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The Good Produce Guide 2011

Celebrated food journalist and author Rose Prince has penned this second edition of her Good Produce Guide. It isn’t a literary extravagance to have this as an annual affair: the quality food world in the UK is constantly changing – not always for the better as these days of financial nervousness continue. Some companies have gone to the garden wall but others emerge to take their place. Or at least we hope they do.

Yes, money is tight, so we want to consider where those pounds go. We might not change the car this year, the long-haul holiday might be taken in Southend, and eating out might be more of a rare treat rather than the Friday night norm. But we do want to eat well, so cooking at home is more popular than ever.

OK, so you have made the monumental decision to get back to cooking, but your expectations have changed since your student days. Cold baked beans straight from the tin does not a dinner make. Look for inspiration in The Good Produce Guide. The chapters are arranged by location – you’ll obviously want to find your nearest purveyor of good food. The book has a section for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and then England is divided still further, with a chapter devoted to London as well.

It seems there is more to consider than just miles when searching for your nearest produce. The paragraph on Twickenham Farmers Market gives a golden nugget of advice. It’s said that if you eat honey made in the area where you live you will be less susceptible to allergies and hay fever triggered by local pollen. I am not sure this suggestion has any foundation in science, but it’s a nice notion.

Rose Prince has listed over 1000 places in Britain to buy the best food. Lots of farmers’ markets but plenty of small shops selling artisanal deli products, boutiques stocked with the finest of cheeses, and exotic emporia like the celebrated Persepolis in Peckham, which has become a food-lovers’ destination in its own right.

The Good Produce Guide 2011 is the indispensible handbook for those seeking the best food shopping locations, a book that no serious home cook should be without. You want to make informed choices and The Good Produce Guide will help you do just that. It’s also a guide for those who don’t want to cook but appreciate carefully crafted foods to make up the best-ever picnic hamper. This truly offers Britain on a plate, in a basket or on a blanket. Buy this book and use it.

The Good Produce Guide 2011
Author: Rose Prince
Published by Hardie Grant
Price: £12.99
ISBN: 978-1-74270-046-5