River Cottage has become synonymous in Britain for food with conscience. Here they practise the art of growing fruit and vegetables as naturally as possible. Mark Diacono leads the Garden Team at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage – running the garden courses, giving talks, hosting events at River Cottage HQ and appearing in the River Cottage TV series. Mark is known for his commitment to sustainable, ethically produced food. As well as having a unique take on growing food, Mark champions climate change growing, an approach to producing food that takes sustainable advantage of the new weather conditions. Diacono’s sense of humour is a rare gem in books like this, and his passion and enthusiasm come through in these two books that he authored in the River Cottage Handbook series:

Veg Patch: River Cottage Handbook No.4

Named as the Practical Book of the Year at the Garden Media Guild Awards 2009, this book draws directly from Mark’s experience as an acclaimed climate-change gardener, and of setting up a kitchen garden from scratch for River Cottage.

Mark explains the practical aspects of organic growing, introduces the reader to a whole world of vegetables they may not have previously considered, and does away with alienating gardening jargon. He begins with a catalogue of vegetables, explaining each of their benefits, what varieties to go for, dos and don’ts, and popular culinary uses.

Next, he explains how to turn this diversity of vegetables into a coherent kitchen garden plan appropriate for your space, whether it be a patch of acidic soil, a roof-top garden or an allotment.

Included in the book is a section showing how to look after nutrients in the soil, how to resist pests and diseases, and how to make the garden sustainable and organic. Learn about seed trays, supporting plants with climbing structures, mulching, composting, companion planting, irrigation and promoting pollination

About thirty recipes finish the book.

Fruit: River Cottage Handbook No.9

Growing fruit at home is a delicious and altogether more enjoyable alternative to buying it in the shops. Mark offers a practical and accessible guide to making the most of your garden and what it has to offer. The first part of the book is an A-Z of the different varieties of fruit, with old favourites like apples, cherries, plums, blackcurrants, white currants, redcurrants, strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, raspberries and rhubarb as well as more exotic species like figs, grapes, cranberries, Japanese wine berries and apricots. Each is accompanied by a photograph, with detailed advice on when and how to grow and harvest.

In the second part of the book, Mark gives straightforward guidelines on techniques like pruning and training, as well as how to deal with problems or pests. There is a section dedicated to growing under covers and in containers. Introduced by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and with 30 delicious recipes, beautiful, full-colour photographs and a directory of useful addresses, this is the ideal reference for any aspiring fruit grower.

Interested in buying this book? Visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, is able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for, and they deliver to your door. Pay only R236.80 for this book (Recommended Retail Price = R296)!  Red Pepper Books is offering Wickedfood Cooking School subscribers an EXTRA 10% off this book. Simply type in the promotional code WICKEDFOOD on the shipping page of the checkout process and your purchase will be reduced by a further 10%, a total saving of R59.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Over the past few years, every British celeb chef has done a Great British recipe book. Is this one any different?

Jamie’s Great Britain explores much of the makeup of what contemporary British food is today.  Through the millennia Britain has survived invasion, exploration, colonisation and immigration, all contributing to what is great about modern British food in the home today. Curry has replaced roast beef as the national dish and these trends are reflected in the book.

Jamie grew up in one of the first true British “gastropubs”, which his Mum and Dad still run today. For him, the heart and soul of real British cooking is food that puts a smile on your face. And that’s what this book is all about.

The book includes over 100 of Jamie’s favourite British recipes: some are indisputable classics, some are his versions of the classics, some may become classics with time – from scones, and Bubble and Squeak, to Yemeni lamb recipes from Wales, scallops with black pudding, roast veg vindaloo, and rabbit bolognese.

Don’t expect  just familiar comfort food like old-fashioned bangers and mash and a ultimate shepherds pie recipe, you may well be disappointed. In this book Jamie provides a new twist on the British national cuisine.

Interested in buying this book? Visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, is able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for, and they deliver to your door. Pay only R304 for this book (Recommended Retail Price = R380)!  Red Pepper Books is offering Wickedfood Cooking School subscribers an EXTRA 10% off this book. Simply type in the promotional code WICKEDFOOD on the shipping page of the checkout process and your purchase will be reduced by a further 10%, a total saving of R65.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Born in Egypt, educated in Paris, and now based in the UK, Claudia has written several award-winning cookbooks including Arabesque, A Book of Middle Eastern Food, The Book of Jewish Food and The Food of Italy.

She is one of the foremost authorities on Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and North African cooking, and in The Food of Spain she brings her incomparable authenticity, vision, and immense knowledge to bear on the cuisines of Spain.

Spanish cuisine is at a critical moment. Claudia claims that Spain has transformed itself into the world’s effervescent centre of gastronomic creativity. Standing on a precipice, unsure of what lies ahead, is perhaps the best time to look backward. “You have to look into the past to understand Spain’s complex gastronomic map.” This book certainly captures that flavour, and will be a constant reference at Wickedfood Cooking School, when developing new Spanish cooking classes.

Other books on Spanish cuisine that we have reviewed include:

• Seasonal Spanish Food
• MoVida Rustica
• The Book of Tapas
• Jamie Does…
• 1080 Recipes
• A Day at elBulli
• Moro
• Arabesque
• The Food of Spain

Interested in buying this book? Visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, is able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for, and they deliver to your door. Pay only R358.20 for this book (Recommended Retail Price = R398)!  Red Pepper Books is offering Wickedfood Cooking School subscribers an EXTRA 10% off this book. Simply type in the promotional code WICKEDFOOD on the shipping page of the checkout process and your purchase will be reduced by a further 10%, and therefore pay just R312, a total saving of R86.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference. Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Marcus Wareing, an English chef, currently Chef Patron of Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley (formerly Pétrus) in Knightsbridge, and previously the Grill Room at the Savoy Hotel on the Strand. In September 2008, Pétrus was  voted London’s Best Restaurant.

A protégé of Gordon Ramsay, Wareing joined Ramsay’s Aubergine in 1993, where he became Sous Chef behind Head Chef Ramsay. After running the Grill Room at the Savoy Hotel on the Strand, Wareing opened and operated Pétrus on behalf of Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH) at the Berkeley Hotel. The restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars and five AA Rosettes, while the Savoy Grill achieved its first Michelin star in its 100-plus year history, since he took over.

In May 2008 the Berkeley Hotel began working directly with Wareing to launch its own restaurant, named Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley which went on to earn two Michelin stars in its own right which it currently retains.

In 2006, Marcus Wareing featured in the BBC television series Great British Menu, cooking his dessert of egg custard tart with Garibaldi biscuits for the Queen’s 80th birthday banquet.

In his book One Perfect Ingredient, Three Ways to Cook It, Marcus takes a new approach to cookbooks, by grouping chapters around ingredients, rather than the conventional starters, main courses and desserts.  Marcus Wareing guides the reader through 150 recipes to make tasty, enticing, imaginative food from the kind of basic ingredients to be found in any kitchen. All the ingredients are easy to get hold of, and the recipes are  chosen with the home cook in mind. Apart from the recipes, this book contains a lot of useful cooking tips, that will help you to become a better cook, and get better results.

Click here for recipes from Marcus Wareing.

Interested in buying this book? For the next 2 weeks Red Pepper Books is offering a special discounted price for One Perfect Ingredient . Visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, they are able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for, and they deliver to your door.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Nigel Slater is a cook who writes, he’s no doubt one of the top food writers around at the moment. He has been the food columnist for The Observer for eighteen years and is presenter of BBC1′s Simple Suppers. Author of seven cookery books, including Appetite and The Kitchen Diaries.

He however, remains very much an amateur cook. Nigel is not a chef and has no restaurant or commercial connections. His food is understated, handcrafted home cooking that is easy to accomplish and without a trace of what he affectionately calls ‘celebrity cheffery’. He is not fond of fussy food and prefers simple suppers made with care and thought.

Over the years, he has produced a variety of superb cookbooks.  In Tender, his last book, Nigel focused on his vegetable patch. Now, in Tender: Volume II, A cook’s guide to the fruit garden, he turns to his fruit garden for inspiration, with recipes for everything from stews and soups, to puddings and pies.

With over 300 recipe ideas and many wonderful stories from the fruit garden, Tender: Volume II is the definitive guide to cooking with fruit. And even if you do not cook regularly, this book will certainly inspire you, not only to prepare the fruit dishes, but to go out and plant a few trees. To quote just one passage from the book.

“Like a melting snowflake, the perfectly ripe pear is a fleeting thing. Something to be caught, held tenderly, briefly marvelled at, before it is gone forever. Ripeness is all.”

At Wickedfood Cooking School, this book will definitely become an instant reference source for future cooking classes.

Click here for Recipes from the book and here for even more.

Interested in buying this book? For the next 2 weeks Red Pepper Books is offering a special discounted price for Tender: Volume II. Visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, they are able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for, and they deliver to your door.

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.