Ixta Belfrage

Everyday eating with built-in wow factor – from the Ottolenghi protégé shaking up the food world.

MEZCLA: Recipes to Excite by Ixta Belfrage, one of the most talked about new voices on the UK food scene. In Spanish mezcla means mix, blend or fusion and in her first solo cookbook, Ixta shares 100 bold, impactful recipes inspired by Italy, Brazil, Mexico and beyond. Creative, colourful and always delicious, this is food for every day and every occasion.

Ixta’s style of cooking draws inspiration from three countries she grew up travelling to, eating in and obsessing over. Brazil (where her mother is from), Italy (where she lived as a child) and Mexico (where her grandfather lived). She cut her teeth at NOPI before moving to the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, where she worked for Yotam Ottolenghi for five years, contributing to his columns in the Guardian and The New York Times. In 2020 she co-authored the New York Times bestselling FLAVOUR with Yotam Ottolenghi.

Now, we welcome her to our bookshop for an evening of talk, tasters, and demos for her very own cookbook!

MEZCLA is divided into simpler recipes (for when you need something great on the table, fast) and longer recipes (for when you have time to slow and savour the process), and includes quick, flavourful recipes, such as Giant Cheese on Toast with Urfa Butter and Chicken with pineapple and ‘nduja, as well as dishes to spend more time over: Chiles Rellenos with Salsa Roja Risotto and Prawn Lasagne with Habanero Oil. Over 60% of the book is vegetarian/vegan and most of the veg recipes are easily veganised. The dessert section is also divided into quick recipes, and recipes to spend more time over.

‘One-in-a-million creativity, Ixta’s food is simply outstanding!’ – Yotam Ottolenghi