Collins Gem - Food For Free [Paperback]

‘Thirty years after its initial publication, the forager's bible continues to inspire and enthral.’
Scottish Field

‘Still a classic’
The Financial Times

‘Armed with this guide, this month you could be sampling the simple pleasures of eating a fleshy Hottentot fig straight from a Devon clifftop, making elderflower fritters gathered from the hedgerows, or frying fairy-ring champignons picked off your lawn. With its charming painted illustrations, it is a book to savour in itself.’
Devon Life

The ideal portable companion, the world-renowned Collins Gem series returns with a fresh new look and updated material.

This is the perfect pocket guide for aspiring foragers. Over 100 edible plants are listed, fully illustrated and described, together with recipes and other fascinating details on their use throughout the ages.

Practical advice on how to pick along with information on countryside laws and regulations on picking wild plants helps you to plan your foray with a feast in mind.

This is the ideal book for both nature lovers and cooks keen to enjoy what the countryside has to offer.

Illustrated throughout with stunning colour photographs this fully-revised edition of a Collins bestseller explains the best ways to make use of the foods we can find in the wild.

'Food for Free' by Richard Mabey was first published in 1972, since then it has been reprinted 11 times. An all-colour, revised version produced in 1989 has sold over 30,000 copies in the trade. A guide to over 200 types of food that can be gathered in the wild in Britain, 'Food for Free' explores the history and folklore of the foods as well as explaining how we identify them and the best ways to cook and eat them.

The new edition will bring the subject right up to date. Organized by season rather than food type 'Food for Free' will take us through the year. Richard Mabey’s fully-revised text will be accompanied by stunning photographs, new recipes and a wealth of practical information on collecting, cooking and preparing.

Beautifully illustrated, beautifully written and produced in a new, larger format 'Food for Free' is designed to inspire us to take more notice of what is around us, how we can make use of it and how we can conserve it for future generations.

Richard Mabey is a naturalist and award-winning author and journalist. He won wide acclaim on the publication of the original Food for Free in 1972 – which has never been out of print since – and again with the publication of the full-colour edition in 1989. Among his many other acclaimed publications are Gilbert White (Whitbread Biography of the Year) and the ground-breaking, award-winning best-seller Flora Britannica. He collaborated with Mark Cocker on Birds Britannica, and his book Nature Cure, described as 'a brilliant, candid and heartfelt memoir', was shortlisted for four prestigious prizes. He is an active member of national and local conservation groups and lives in Norfolk.