Meeting plants is like making new friends. It takes time and, with a bit of care and good fortune, enriches both of you. Eventually, you end up in the kitchen together...

In our busy, sometimes overwhelming world, nature is a solace. In this stunning companion, Paulette Whitney connects readers to the history and culture of more than 55 vegetables, fruits and herbs, sharing her own experiences, horticultural know-how, kitchen wisdom and favourite seasonal recipes. Paulette surveys 11 plant families, many well known, some less familiar - including their surprising connections, like how every single apple is, in fact, a cousin of the rose. Through evocative storytelling and sublime photography by Luke Burgess during a year in her market garden, this book is an invitation to slow down, grow something you can really taste, and appreciate nature's bounty.