The Good Table: Adventures in and Around My Kitchen [Hardcover]

'Valentine Warner is the real deal, a boyishly enthusiastic champion of cooking the tastiest produce when nature says so.' - You Magazine, Mail on Sunday 'Valentine Warner is the TV cook of the moment.' - Telegraph Magazine 'My new food writer crush, Valentine Warner, who is fast replacing Nigel Slater in my affections. He has two books out, and all his grub seems to be as hearty and delicious as Slater's, but with a bit more panache.' - Domini Kemp, The Irish Times 'Val's infectious schoolboy charm is endearing' - Budgens Magazine 'Valentine couldn't write a cliched sentence if he tried.' - Dorset Magazine

The food you put on your table is at the heart of the house, as a matter of survival and joy. Everything we eat sustains family, friends and self, and The Good Table shows that it is best when sourced and cooked with love and care. Whether making comforting favourites such as Toad in the Hole or Paella, classic dishes such as Beef Suet Pudding or a Brandy Snap with Berries, or recipes from far-flung shores such as Lapland Fish Soup and a Spanish dish of Chorizo in Cider, Valentine's omnivorous curiosity and attention to detail set his recipes apart. In this timely book, Valentine pays homage to the slow cooking of cheaper cuts of beef, pork and lamb, whilst encouraging us to enjoy less widely-used meat such as rabbit and venison. His ingredients are local, mostly inexpensive and easy to find, yet his dishes are often surprising, based on forgotten classics or hailing from distant countries such as Mexico and Morocco. For Valentine, The Good Table starts with good shopping, and he encourages us to not be afraid of buying new ingredients, especially when they are affordable and plentiful. He seeks out sustainable fish, creates luxuries from everyday ingredients such as bread and eggs, and cooks fruit and vegetables when they are in season.

Valentine Warner is a food writer and cook with a passion for nature, the seasons and mainly being outdoors. He trained under chefs such as Alastair Little and Rose Carrarini before setting up a private catering company. In September 2008 Valentine burst on to our TV screens with his first hit series What to Eat Now which saw him seeking out the best food and dishes that the four seasons have to offer. Valentine writes a monthly column for Countryfile and Delicious and has written for The Times, The Independent, Olive, Waitrose Food Illustrated and more. A self-confessed, natural born fidget, Valentine always finds a cure for his restlessness at home in the kitchen. The two accompanying books for What to Eat Now and What to Eat Now - More Please have both been published by Mitchell Beazley and have been best-sellers.