Good Things

The reason for reissuing this book is because it is Jane Grigson’s celebration of the seasons and the foods they bring and seasonality is now the top priority of all those who take their eating and cooking seriously. She says in the Introduction to the original edition published in 1971, “...I feel that delight lies in the seasons and what they bring us...the strawberries that come in May and June straight from the fields, the asparagus of a special occasion, kippers from Craster in July and August, the first lamb of the year from Wales, in October the freshest walnuts from France where they are eaten with new cloudy wine. This is good food.....The encouragement of fine food is not greed or gourmandise; it can be seen as an aspect of the anti-pollution movement in that it indicates concern for the quality of environment. This is not the limited concern of a few cranks. Small and medium-sized firms, feeling unable to compete with the cheap products of the giants, turn to producing better food....People in many parts of the country run restaurants specializing in locally produced food, salmon from the Tamar, laver and sewin from the Welsh sea, snails from the Mendips, venison from the moors of Inverness. I notice in the grocers’ shops in our small town ...the prominence given to eggs direct from the farm.” How prophetic she was when she pointed out to us the importance of locally-produced, fresh food and she wrote those words 35 years ago! The book is divided into sections covering Fish – kippers, lobster, mussels and scallops, trout; Meat and Game – meat pies, salting meat, snails, sweetbreads, rabbit and hare, pigeon, venison; Vegetables – asparagus, carrots, celery, chicory, haricot beans, leeks, mushrooms, parsley, parsnips, peas, spinach, tomatoes; Fruit – apple and quince, gooseberries, lemons, prunes, strawberries, walnuts. And importantly the book contains the recipe for her famous curried parsnip soup. Good Things is Jane Grigson's celebration of the seasons and the foods they bring. Seasonality is now the top priority of all those who take their eating and cooking seriously. She says in the Introduction to the original edition published in 1971," ... I feel that delight lies in the seasons and what they bring us ... the strawberries that come in May and June straight from the fields, the asparagus of a special occasion, kippers from Craster in July and August, the first lamb of the year from Wales, in October the freshest walnuts from France where they are eaten with new cloudy wine. This is good food ... The encouragement of fine food is not greed or gourmandise; it can be seen as an aspect of the anti-pollution movement in that it indicates concern for the quality of environment." How prophetic she was when she pointed out to us the importance of locally-produced, fresh food and she wrote those words 35 years ago. The book is divided into sections covering Fish - kippers, lobster, mussels and scallops, trout; Meat and Game - meat pies, salting meat, snails, sweetbreads, rabbit and hare, pigeon, venison; Vegetables - asparagus, carrots, celery, chicory, haricot beans, leeks, mushrooms, parsley, parsnips, peas, spinach, tomatoes; Fruit - apple and quince, gooseberries, lemons, prunes, strawberries, walnuts. And importantly, the book contains the recipe for her famous curried parsnip soup

A celebration of fresh daily fare lovingly prepared. “Cooking something delicious is really much more satisfactory than painting pictures or making pottery. At least for most of us. Food has the tact to disappear, leaving room and opportunity for masterpieces to come. The mistakes don’t hang on the walls or stand on the shelves to reproach you forever.”—from Jane Grigson’s introduction. Originally published in 1971, Good Things is now available in a Bison Books edition for all those who appreciate good food and Jane Grigson’s witty and stylish way of writing about it. Including recipes for fish, meat, game, fresh fruits, vegetables, and a few splendid desserts, Good Things is a celebration of delicious everyday fare and its loving preparation.

Library Journal

This is one of those cookbooks that's much more than a collection of recipes, although there are plenty of them. The author insists that her work is about enjoying food, which, she says, is something to be thought about in the same way as any other aspect of human existence. Dishes using pigeons and rabbits might make some people cringe, but there's enough featuring more usual fare that makes this worth considering. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

A celebration of the seasons and the foods they bring, with more than 250 recipes featuring ingredients indigenous to the British Isles. Originally published in 1971, Good Things is “a magnificent book” that was ahead of its time in celebrating recipes built around British locally-sourced food, all presented in Grigson's inimitably witty and stylish food writing (The Guardian). Divided into sections that cover Fish—kippers, lobster, mussels and scallops, trout; Meat and Game—meat pies, salted meat, snails, sweetbreads, rabbit and hare, pigeon, venison; Vegetables—asparagus, carrots, celery, chicory, haricot beans, leeks, mushrooms, parsley, parsnips, peas, spinach, tomatoes; and Fruit—apple and quince, gooseberries, lemons, prunes, strawberries, walnuts. Most importantly, Good Things includes the recipe for Grigson's famous curried parsnip soup.