‘Definite parmesan cheese vibes’: how to cook with nutritional yeast

‘It’s still an ingredient not that many people know about – some see it as an underground health food thing – but lots of chefs are using it.’ Photograph: Ana-Maria Tegzes/Alamy

New to nutritional yeast? You could be forgiven for giving it the cold shoulder. For starters, it’s flaky and – let’s admit it – it looks dull. That yellowy-brown colour doesn’t help either. But there’s more to this time-honoured vegan staple than meets the eye.

The author and recipe developer Harriet Birrell needs no convincing of nutritional yeast’s charms. She’s been a fan since discovering it at her local health food store in 2012. Nutritional yeast (affectionately known as nooch) has become a pantry must-have, featuring regularly in her plant-based recipes. Birrell’s books Whole and Natural Harry have introduced scores to this hardworking flavour booster.