HERB, by Mark Diacono

 A book review

Whilst I have never been a smoker, I can understand instinctively the reference to the importance of a cigarette paper on page 64, describing the hair's breadth separation between oregano and marjoram.  Reminscences about rollups in bus shelters rarely figure in food writing.  

This is a book, not about bad habits and memories, dried leaves and paper, but about herbs, vibrant, verdant, fresh and yes, dried. It is about their place in the garden, the window box, the back step or the window sill and their role in the kitchen; but it is so much more.  Mark's writing is sublime, this book ranks as a good read whether or not you are a gardener or a cook.  Anything we write about it will pale in comparison, but try we must!

I wrote this review, sitting on a hotel terrace, surrounded by four strategically placed bay trees.  It was earlier this summer in Scotland, so although there was sun, the heat was far from Mediterranean, unlike now, but the waft of lavender and the persistent buzz of the bees echo the opening lines of HERB; "I'm sitting within an incomplete ring of pots, each full of herbs, their flowers alive with pollinators, the sun flashing bright as I scribe".

As a gardener and cook, as well as a writer, Mark is well qualified to take you from plot, or pot, to plate and whilst it may amount to less than a single page, to my mind one of the most useful entries in the book is the section on "Choosing what to grow".  With an ever increasing range of fresh and dried herbs available in the supermarket and farm shop, even in rural Shropshire, the frankly mind numbing selection of plants on specialist websites* and limited growing space at home, advice and guidance on the best options to maximise herbal gratification and minimise horticultural disaaster are more than welcome.

"if you were expecting to see lemon balm: NO"

Once these fundamental decisions have been made, Mark guides the reader through two distinct sets of herb skills; firstly describing garden skills, such as sowing from seed and propagation, through to picking the end result.

And then, logically enough, into the kitchen; there are more ways to chop and store your herbs than you have hitherto considered, I'll wager.

Moving on, the excitement grows - sorry about the pun, with a comprehensive directory of herbs to grow and eat.  More than a simple list, each description paints a picture, effervesces with enthusiasm and quite frankly, is less than helpful in restricting your choice - I want them all.

"Anise hyssop (ours is just coming into flower) looks like the offspring of a one night stand mint had with a nettle". Sadly there is no back story about how mint and nettle got it on, but it was an intriguing enough introduction to make me read on.

By now, you should have your herb patch planned out and you can step into the recipe section. 

Disclaimer: this review is in no way coloured by the appearance of Mark's Netherton pan in some of these recipes, page 155 for example😊

Green is now my favourite colour, leaping out of every shot, as refreshing as a cold beer on a hot summer evening.

Among our favourites, and it is very hard to choose, is the dill, lemon and green bean pilaf.  The description of it being "crazily moreish", is if anything, an understatement.  The only way I can justify my greedy approach to this dish is to convince myself that is is good for me!.

There is so much to love about this book, but the love does not reside solely between the covers.

Mark is "offering HERB at four prices. We want to ensure that those who might benefit most from the book are able to get their hands on it, so you can pay whichever suits you." 

If you have wanted more from your herbs than a parsley garnish, then anything you spend on this book, will be a true investment.

* is "herbporn" a thing?

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2021 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Books for Christmas

When we were kids, we could always guarantee at least one book token from a relative at Christmas; easy to post, not much imagination required, no chocolate overdose guilt associations and the feel good factor that literary ambitions were being kindled.
On Christmas morning we were dutifully grateful but hardly thrilled - no instant gratification here!
But the joy of rifling through the shelves of the local book shop, choosing first one and then another, before settling on a final choice and handing over our token was worth the wait.

But if you, unlike a geographically distant relative, know the recipient well, then a carefully chosen book will light up their Christmas as much as the fairy lights and candles.

Food writing, as much as fiction, has a unique date stamp and continues to evolve.  The plethora of titles published annually is mind boggling and they range from the sublime to the ridiculous.  I am not going to single out any one book for nomination to the latter category, but I will not forgive anyone who gives me a book that promotes "wellness", weight loss or meals that take less than 15 minutes to prepare.

But I am prepared to share a selection of books that we not only admire, but actually use!

Disclaimer: several, but not all, of these have pictures of Netherton cookware between the covers.  That is because the authors own the cookware, the sole commercial transaction was the sale of the pan!

This list is not exhaustive, apologies to all the wonderful books that are not listed here, some of them are on my Dear Santa list.  If you have a favourite and would like us to publish your review, please send it over to us.

FROM THE OVEN TO THE TABLE

From the queen of food writing, Diana Henry, and yes, of course we are doubly biased, as not only are there photos of prospector and frying pans throughout the book, there is a 12" prospector pan on the beautifully photographed cover too.
But that aside, this is still a stunner  - making simple spectacular.  This is a collection of deeply flavourful recipes, all created as simple to make, "bung in the oven" dishes.  Our kind of cooking, especially at this busiest time of year.
Buy it here

THE BURGER BOOK and CHARRED

By DJ BBQ, aka Christian Stephenson and Genevieve Taylor respectively.

Warm yourselves with thoughts of bonfires and barbeques and settle down with a hot toddy and these two to plan your outdoor cooking adventures. The king and queen of fire cooking, this pair will have you reaching for the charcoal and itching to get outside and cooking with smoke and flames.
The Burger Book is available here
Charred can be bought here

  COCOA and SOUR

  

Two single word titles, that cover not only recipes but history, geography, politics, philosophy; quite simply engaging, informative and eloquently written
Sour, the magical element that will transform your cooking, by Mark Diacono
Cocoa by Sue Quinn, reviewed here by Nigella Lawson

We love these and, naturally, a combination of sweet and sour makes for a beautifully balanced culinary combination.  So we recommend that you head here and here and get both of them.

ZAIKA

A debut book from a talented chef, Romy Gill, sounding like it should be a minority interest book, but is, in fact, one for everyone. (Alright, I know that there are millions of vegans and vegetarians on the Indian sub continent, but I was thinking closer to home .  Ignore the fact that these are vegan recipes, although it will be a handy present for anyone heading into Veganuary after the festivities, Zaika is full of truly scrumptious dishes that just happen to have no animal products in them. Simply sublime.

SUPERPULSES

Jenny Chandler's pocket sized book for all things legume, is another handy book for those embracing a more plant based diet, although this is not exclusively a vegetarian book.  Sunshine bright dishes such as Smoked haddock, spinach and curried lentils goes a long way to dispel the lentil's reputation for boring. brown sludge.

Currently on offer at less than £7.00, this would make a great stocking filler or secret Santa gift.

GREENFEAST

Spring, Summer and Autumn, Winter

I am sure there is a law somewhere that says that Nigel Slater books should be on everyone's Christmas list and this year there are two to choose (I should say to choose from, but don't be selective;just ask Santa very nicely for both of them, after all they are a matching pair)  These two books, which encapsulate Nigel's increasingly plant focussed eating are an absolute treat.  Minimal ingredients, maximum flavour and in many case, no more than a mere modicum of effort to produce appetite satisfying and compliment inducing meals.
Spring Summer
Autumn Winter

NEW KITCHEN BASICS

In fact this is more like a New Kitchen Bible, reworking classic dishes for a new generation and for all of us with jaded palates and too ready a reliance on the same old, same old dishes we can knock out without thinking.

A re-setting of kitchen standards and ideal for everyone.

Nigella is also a fan of this book

Buy it, you won't regret it.

Here are some more ideas from food writer Nic Miller and of course, all the broadsheet papers and food magazines will have their own suggestions.
And Ed Smith throws his ideas into the ring here.

We have included links to places where you can buy these books, but would urge you first to head to your nearest, independent book shop and spend your money there and get that same tingle and frisson that we enjoyed spending our childhood book tokens.
Our favourite Shropshire book shops are Burway Books in beautiful Church Stretton, and Pengwern Books in the heart of historic Shrewsbury.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2019 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk