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, water kefir and maybe even home ferments into our diets is going to be so great for our guts and in turn our overall health.

Big Veg Energy by Christina Soteriou (Ebury Press, £26), photography by Joe Woodhouse, is available at all good bookshops now.

Ingredients
200g sunflower seeds, plus extra to serve
200g plain vegan yoghurt
80ml lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
4 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp flaky sea salt
For the toppings:
Olive oil
Pinch of sumac or paprika
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves

Method
1 Tip the sunflower seeds into a bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Leave to soak for at least 25 minutes (soak for at least 2 hours or overnight if your blender is not a high-speed one).
2 Drain the soaked sunflower seeds and add them to a blender, along with the yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast and salt. Blend until smooth. You may have to keep scraping down the sides of the blender to make sure everything is combined. Add a little more yoghurt if your blender still can’t get it smooth.
3 Taste and season again if needed, adding more lemon or nutritional yeast according to your preference.
4 To serve, spread the dip over a shallow bowl or plate and pour over a generous drizzle of olive oil. Top with a sprinkle of sumac, followed by the sunflower seeds and mint.
5 This will keep for 3-4 days in a sealed container in the fridge.

Cocktail Pairing
The Botanist Dirty Martini

Ingredients
3 shallots
4-6 garlic cloves
450g ripe cherry or plum tomatoes
75ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
200g macaroni
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pangrattato:
1 garlic clove
8-10 kalamata olives
1 large slice of sourdough bread (stale works best)
1 tbsp olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2 Peel the shallots and garlic, cut the shallots into eighths and leave the garlic whole. Add these to a small casserole dish or a roasting tin (the dish should be snug).
3 Add the tomatoes, olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, and shake to coat. Cover with a lid (or tightly with foil) and bake for 40 minutes, until everything is very soft. The garlic should melt when pushed with a fork, and the shallots should be completely softened. Everything should be swimming in a pool of garlicky tomato juice.
4 To make the pangrattato, mince the garlic and finely chop the olives. Whizz the bread into breadcrumbs in a food processor, then put in a bowl. Add the minced garlic, lemon zest and olive oil, and crumble together with your fingers. Set aside.
5 Heat a large, dry frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chopped olives and fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until they start to get crispy. Add the breadcrumbs and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden and fragrant. Taste before you season as the olives can be salty. Remove from the pan and set aside.
6 Cook your pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente (1 minute less than the packet instructions). Drain and set aside, drizzling with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
7 When the tomatoes are ready, remove about a third of them and set aside. Blend the remaining, juice and all, with a stick blender or in a stand blender, until smooth or almost smooth.
8 Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce. Add the balsamic vinegar and season well with salt and pepper. Ladle the pasta into bowls and top with the reserved tomatoes and olive pangrattato.

Cocktail Pairing
The Botanist Spritz

Ingredients
200g vegan dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)
4 digestive biscuits (or 60g any other vegan biscuit), plus extra to serve
20g walnuts, plus extra to serve
170g tahini
2 tbsp maple syrup (agave or golden syrup works too)
1/3 tsp flaky sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Zest of 1 orange

Method
1 Line a medium-sized glass container or dish (or baking tray) with cling film or baking parchment.
2 Prepare a bain-marie by placing a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the hot water below. Break up the chocolate and add it to the bowl, stirring as it melts. If you prefer, you can melt it in a heatproof bowl in the microwave, heating it in 30-second bursts and stirring between each one.
3 Break up the biscuits into small pieces and roughly chop the walnuts.
4 Transfer the melted chocolate into a large bowl, then add the tahini and maple syrup and stir well to combine. Add the nuts, biscuits and salt, along with the vanilla extract, if using, and mix well, making sure everything is combined and evenly covered in chocolate.
5 Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared dish and use the back of a spoon to even out the top. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to set.
6 Once set, use the cling film or baking parchment to help you turn it out onto a serving platter. Garnish with some more crumbled nuts and biscuits, and finish with a scattering of orange zest.
7 This will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a week.

Cocktail Pairing
Raspberry Martini