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COUNTRY

Author: Jasper Conran, photographs by Andrew Montgomery
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Conran Octopus (April 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-1840915181

“Country is an idea – a texture, a flavour, a state of mind”, writes Jasper Conran. “Close your eyes, and imagine the English countryside. What do you see or hear, smell, feel or taste? It might be a sweep of beautiful landscape or the warmth of a roaring pub fire; perhaps a porch filled with dripping coats and muddy wellingtons, the scent of ripe apples and freshly baked bread, or the hum of bees in a sleepy kitchen garden.” As a designer, Jasper Conran has worked all his life with fabric, form and colour. He is the perfect choice to explore the countryside with fresh eyes. For this book, he went in search of rural England, accompanied by photographer Andrew Montgomery. Architectural gems, a bulrush harvest in Bedfordshire, chicken keepers in Dorset, mushroom pickers in Surrey, a horse fair in the Cotswolds, poppies trembling under Somerset storm clouds – these are just some of the subjects beautifully illustrated alongside Conran’s lively observations. “Our world is being transformed, not only by globalisation but also by urbanisation”, he concludes. “For the first time in history, more people live in towns and cities than in the countryside. Across the globe we are forgetting our rural roots, but country life, its values and people have never had more to offer. This is not about some imagined past but life as it is lived today, in all its wonderful complexity. I worry these treasures can be all too easily lost.” It is a big subject and a big book – a book to spend time with.

jamie does...

Autor: Jamie Oliver
Hardcover: 360 pages
Publisher: Michael Joseph (April 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0718156145

In his latest book Jamie Oliver finds inspiration in the vibrant food of popular short-haul destinations famous for their incredible cooking: Spain, Italy, Sweden, Morocco, Greece, and France. Each chapter focuses on a different city or region. On his travels the intrepid cook looks for the best Gazpacho in Spain, stirs Artichoke Risotto in Italy, makes Prawns on Toast in Sweden and slow-roasts Lamb Tangia in Morocco. In Greece he falls in love with Honey and Pistachio Cake and in France he explores proper classics such as Pot Au Feu. All his food is a mixture of traditional dishes and new recipes inspired by things he learns while on the road. Jamie Oliver’s books are sometimes criticised for their lack of detail. But it is hard not to warm to his enthusiasm. “The winding narrow alleys, the street vendors, crowded markets and brightly coloured cones of spice are so exciting, and I love that there is a real sense that human hands, not computers, make the country rattle along”, he writes about Marrakech. “There are men working in shops, banging out tin pots, women weaving rugs and dudes knocking out the most painstaking but genius breads and pastries.” His bubbling enthusiasm for spicy tagines and the city of smoky souks wafts off the pages and provokes a sudden yearning for distant shores.

LIFE IS SWEET: A COLLECTION OF SPLENDID OLD-FASHIONED CONFECTIONERY

Author: Hope & Greenwood
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Ebury Press (October 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0091932664

“Life is Sweet” is all about making various types of confectionery at home. The authors are the owners of the “Hope and Greenwood”- confectionery shops in London and really know their subject. Divided into five chapters, their recipes include a wide range of cooked and uncooked sweets – from rich dark truffles and chocolate with chilli and lime to marshmallows, nougat, toffee apples, old fashioned “pulled” toffees, gums, jellies and salt licorice, all made with the best ingredients. It is a jolly little gem of a book, in which Miss Hope and Mr. Greenwood not only offer 50 of their most delectable sweet recipes but also treat the reader to a delicious array of sweet stories, historical anecdotes (often with a dash of scandal) which are guaranteed to make one smile. Beautifully designed and photographed, “Life is Sweet” will tap into the current nostalgia for the confectionery we remember from our childhood. “Sweet Memories” could also have been a fitting title.

Simon Hoggart is wine correspondent for the Spectator and has been running the magazine’s wine club since 2001. He is also a frequent broadcaster on vinous topics, parliamentary sketch-writer and weekly columnist for The Guardian and author of 16 other books on varied subjects. But this is his first book on wine. He stresses that he does not write for wine experts. With an infectious pleasure in finding delicious, reasonably priced bottles, his book is directed towards enthusiastic laymen. Divided into sections on red, white, rosé and champagne, it contains a selection of wine for all budgets and tastes, provides guidance on price and vintages as well as features on topics such as wine history. Hoggart’s conversational trip through his 100 top bottles features many charming anecdotes. For example, he relates his encounter with a “gnarled old winemaker” who spoke bitterly about the “kind of people” they were now obliged to employ at harvest time. “Students!” he said. “In the old days we could still get local people. For breakfast they had sausage and a bottle of wine. This lot expects” – and here the greatest scorn came into his voice –“croissants and coffee!”