This huge and beautiful book is a River Cottage ‘Larousse’ of ingredients. With entries on vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, meat, fish, fungi, foraged foods, dairy, oils, vinegar and much more, it celebrates more than 300 ingredients that the modern cook might come across.

Each ingredient is described by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall or an expert contributor from his River Cottage team - for example Nick Fisher covers seafood and John Wright writes on mushrooms. They explain which varieties to look for and how best to prepare them, and provide detailed information on seasonality, habitat, alternative names, Latin names, landing sizes (for fish), and easy growing instructions (for vegetables and herbs). There is also a delicious recipe for every entry.

With stunning photography by Simon Wheeler and evocative illustrations, this is an ambitious work that will become an indispensable guide for every kitchen.