Forgotten Fruits: The stories behind Britain's traditional fruit and vegetables

Description

Monty Don's favourite book of the year In Forgotten Fruits, Christopher Stocks tells the fascinating - often rather bizarre - stories behind Britain's rich heritage of fruit and vegetables. Take Newton Wonder apples, for instance, first discovered around 1870 allegedly growing in the thatch of a Derbyshire pub. Or the humble gooseberry which, among other things, helped Charles Darwin to arrive at his theory of evolution. Not to mention the ubiquitous tomato, introduced to Britain from South America in the sixteenth century but regarded as highly poisonous for hearly 200 years. This is a wonderful piece of social and natural history that will appeal to every gardener and food aficionado.

Christopher Stocks is a writer and journalist who has worked for, among others, Harpers & Queen, ES Magazine, Arena and Wallpaper, reporting on everything from Uruguayan beach resorts to an underground submarine base off the coast of Sweden. More recently he wrote a weekly gardening column for the Independent On Sunday, and he is a regular contributor to Gardens Illustrated. He collects unusual perfumes and old Shell Guides, won a 2007 Bridport Prize for his poetry, and shares a birthday with Donny Osmond and Hermione Gingold. Forgotten Fruits is his first book.

A great source of inspiration -- Simon Tiffin * Telegraph * Scholarly and fascinating ... conjures a lost world from the humble gooseberry, leek and apple -- Jane Shilling * The Times * Attractive anecdotal book * Financial Times * Delightful celebration of Britain's forgotten fruit and veg ... an intriguing hybrid of narrative history and encyclopaedia * Guardian * [A] captivating book ... written with a wonderfully light and assured touch -- Anna Pavord * Gardens Illustrated *