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The Hedgerow Cookbook
It's free, it's fun and it's very tasty! Harvesting your own produce from the hedgerows, meadows and woods rather than just ordering food online from the supermarket is all the rage with both towndwellers and countryfolk. The joy of turning nature's bounty into delicious produce to enjoy with the family or to use to make a lovely gift is being rediscovered in kitchens across the country.
This book will show you how easy it is to use your 'harvest' in lots of different ways: fed up with just making jam? then why not try fruit leather, cheese, rose petal syrup or a wickedly alcoholic drink instead. The book covers FLOWERS & HIPS; LEAVES; BERRIES; FRUIT WITH STONES; FRUIT WITH PIPS; and NUTS.
This is a really practical book covering 100 recipes, both sweet and savoury, as well as tips on gathering, seasonal guidance and the law and commonsense.
Author Information
‘Wild at Heart’ is a growing business selling a range of award-winning, artisan- made jellies, relishes and fruit cheeses, inspired by wild, native or ancient fruits and based on traditional English recipes. It was set up by Ginny Knox and Caro Willson. At school together they had shared many happy, sun-soaked days roaming the nearby fields and hedgerows, collecting crab apples and brambles to make into cakes, jellies and other delicious things. They both feel passionate about wild food, which is by definition local, seasonal, fresh and low in food miles. Not only this, but foods which grow in proximity on the same land are more likely to complement each other. Most importantly, gathering and cooking these foods is fabulous fun and directly connects us to our cultural heritage and helps bind us together as a community.
This book will show you how easy it is to use your 'harvest' in lots of different ways: fed up with just making jam? then why not try fruit leather, cheese, rose petal syrup or a wickedly alcoholic drink instead. The book covers FLOWERS & HIPS; LEAVES; BERRIES; FRUIT WITH STONES; FRUIT WITH PIPS; and NUTS.
This is a really practical book covering 100 recipes, both sweet and savoury, as well as tips on gathering, seasonal guidance and the law and commonsense.
Author Information
‘Wild at Heart’ is a growing business selling a range of award-winning, artisan- made jellies, relishes and fruit cheeses, inspired by wild, native or ancient fruits and based on traditional English recipes. It was set up by Ginny Knox and Caro Willson. At school together they had shared many happy, sun-soaked days roaming the nearby fields and hedgerows, collecting crab apples and brambles to make into cakes, jellies and other delicious things. They both feel passionate about wild food, which is by definition local, seasonal, fresh and low in food miles. Not only this, but foods which grow in proximity on the same land are more likely to complement each other. Most importantly, gathering and cooking these foods is fabulous fun and directly connects us to our cultural heritage and helps bind us together as a community.
- GenresCookbooks
116 pages, ebook
First published April 15, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 19, 2013
This is definitely a 'buy two sort' of book – one as a present and one for yourself. And despite living at the other side of the world there is plenty in this beautiful book that is relevant to my local countryside. In fact, I've just made the elderflower cordial and am now looking forward to trying the various recipes that use it. I'm hoping to get a few more heads and try the elderflower champagne (and being in New Zealand I can pick the necessary lemon from the garden). Lots of happy foraging ahead.
July 25, 2013
Free food… who doesn't want a bit of that in this day and age? Yet is anything really free unless you go dumpster diving? Yes, it can be, and this book shows you how!
To claim your free food you need to keep your eyes open and, at the same time, you get a bit of fresh air and exercise as you look around, harvesting "your own produce" from hedgerows, meadows and woods that may be around where you live. Of course, this book cannot give you a localised menu of everything you might find in your neighbourhood, yet you will get a good overview to the subject and be able to research any small local differences with a much wiser head on your shoulders.
Your eventual larder is split into key chapters for "flowers and hips", leaves, berries, fruit with stones, fruit with pips and nuts. Each chapter focusses on individual ingredients and their preparation as well as providing some recipe suggestions for their use. So elderflowers are, for example, shown to be capable of making various drinks (including elderflower champagne), cakes, desserts, jams and preserves. When you start to browse through this book you will see just how versatile many of these free ingredients can be - yet it is something that our forefathers might have taken for granted and it is only latter generations who have tended to eschew such items in favour of supermarket-provided food.
The recipes do have a natural bias towards the items found in England, so those based in other countries might need to undertake a bit of experimentation and substitution of ingredients yet that can be part of the fun too! The individual recipes do encourage you to learn, try and possibly experiment. The authors have managed to make this book a fairly open, accessible read without plastering it with various ecological mantras and lecturing that other "natural food" books tend to do. In many ways this could still be a great little read, particularly with its low price, for city-dwellers who never visit the countryside as you can still marvel at and feel possibly envious about those who have access to these great "hidden" ingredients.
Many of the recipes might, at first glance, sound strange due to their unfamiliarity, yet if they were written with a French name and served in a high-class restaurant you might think you are getting something cutting edge. Rabbit Casserole with Nettle Dumplings anyone?
There's not a lot else to say. You can sense the enthusiasm of the authors to their subject. They let the ingredients do the talking. This reviewer was a tad sceptical as to whether this book would really work. Fiddlesticks! It is not hyperbole to say that this is quite an innovative, intriguing little book that should be in every "more adventurous" cook's personal library. Just one different recipe is all it takes for you to get your money's worth, if the vast amount of thought-provoking background information is not enough for you.
The Hedgerow Cookbook, written by "Wild At Heart" and published by Anova Books/Pavilion. ISBN 9781909108752, 272 pages. Typical price: GBP7.99. YYYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
To claim your free food you need to keep your eyes open and, at the same time, you get a bit of fresh air and exercise as you look around, harvesting "your own produce" from hedgerows, meadows and woods that may be around where you live. Of course, this book cannot give you a localised menu of everything you might find in your neighbourhood, yet you will get a good overview to the subject and be able to research any small local differences with a much wiser head on your shoulders.
Your eventual larder is split into key chapters for "flowers and hips", leaves, berries, fruit with stones, fruit with pips and nuts. Each chapter focusses on individual ingredients and their preparation as well as providing some recipe suggestions for their use. So elderflowers are, for example, shown to be capable of making various drinks (including elderflower champagne), cakes, desserts, jams and preserves. When you start to browse through this book you will see just how versatile many of these free ingredients can be - yet it is something that our forefathers might have taken for granted and it is only latter generations who have tended to eschew such items in favour of supermarket-provided food.
The recipes do have a natural bias towards the items found in England, so those based in other countries might need to undertake a bit of experimentation and substitution of ingredients yet that can be part of the fun too! The individual recipes do encourage you to learn, try and possibly experiment. The authors have managed to make this book a fairly open, accessible read without plastering it with various ecological mantras and lecturing that other "natural food" books tend to do. In many ways this could still be a great little read, particularly with its low price, for city-dwellers who never visit the countryside as you can still marvel at and feel possibly envious about those who have access to these great "hidden" ingredients.
Many of the recipes might, at first glance, sound strange due to their unfamiliarity, yet if they were written with a French name and served in a high-class restaurant you might think you are getting something cutting edge. Rabbit Casserole with Nettle Dumplings anyone?
There's not a lot else to say. You can sense the enthusiasm of the authors to their subject. They let the ingredients do the talking. This reviewer was a tad sceptical as to whether this book would really work. Fiddlesticks! It is not hyperbole to say that this is quite an innovative, intriguing little book that should be in every "more adventurous" cook's personal library. Just one different recipe is all it takes for you to get your money's worth, if the vast amount of thought-provoking background information is not enough for you.
The Hedgerow Cookbook, written by "Wild At Heart" and published by Anova Books/Pavilion. ISBN 9781909108752, 272 pages. Typical price: GBP7.99. YYYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
September 2, 2013
Wild At Heart is a company that was formed by Caro Willson and Ginny Knox after giving up their corporate careers. Their company provides a range of jams, jellies and chutneys inspired by ingredients that grows wild in our British hedgerows.
The subject matter of this recipe book really appealed to me. I have recently developed an interest in foraging, so it seemed fortuitous that there was a recipe book that contained recipes for my scavenged goodies. I am following in my ancestors footsteps and seeking food that nature gives up freely, with just a little effort required on my part.
The book starts with an introduction from the authors on why they started up their business. The next section is a useful note on the legality of foraging. In the UK, you have a common law right to forage for fruit, flowers, funghi and foliage as long as it is for personal use, not for re-sale and providing it has not been planted as a crop. There is also a very useful seasonal chart showing the availability of the ingredients covered.
The recipes are structured into chapters, each one focusing on a type of foraged ingredient, such as berries, leaves, or fruit. They are a variety of sweet and savoury, from main courses to side dishes.
The pictures are beautifully staged and photographed, and all the dishes look incredibly appealing. The recipes I tried were very easy to follow. I am pleased to note that the measurements are in grams, ounces and cups which I like to see as it makes the book try. My favourite recipes were the Sloe Vodka, Crab Apple Butter and Blackberry and Apple Crumble Cake.
This is the perfect book for this time of year when the trees and hedgerows are bulging with produce. Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy, then head out into the countryside. It has inspired me to open my eyes, and broaden my tastes from the usual blackberries, and seek out foraged foods I would normally walk by.
The subject matter of this recipe book really appealed to me. I have recently developed an interest in foraging, so it seemed fortuitous that there was a recipe book that contained recipes for my scavenged goodies. I am following in my ancestors footsteps and seeking food that nature gives up freely, with just a little effort required on my part.
The book starts with an introduction from the authors on why they started up their business. The next section is a useful note on the legality of foraging. In the UK, you have a common law right to forage for fruit, flowers, funghi and foliage as long as it is for personal use, not for re-sale and providing it has not been planted as a crop. There is also a very useful seasonal chart showing the availability of the ingredients covered.
The recipes are structured into chapters, each one focusing on a type of foraged ingredient, such as berries, leaves, or fruit. They are a variety of sweet and savoury, from main courses to side dishes.
The pictures are beautifully staged and photographed, and all the dishes look incredibly appealing. The recipes I tried were very easy to follow. I am pleased to note that the measurements are in grams, ounces and cups which I like to see as it makes the book try. My favourite recipes were the Sloe Vodka, Crab Apple Butter and Blackberry and Apple Crumble Cake.
This is the perfect book for this time of year when the trees and hedgerows are bulging with produce. Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy, then head out into the countryside. It has inspired me to open my eyes, and broaden my tastes from the usual blackberries, and seek out foraged foods I would normally walk by.
June 20, 2013
It was the title and the pretty cover that made me curious about this cookbook, as well as the fact that it seemed a bit different -- focusing on "wild food plant sources". After finishing this book I was totally impressed. This lovely book contains 100 different recipes, and there is a gorgeous color photo for just about every delight in this book. As a visual person, this was a definite plus.
The book is divided into sections which covers: flowers & hips; leaves; berries; fruits with stones; fruits wit pips and nuts. There is a section on the "basics" of preserving, which was very good for a novice like myself. I liked the fact that they also discussed useful equipment.
Each "wild food source" gets a page devoted to the specifics, and then also a photo and a page with a gorgeous high gloss color photo and a recipe, such as Dandelion and Dandelion Flower Wine and Dandelion Marmalade; Elderflower and Elderflower Cordials, Brambles and Bramble Apple Jam with Cinnamon. How about whipping up some tasty delights using rose petals (rose petal jam), rose hips, wild berries and fruits such as wild plums and there are plenty more that I thought were worth trying as well.
Some of my favorite recipes were:
--WILD GARLIC and Wild Garlic Pesto
--BLACKBERRIES and Blackberry Post & Almond Trifle
--Blackberry and Apple Crumb Cake
--Rose Petal Jam
--Nettle Beer (looked interesting as well and the wild herb --nettle--- is rich in vitamin A, C, Calcium and potassium as well.
Admittedly, if there was one drawback to this book, it was the fact that some of the "wild food sources" may not be readily available to many of us here in the US. Even if this proves to be true for some, there is plenty to make this book worthwhile. Nature lovers who is just kind of bored with traditional recipes I think will especially like this one.
4.5/5 stars
The book is divided into sections which covers: flowers & hips; leaves; berries; fruits with stones; fruits wit pips and nuts. There is a section on the "basics" of preserving, which was very good for a novice like myself. I liked the fact that they also discussed useful equipment.
Each "wild food source" gets a page devoted to the specifics, and then also a photo and a page with a gorgeous high gloss color photo and a recipe, such as Dandelion and Dandelion Flower Wine and Dandelion Marmalade; Elderflower and Elderflower Cordials, Brambles and Bramble Apple Jam with Cinnamon. How about whipping up some tasty delights using rose petals (rose petal jam), rose hips, wild berries and fruits such as wild plums and there are plenty more that I thought were worth trying as well.
Some of my favorite recipes were:
--WILD GARLIC and Wild Garlic Pesto
--BLACKBERRIES and Blackberry Post & Almond Trifle
--Blackberry and Apple Crumb Cake
--Rose Petal Jam
--Nettle Beer (looked interesting as well and the wild herb --nettle--- is rich in vitamin A, C, Calcium and potassium as well.
Admittedly, if there was one drawback to this book, it was the fact that some of the "wild food sources" may not be readily available to many of us here in the US. Even if this proves to be true for some, there is plenty to make this book worthwhile. Nature lovers who is just kind of bored with traditional recipes I think will especially like this one.
4.5/5 stars
June 18, 2013
The authors are from England, so some of the plants are not available in our area. This is a subject that fascinates me, however, and so I couldn't resist getting the book to review. The books authors have their own company called "Wild at Heart", and this book came about as a result of their own business success.
The book basically has two parts: a section on the plant to forage & how to pick it, and a section on what to make with it. There's both the standard British measurements & what we are used to here in the States, making it easy for anyone to use the recipes.
I was thrilled to see a section on dandelions, something I was determined to pick and harvest this year but didn't because I had no idea what I could actually DO with the flower. Unfortunately, however, the two recipes they included - wine, and marmelade - are two things I could never make - the wine for space reasons, and the marmelade because it includes multiple ingredients I'm allergic to.
all in all, however, there aren't any recipes in the book I'll actually use, but I think it's a great resource and a good place to start with wild foraging.
I received a review copy for free from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
The book basically has two parts: a section on the plant to forage & how to pick it, and a section on what to make with it. There's both the standard British measurements & what we are used to here in the States, making it easy for anyone to use the recipes.
I was thrilled to see a section on dandelions, something I was determined to pick and harvest this year but didn't because I had no idea what I could actually DO with the flower. Unfortunately, however, the two recipes they included - wine, and marmelade - are two things I could never make - the wine for space reasons, and the marmelade because it includes multiple ingredients I'm allergic to.
all in all, however, there aren't any recipes in the book I'll actually use, but I think it's a great resource and a good place to start with wild foraging.
I received a review copy for free from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
August 5, 2013
a lovely encouraging book with some truly gorgeous photography. the recipes encompass both the liquors and jams that one expects but also the savory options.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews