We live in a time where our connection to food and its provenance is lower than it likely has ever been. With the ability to just get what you want from the supermarket comes a loss of understanding about food. Convenience is the root cause of our current health and environmental crises. ‘Hunter Gather Cook’ is a book that aims to educate and enlighten you to the abundance of wild food that is available in the U.K.
Nick Weston has a fascinating food story of his own, and his passion for wild food is the driving force behind this book. His enthusiasm creates a compelling narrative that takes you from field to fork, covering the the very basics of building a fire through to identifying edible foods in the wild and turning them into delicious meals. This is a book that cares about its subject, and this is shown in the depth of information given: the meat sections are broken down into comprehensive species identification and butchery guides alongside guides on the cuts you can get from each animal , telling you how they’re used and how to prepare them.
When it comes to plants, this book gives just as much detail - the mushroom and wild plant directories are informative and led to me finding a big cluster of wild garlic near my house. Since reading the book, I have identified a few more edible plants nearby and plan on using some of it soon.
The selection of recipes in this book provides a great balance between new and traditional tastes, you have slow cook venison shoulder alongside Rabbit Quesadillas. Each recipe is easy to follow and should be simple enough for even the most amateur cook to complete. The only difficulty I can see a home cook having is getting hold of some of the ingredients. A quick trip to the supermarket won’t get many of the ingredients you need, but that’s kind of the point. ‘Hunter Gather Cook’ encourages you to expand your food experience beyond the shops and packages we are used to. It’s a book about exploring the outside world and getting back in touch with a food heritage that we have so tragically neglected
You can tell that this book is the culmination of an eight year journey that has produced not only this book but the Hunter Gather Cook cookery school and i would highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to lean more about the food around them, or wants to deepen their knowledge of different ways of cooking. This is a must-have book for anyone who wants to learn more about the natural food that grows around and I would highly recommend it. 'Hunter Gather Cook' is available to buy now for £25.00.
Author: Nick Weston Published by: GMC Publications ISBN: 9781784944179
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