purpletigron

I have finally been able to collect a book which I ordered through the local library system in March (I am trying to make a virtue of being unwaged, and using the public library much more than buying books): "The River Cottage Cookbook" by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall & Simon Wheeler (writer and photographer respectively; pub. HarperCollins 2001, ISBN 0002202042 - that is how the ISBN was listed on the Web page - can someone who knows how ISBN should be formatted, please enlighten me?).

I have only just started reading, but already, I know that this is going to be a fantastic book. It is a `cook book' more in the sense of `The Joy of Cooking' for the 21st century, and beautifully written at that. It is all about food in the UK, and has much to say about good food, and where you might find it, and why that might well not be in a supermarket, before ever reaching a recipe. The author trained as a sous-chef at the famous "River Cafe", but has in recent years to been utterly consumed by a passion for home and locally produced food, including home-raised and cured ham.

I could not find a good review on the Web, so I suspect that I should be planning on writing one once I've finished reading it (in a few weeks: it is over an inch thick!). I think this is one for the birthday list, although it is so heavy, I would prefer to wait until it comes out in paperback...