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Book Reviews 1 Italian Kitchen Garden, by Sarah Fraser


For most of us a complete change of lifestyle to become self sufficient in an old farmhouse in Tuscany remains a pipedream. But Sarah Fraser successfully managed it with her family as seen in three TV series. Now she has written this beautiful book which passes on the wealth of knowledge she has amassed about growing Italian produce and cooking with it. The photographs are evocative, the advice is practical, and you don’t need to be on a Tuscan hillside or even own a vegetable garden, as she tells you how to grow Italian vegetables even in containers by your back door.


Published by Pavilion, £16.99 www.anovabooks.com 2 The Thrifty Forager: living off your local landscape, by Alys Fowler


If Italian Kitchen Garden makes you think of hot summer days, then this stylish book by gardener and TV presenter Alys Fowler will put you firmly back in a British autumn. In these recessionary times foraging for food is making a comeback, from blackberrying along the hedgerows to picking wild plants and even fruits on trees in public parks. She will give you confidence to look around for these freely available plants, even in a town or city, with delicious recipes. She also tells of a successful community orchard and how to get one started in your own area. But she warns that you need permission before picking a basketful of crab apples or other fruit from a park.


Published by Kyle Books, £16.99 www.kylebooks.com 3 The Fruit Tree Handbook, by Ben Pike by Ben Pike


A practical handbook written by the head gardener at the Sharpham estate in Devon who also helps to run Orchard Link, supporting local orchard owners and the preservation of old orchards. Whether you are planting a few trees in your garden or 50 trees in a field, you will find all you need to know to design and manage your own orchard.


Published by Green Books, £14.95 www.greenbooks.co.uk


4 Wild Hares and Hummingbirds: The Natural History of an English Village, by Stephen Moss


Naturalist and author Stephen Moss lives in England’s reputedly oldest village, Mark, on the Somerset Levels. His book celebrates the natural world around the village but also the vulnerability of the countryside in general at a time of uncertainty, when the landscape and wildlife face some of the greatest changes in recorded history.


Published by Square Peg, a Random House company, £14.99 www.rbooks.co.uk 5 The Great Vegetable Plot: delicious recipes to grow and eat, by Sarah Raven


For the many fans of garden writer and broadcaster Sarah Raven who hadn’t seen the earlier version, this re-issue of a 2005 book will certainly go on their Christmas wish-list. Her principles of speed and simplicity, focusing on easy vegetables that don’t need huge amounts of space, will mean that you get results without slaving over your plot. Beautifully illustrated with over 250 photographs by award-winning photographer Jonathan Buckley, with easy to follow tips and mouth-watering recipes, it has everything for the vegetable gardener and cook.


Published by BBC Books, £22.50 www.eburypublishing.co.uk 44 Country Gardener


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