'Ingredients are at the heart of everything we do at River Cottage. By gathering our all-time favourites together, I hope to inspire you to look at them with fresh eyes and discover new ways of cooking them' Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
The definitive River Cottage kitchen companion. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his team of experts have between them an unprecedented breadth of culinary expertise on subjects that range from fishing and foraging to bread-making, preserving, cheese-making and much more. In this volume they profile their best-loved and most-used ingredients. With more than three hundred entries covering vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, meat, fish, fungi, foraged foods, pulses, grains, dairy, oils and vinegars, the River Cottage A to Z is a compendium of all the ingredients the resourceful modern cook might want to use in their kitchen.
Each ingredient is accompanied by a delicious, simple recipe or two: there are new twists on old favourites, such as cockle and chard rarebit, North African shepherd's pie, pigeon breasts with sloe gin gravy, or damson ripple parfait, as well as inspiring ideas for less familiar ingredients, like dahl with crispy seaweed or rowan toffee. And there are recipes for all seasons: wild garlic fritters in spring; cherry, thyme and marzipan muffins for summer; an autumnal salad of venison, apple, celeriac and hazelnuts; a hearty winter warmer of ale-braised ox cheeks with parsnips.
With more than 350 recipes, and brimming with advice on processes such as curing bacon and making yoghurt, the secret of perfect crackling and which apple varieties to choose for a stand-out crumble, as well as sourcing the most sustainable ingredients, this is an essential guide to cooking, eating and living well. More than anything, the River Cottage A to Z is a celebration of the amazing spectrum of produce that surrounds us - all brought to life by Simon Wheeler's atmospheric photography, and Michael Frith's evocative watercolour illustrations.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a writer, broadcaster and campaigner. His recent BBC One series Easy Ways to Live Well, alongside comedian Steph McGovern, looked inwardly at our perceptions of healthy eating and wellbeing. Hugh's Channel 4 series have earned him a huge popular following, while his River Cottage books have collected multiple awards including the Glenfiddich Trophy and the André Simon Food Book of the Year. Hugh's additional broadcasting, like the hugely influential Fish Fight, has earned him a BAFTA as well as awards from Radio 4, Observer and the Guild of Food Writers. Hugh lives in Devon with his family.
@hughfearnleywhittingstall / @rivercottage / rivercottage.net
Pam Corbin is the UK's leading expert on jams, jellies, marmalades, chutneys, pickles and other preserves, and she has been in the business for more than thirty years. Pam and her husband Hugh moved to Devon where they bought an old pig farm and converted it into a small jam factory. Always using good, wholesome, seasonal ingredients, their products, sold under the Thursday Cottage label, soon became firm favourites with jam-lovers the world over. Pam has now hung up her professional wooden spoon but continues to 'jam' at home. She also works closely with the River Cottage team, making seasonal goodies using fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers from her own garden, from Park Farm, and from the fields and hedgerows.
Mark Diacono is an award-winning writer and photographer. Known for his commitment to sustainable, ethically produced food, Mark was head of the Garden Team at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage for many years before setting up Otter Farm, the Britain's first and only climate change farm.
@MarkDoc / @OtterFarmUK / otterfarm.co.uk
Nikki Duffy is the former Deputy Editor of the award-winning magazine
Waitrose Food Illustrated as well as writing a weekly food column in the
Guardian. She worked for three years as the River Cottage Food Editor and is now a freelance food writer. Nikki lives in Essex with her two beautiful daughters.
Tim Maddams, formerly Head Chef at the River Cottage Canteen, grew up in Wiltshire. He cooked in professional kitchens with Fergus Henderson, Alistair Little, Marco Pierre White and Mark Hix before returning to south-west England to work with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. A key spokesperson in the arena of responsibly sourced produce, in 2012 he founded his own company Green Sauce, teaching, cooking and consulting on ethical food.
rivercottage.net / @TimGreenSauce
