In the third of the River Cottage Handbook series, Daniel Stevens explains the ins and outs of baking, and inspires us to abandon ready-sliced loaves for a world of delicious breads baked at home. First, Daniel examines the key ingredients in baking (flour, yeast, salt and water), explains the science behind the seemingly alchemic processes, and advises on the right kit to get started. He then demonstrates how to make yeast and non-yeast breads, as well as enriched doughs and home-started sourdough, and includes sixty recipes, covering everything from the simple white loaf and familiar classics such as ciabatta, naan and pizza bread, to fresh new challenges like potato bread, rye, tortilla, croissants, doughnuts and bagels. The handbook is completed by full-colour photographs throughout, including step-by-step photos, instructions for building your own bread oven, and a directory of equipment and useful addresses.

A recipe-complemented guide to edible plants that can be found in the British countryside shares essential facts about conservation, safety, legal concerns and necessary tools and includes additional information about seasonal growth cycles and cooking strategies. By the author of Mushrooms.

COOKERY / FOOD & DRINK ETC. This lovely box set contains the following titles:9781408836057 Mushrooms 9781408836064 Preserves 9781408836071 Bread 9781408836088 Veg Patch 9781408836095 Edible Seashore 9781408836101 Sea Fishing 9781408836118 Hedgerow 9781408836125 Cakes 9781408836132 Fruit 9781408836149 Herbs.

In the eighth of the River Cottage Handbook series, Pam Corbin offers an appealing guide to baking perfect cakes Baking is the most comforting and entirely satisfying of the culinary arts - making a cake is not only a sumptuous process in its own right but the end result is entirely delicious. Pam Corbin offers the voice of experience, setting out basic techniques and recipes that will guarantee success. This is traditional baking at its very best, with over 75 adaptable recipes including Macaroons, Meringues, Fairy Cakes (and their counterpart - Gnome Cakes), the classic Victoria Sandwich, Rhubarb Pudding Cake, Walnut Cake, Banana Breakfast Muffins, Orange Cake with Earl Grey Icing, and the glorious Battenberg Cake with its distinctive pink and yellow checks. As a finishing touch, there is a section devoted to sweet embellishments like feather icing, crystallised violets and chocolate leaves. Say goodbye to sinking sponges and brittle brownies with this comprehensive guide to the heavenly world of cake making, introduced by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

In the fourth River Cottage handbook, Mark Diacono tells us everything we need to know to create our own productive, organic garden, no matter where we live. Drawing directly from his experience as an acclaimed climate-change gardener, and of setting up a kitchen garden from scratch for River Cottage, Mark explains the practical aspects of organic growing, introduces us to a whole world of vegetables we may not have previously considered, and does away with alienating gardening jargon once and for all. Mark begins with a catalogue of vegetables that will grow in this country, explaining for each their benefits, what varieties to go for, dos and don'ts, and popular culinary uses. He then invites us to create a wish list of foods, and shows us his own list from his early gardening days. Next, he explains how to turn this wish list into a coherent kitchen garden plan appropriate for our space, whether it be a patch of acidic soil, a roof-top garden or an allotment, whether we put on our wellies in every free moment or are 'time-poor' gardeners. Then he puts all the theory into practice, showing us how to look after nutrients in the soil, how to resist pests and diseases, and how to make our garden sustainable and organic. In clear, concise sections we learn about seed trays, supporting plants with climbing structures, mulching, composting, companion planting, irrigation and promoting pollination, and there are additional tables showing sowing and harvesting times, plant sizes, and alternative varieties of plants for different sites. About thirty recipes and a directory of useful addresses finish the book, and the handbook is complemented by bright colour photography throughout. Practical and inspiring, with a textured hard cover and an introduction by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Veg Patch is destined to join Handbooks No. 1, 2 and 3 as an indispensible household reference.

British iconoclast and sustainable food champion Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall goes back to basics in this guide to simple, everyday home cooking. In River Cottage Every Day, Hugh shares the dishes that nourish his own family of three hungry school-age kids and two busy working parents—from staples like homemade yogurt and nut butters to simple recipes like Mixed Mushroom Tart; Foil-Baked Fish Fillets with Fennel, Ginger, and Chile; and Foolproof Crème Brûlée. Hugh brings his trademark wit and infectious exuberance for locally grown and raised foods to a wide-ranging selection of appealing, everyday dishes from healthy breakfasts, hearty breads, and quick lunches to all manner of weeknight dinners and enticing desserts. Always refreshingly honest, but without sermonizing, Hugh encourages us to build a close relationship to the sources of our food and become more involved with the way we acquire and prepare it. But he doesn’t shrink from acknowledging the challenges of shopping and cooking while juggling the demands of work and family. So while Hugh offers an easy recipe for homemade mayonnaise, he admits to having a jar of store-bought mayo lurking in the fridge, just like the rest of us! Including helpful and encouraging advice on how to choose the finest meat, freshest fish, and most mouthwatering fruits and vegetables, River Cottage Every Day shows us that deliciously prepared and thoughtfully sourced meals can be enjoyed every day of the year.

A practical guide to baking seasonal, local, organic bread at home.