THE BIODYNAMIC FOOD & COOKBOOK

Fortunately the 'naked chef' Jamie Oliver has managed to convince us that something drastic has to happen to our eating habits, and that this has to start in our schools if it is going to have a lasting effect. If not we take the risk of future generations suffering from any number of food-related ailments. We're not just getting obese and generally unhealthy as a result of poor eating habits, we're also rapidly losing our knowledge of how to cook and what to eat. Given that this knowledge has been acquired throughout human history, it would cost us dearly if we had to start all over to learn what we can and can't eat to maintain a healthy body (and mind).

This is why books such as this new book by Wendy Cook are so important. With both knowledge and warmth she paints a picture of what good cooking is all about. She guides us through the whole process, from how to grow our food in a biodynamic way – i.e. the natural way where we use the knowledge acquired over many generations – to how to harvest the crops and prepare the food in the best possible way.

She describes both how different, traditional, farm animals contribute in their own special and complementary way to preparing the ground and how different crops contribute to the best results, if they are grown in the right order. We also learn how different types of food influence the body in different ways and which types of foods are best suited for the different seasons of the year. She also demonstrates that eating in a healthy way is far from eating dull and tasteless food.

The book has two sections; the first part gives the basic understanding of principles behind (biodynamic) agriculture and cooking, including an historic overview. The second part contains over 150 recipes from Wendy Cook's own kitchen (which, for many years, was located in the rural parts of Mallorca). The whole book is illustrated with hundreds of full colour photographs. The only downside to this very valuable and interesting book is that it constantly made me hungry!