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Lady Salisbury - revered worldwide as one of the greatest garden designers of our time - reveals in her garden biography that she has been a gardener since her childhood in the 1930s. “My mother gave my sister and me a tiny plot of land each to cultivate. As naïve and simple as our efforts were, this was the beginning of my passion for wild flowers, plants and gardens, which has continued into my old age”. As a professional garden designer she has created gardens for clients ranging from the Prince of Wales – at Highgrove - to the New York Botanical Garden. Her greatest achievement is, arguably, a heroic feat of historical purism: restoring the gardens of Hatfield House, her home for over thirty years, to their original Jacobean formality of box parterres, avenues of hornbeam topiary, pleached limes, and Elizabethan flowerbeds. Although she describes herself as an amateur her knowledge of plants and organic methods are as impressive as her enthusiasm. Now in her Eighties, Lady Salisbury not only looks after her garden in Provence, but is also making a roof garden for her house in Chelsea, and designing gardens for clients in England, Ireland, Italy and the United States.
The book describes 20 of the gardens she created and is sumptuously photographed by another aristocrat, Derry Moore –in private life Lord Drogheda.
A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF KEW GARDENS
Author and Photographer: Joanna Jackson
Hardback: 128 pages
Publisher: Frances Lincoln (2007)
ISBN-13: 978-0711226838
Kew Gardens began as an idea of Prince Frederick (son of George II) and became a reality in 1759 when his widow, Princess Augusta, set about producing a garden that she hoped would “contain all the plants known on earth”. She was assisted by the accomplished botanist, the Earl of Bute. Today Kew Gardens houses 30,000 living species, and seven million pressed specimens. The Gardens are not only a paradise for plant lovers but also an internationally respected botanical research institute. Since it became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003, Kew enjoys the same global reputation as the Pyramids and the Grand Canyon. Joanna Jackson’s book shows every aspect of life in the Gardens throughout the year, from the thousands of crocuses that carpet the grounds in spring to the displays of palm trees, tree ferns, orchids and other exotic plants in the heated glasshouses that visitors can enjoy during the winter months.
FURTHER ADVENTURES IN SEARCH OF PERFECTION
Author: Heston Blumenthal
Hardback: 320 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury (2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0747594055
Heston Blumenthal is known for pushing culinary boundaries, an advocate of the molecular gastronomy championed by the Spanish chef Ferran Adrià.He regularly works with scientists to experiment and create dishes for the Fat Duck, his restaurant in the village of Bray on the Thames about 35 miles from London. The Fat Duck has been the showcase for his trademark dishes - bacon-and-egg ice cream (with mango and Douglas fir purée), sardine on toast sorbet, snail porridge. In 2004, the restaurant was awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide, the highest rating. This book complements the great success of Heston Blumenthal's previous book and accompanying TV series "In Search of Perfection" (2006). Here he examines a further eight classic dishes to find out how to cook them to perfection, as well as exploring the culture and history behind the food we eat. The list of dishes are Trifle, Baked Alaska, Fish Pie, Hamburger, Peking Duck, Chicken Tikka Masala, Risotto and Chilli Con Carne. AAnother fascinating, original and inspiring look at kitchen classics.
