This week I’ve chosen Meadows, The Swedish Farmer and The Scottish Cook, freshly dropped off by its authors Wendy Barrie and Bosse Dahlgren. These guys have been good friends for many years, and it’s wonderful to see their book in print. 

You may be familiar with Wendy as she has been at the forefront of Scottish food and its history for decades through her work with Slow Food and Ark of Taste. She is someone who knows where rare food comes from and can put you in touch with producers. Wendy also runs The Scottish Food Guide and for many years organised the food theatre at The Highland Show, at which I have given demos for almost 2 decades. 

Bosse is a farmer, a giant of a man with a vast knowledge of traditional farming methods. As a cavalry officer his background is with horses, but now a breeder of rare-breed cattle. Both are believers in self-sufficiency, biodiversity, sustainability and food security. 

What this book brings us is an encyclopaedic knowledge of historical food and farming here in Scotland and in Sweden, Bosse’s homeland. It’s a gentle wander through the seasons of these beautiful countries from the pretty springs, flowering meadows and lush grass through to the hills of deep winter, snow, ice and rugged landscapes and how to manage and make the most of this land which feeds us. 

The knowledge of both their cultures is quite remarkable, with some really good top tips on how to be self-sufficient. As I flick through the pages, it takes me to a place I think I would like to be one day: in the country, appreciating and working with nature, respecting its wildness. 

There are, as you would imagine, a host of recipes, many of which are familiar to me, but also some new ones from Scandinavia. The photography is beautiful, and I can tell this is very personal, something dear and close to them both: their lives penned onto paper. The first paragraph says it all: “inviting you to be inspired and inquisitive, to question today’s food, reconsider land use and discover the potential for nourishment in nature.” 

I consider these two good friends and I’m not ashamed to plug their fabulous work in this book. It is brilliant that they suggest the reader guesses whether it’s Wendy or Bosse speaking as you read through the chapters. I am particularly looking forward to trying the herb-spiced pickled herring recipe, and to cook a goose; something, I still haven’t done. I can’t wait to get stuck into this book.