A guide to what's in season when and why

Seasonal Food

A crucial companion for the keen cook who wants the best ingredients: tells you what to buy, when to buy it, where to buy it (and even how to cook it) to eat the best.

This guide to food and the seasons is not a preachy, finger-wagging tome. It is written with a real delight in food and produce... and tells you not just when things are in their natural seasons, but when and why certain foods taste better at certain times of the year - and how to cook them

The perfect reference book for all keen cooks, for all those fed up with all year round strawberries, and for all those who want an affinity for the seasons

I like Paul Waddington's book. It seemed to me more than what it says on the cover with equally important advice on when things will actually be at their best. Obviously a labour of love for the author as well as a valuable companion for his reader

A superb book and a must for anyone even remotely interested in cooking

This is both a great reference and cookery book and, as produce is at its cheapest when in season locally, one which is well worth investing in

This handy reference book... includes some useful recipe ideas and an information table on seasonal food festivals

Paul Waddington is the author of Shades of Green and 21st-Century Smallholder: from windowboxes to allotments, how to go back to the land without leaving home. He is also a newspaper columnist and professional writer. He takes a deep interest in food and environmental issues, grows vegetables, and lives as sustainably as possible with his wife and sons in Yorkshire.

Unless you are a farmer, grower, or food expert, I bet your knowledge of what's in season and when is pretty slim. Despite a renaissance in British home cooking, coupled with a rediscovery of local produce through farmers' markets and enthusiastic celebrity chefs, many of us are missing some pretty crucial information. I mean, what's the use of a fancy gooseberry recipe in November? 
 
You want to know what's good to eat now? And why? Without pouring through stacks of recipe books? You need this book. Seasonal Food is organized into twelve chapters, one for each month of the year. Each chapter starts with a brief story about the month itself (what's happening in the farming calendar, food-related customs and traditions), followed by narrative sections covering what's in prime season - fruit and veg, meat, fish and other seasonally-influenced produce such as cheeses. There are recipes with information such as traditions, best regions etc and other basic suggestions about preparation. And new for this edition and in response to a growing sophistication in seasonal eating in the UK, it features gourmet foods that you can't source locally. Discover when to get the finest nectarines or the best month to treat yourself to Vacherin cheese.

From Window Boxes To Allotments: How To Go Back To The Land Without Leaving Home

21st-Century Smallholder

For anyone wanting to find 'the good life' in their garden, allotment or even a window box - a practical, accessible and stylish guide to growing food and living sustainably.

Wittily written and very inspiring, full of sensible tips on everything from windowboxes to pickling your produce. It's a 21st-century version of John Seymour's Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency ...

...a charmingly written, practical guide to setting up an urban smallholding, allowing readers to indulge Good Life fantasies, however small their balcony or window box.

A handbook packed full of green advice...Aesthetically pleasant guides to growing and raising your own food accompany serious food for thought on how you can, and why you should make a difference.

Beautifully written and illustrated, the 21st Century Smallholder is the bible for today's Tom and Barbara Good and anyone else who wants to live the dream.

If you have space for just a window-box, 21st Century Smallholder is for you. Subtitled "How to Go Back to the Land Without Leaving Home", it offers exactly what it says on the cover.

Packed with tips and easy to use, 21st Century Smallholder...will inspire you, whether you've a window box or an allotment.

Paul's books will inspire even the most reluctant urban gardener.

Packed with ideas, it's a book we should all read, and if we each follow just a fraction of Mr Waddington's advice, we'll be doing something positive to protect the environment.

This is a terrific book for anyone who has toyed with any aspect of going back to the land...He is endlessly positive, but realistic too.

Paul Waddington is the author of Seasonal Food and Shades of Green. He is also a newspaper columnist and professional writer. He takes a deep interest in food and environmental issues and grows vegetables, keeps bees and lives as sustainably as possible in Yorkshire.

Achieving genuine self-sufficiency of the kind described in John Seymour's classic guide is sadly beyond the vast reach of the urban majority today. Few have the space, and for those few there are comprehensive guidebooks. But where do the rest of us look for the answers to questions like how much effort does it really take to grow your own food? Is beekeeping difficult? Is solar power really worth the bother? 
From a small terraced house in the middle of a big city, Paul Waddington has made it his business to find out, and while trying it himself, has created a practical and absorbing guidebook along the way. It includes easy-to-read lists, tables, personal anecdote, and stunning illustrations, and more importantly demystifies the subject with practical tips that get to the heart of the matter to show you how you can enjoy the fulfilling aspects of the smallholding life without the hassle and expense of 'going all the way'. If you want to go back to the land without leaving home, this is the perfect guide.

Paul Waddington

Paul's books will inspire even the most reluctant among us.

Paul Waddington fills in the grey areas, without any po-faced preaching, on the benefits, making us rethink our lifestyle choices in a fun way.

Honest and witty . .. this guidebook will help you to choose to do the best you can in your own circumstances. I learnt a lot from it.

A (mostly) practical A-Z for the reluctant environmentalist

Few of us have what it takes to go 'all the way' on the green scale. Yet as fears about the food chain, climate change, plummeting biodiversity and the sustainability of our current lifestyles take hold, wouldn't it be good to be clear about our range of options? 
 
Whether you are pondering bicycles or baths, holidays or heating, pets or pasta, washing dishes or wine, Shades of Green is the book for you. It's an easy-to-use, A-Z guide which sets out your choices on a scale from 'completely green' to 'not even a little bit green'. No preaching. No finger-wagging. 
 
Whether you're an eco-warrior or a planet-trasher or, like most of us, something in between, Shades of Green will give you all you need to know so you can choose what suits you best. This is essential and often surprising reading.

Paul Waddington

Praise for Shades Of Green

Paul's books will inspire even the most reluctant among us.

Paul Waddington fills in the grey areas, without any po-faced preaching, on the benefits, making us rethink our lifestyle choices in a fun way.

Honest and witty . .. this guidebook will help you to choose to do the best you can in your own circumstances. I learnt a lot from it.

Paul's books will inspire even the most reluctant among us.

Paul Waddington fills in the grey areas, without any po-faced preaching, on the benefits, making us rethink our lifestyle choices in a fun way.

Honest and witty . .. this guidebook will help you to choose to do the best you can in your own circumstances. I learnt a lot from it.

Paul's books will inspire even the most reluctant among us.

Paul Waddington fills in the grey areas, without any po-faced preaching, on the benefits, making us rethink our lifestyle choices in a fun way.

Honest and witty . .. this guidebook will help you to choose to do the best you can in your own circumstances. I learnt a lot from it.

Books by Paul Waddington

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