Zoe Paskett talks to Andrea Stewart about writing recipes inspired by Twitter

There’s a lot of debate around how social media is affecting us – does it reduce our attention spans or simply make it easier to keep in contact with people? Either way, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon, so it’s probably best to roll with it the best we can.

Which is what Andrea Stewart is doing with her new recipe book.

“#RecipeShorts was born out of the need for the social media generation to create quick and easy meals that fit their lifestyles,” says the Hackney chef and food consultant. “Every recipe is written within 140 characters so they are short and simple, but bursting with flavour, using a few ingredients that together create simply delicious results.”

The book opens with a list of all the codes she has used to keep the recipes short (S&P is salt and pepper; b.pwdr is baking powder; pnut is peanut and so on).

It then takes you through breakfast and brunch, soups and salads, supper, party food, side dishes and desserts, bringing in cuisines from around the world for 80 different recipes.

Born in Canada, Andrea loved food from a young age.

“My grandmother was an amazing cook and I have inherited many of her handwritten recipes,” she says. “My siblings still laugh that I probably learned to cook from my toy oven that had a light bulb to generate heat.”

She started her working life in government, only to realise that a desk job didn’t suit and decided she’d be happier “pursuing the path where I spent most of my waking hours immersed in food”.

After studying in Paris at the Ecole Ritz Escoffier to learn the foundations, she went onto Canadian Stratford Chefs School and, from there, to work in professional kitchens. She says the experience is “second to none”.

“I hope the book inspires readers to realise that cooking can be easy and simple,” Andrea says. “For the novice cook, they can follow the recipe; for the more experienced cook they can make it their own.”

#RecipeShorts by Andrea Stewart is published by Kyle Books, £9.99, with photography by Faith Mason.

#RecipeShorts

Speedy scones:

Mix 225g flour, 60g sugar, 2t b.pwdr. Gr8 in 60g cold buttr+150ml milk,60g currants, shape round loaf on tray,200C~20/25min

Fish finger tacos:

Place 1 cookd fish finger in soft taco, garnish w/avo slices, ¼’d cherry toms, top w/natural yogurt & coriander

Cheesecake tart:

Whisk in order 250g cream cheese,50g sugar,1t lemjuice. Fill 20cm pastry case, bake 160C~30min 2 set, cool. Top w/jam