From a woman who has a walnut farm in Daylesford and is a supporter of Slow Food and growing one’s own produce, Seasonal Fare is a collector’s item in the classic vein, an everyday reference, and one you will find yourself reaching for time and time again

As is immediately evident from the book, Susan Johnston is passionate about food – and not just the cooking but also the history, social rituals and original sources of various produce – much of it inspired by her travels in Australia, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and United States.

Susan emphasises the importance of the basic steps, the necessity for fresh produce, and the need for meticulous preparation. The 200 recipes link ingredients to time and place, celebrating food for every season: risotto with duck and asparagus in spring; the fresh summer flavours of globe artichoke and crab custard; haricot beans and chorizo for warmth in winter; autumn mushrooms from beneath pine trees for wild mushroom soup.

Seasonal Fare was the Australian Winner of the 2007 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in the category of Best Cookbook Illustrations. Catherine Pilgrim, a Melbourne-based artist, has a long-standing interest in the aesthetics of food. The images in Seasonal Fare are reproductions of original stone lithographs which have been ‘set’, inked and printed.

This beautifully bound book would make an ideal gift for those interested in Slow Food, farmers’ markets and cooking with local seasonal produce.

Seasonal Fare - Recipes for family and friends, by Susan Johnston, paperback, published by Wakefield Press, 2009, www.wakefieldpress.com.au   rrp A$34.95.