A turnip's cooked for austere believers (8)
I believe the answer is:
puritans
'austere believers' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both people as well as being plural nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'a turnip's cooked' is the wordplay.
'cooked' indicates an anagram (letters cooked into a new form).
'a'+'turnips'='aturnips'
'aturnips' is an anagram of 'PURITANS'.
'for' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for puritans that I've seen before include "Killjoys, prudes" , "Stern religious people like Rasputin" , "Strictly religious people like Rasputin" .)