River Cottage a to Z

January 2, 2017
The latest, and most expansive, tome from the team at Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Devon, England–based River Cottage cooking school and restaurants is an alphabetical guide to some of their most commonly used ingredients, with accompanying recipes. Each entry, from alexanders to zander (zucchini appear under their British name of courgettes) receives a profile, tips on selection and seasonality, and a single recipe showcasing its key qualities. Unlike other books of this type that offer a “one and done” approach to an alphabetical listing, Fearnley-Whittingstall and company include additional recipes for each ingredient, should readers want to dig further. As a cookbook, it’s an interesting effort: the team’s recipes (deviled parsnips, paella. French beans with shallots and black olives, etc.) are fairly straightforward and few call for arcane or hard-to-source ingredients. But the book works better as a reference. The River Cottage crew hit all the right notes in their descriptions, whether they’re singing the praises of pork and spinach or explaining the various applications of salt. There’s a decidedly British bent to the book, and readers on this side of the pond may question the inclusion of U.K.-specific ingredients (bilberries, hake) or the need for a hogweed recipe. Still, it’s a fascinating and impressively produced work that will likely see greater use in the living room than the kitchen.

April 1, 2017
Encyclopedic approaches to foods convey information, but rarely do they also entertain. Chef and food activist Fearnley-Whittingstall has used his East Devon farmstead/restaurant/cooking school to promote sustainable agriculture through a series of popular British television shows. Now, with the help of a handful of knowledgeable cooking associates, Fearnley-Whittingstall has written a massive guide to all things comestible. While these essays on individual ingredients offer comprehensive data on the origins, propagation, and culinary uses of vegetables, herbs, seafood, and meats, they are written with such enthusiasm and good humor that even nonfoodies may find themselves intrigued and even laughing out loud. Written with a decidedly British voice, the book pours out a torrent of well-organized and valuable reference material. Recipes for each ingredient, whether common (barley, spinach, raspberries) or obscure (alexanders, puffballs, bilberries) vary from simple to complex. American readers may be confounded by exclusive use of metric measures. Color photographs and drawings supplement the text.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)