I was looking forward to a good read when this weighty tome thumped on to the doormat - and I wasn't disappointed. Bearing the legend "Your seasonal guide to the year with a week-to-view diary", the book is a superb quality hard back, with the cook-friendly spiral binding, enabling it to be laid flat on the kitchen table whilst working from it. An excellent start, even before opening it! Inside, the pages are good, thick cream paper, with brown writing and the trademark slightly grainy photos I have grown to love. The photos are a highlight of the book - we get to see all the team at Park Farm, and there are several of Hugh himself, invariably eyeing up something on the hoof! A huge amount of information is clearly and concisely presented - cooking conversion charts, shooting seasons, landing sizes, sowing and planting times, useful websites and a calendar for forward planning and thinking. Plenty of space for notes at the bottom of pages is a nice extra, and each diary page guides you to local and regional events with a River Cottage theme. Enough space to write something meaningful on the diary pages, and at the back, space for contact names and addresses, always useful.
The whole inspires me to really have a go at keeping or using a diary properly, keep a seasonal record of things, and to try out the monthly recipes, which are presented in such a way as to make you read the whole thing through before you start, something I don't always do but should! The piece about the climate change garden is timely and inspirational - people need to prepare and adapt for changing growing seasons and conditions in this country, and River Cottage is a good place to start. I would be thrilled to receive this as a present, and it would be a great place for someone interested in growing and eating seasonally to begin their personal journey, guided by Hugh and the Team.
Indeed, to quote Hugh, a book of "soul-feeding pleasure".

Sarah D

With thoughts turning towards Christmas, and the inevitable books that are so easy to buy, give, and read, “River Cottage 2009” the seasonal guide and diary, is a must for anyone who thinks about eating seasonally. This new book is packed with inspiration, ideas, and tips from the team at River Cottage. All my personal favourite topics are covered, which is why I like it so much. From foraging to preserving, and chickens to the edible seashore, the book takes you through the year in a style which is both readable and informative. There are 36 recipes, just enough to tempt us all to try new foods, and old favourites in a new way, without this becoming another recipe book. Personally, I am looking forward to the July recipe, which links nicely into the Climate change garden at RCHQ, which involves Apricots.

Anybody who loves food, and that probably includes all of us, will find morsels of information and nuggets of wisdom that link together, and all in all it’s well worth buying. I’d be tempted to say just put it on your Christmas wish list now!

Dave C

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