Thirty Miles

by Ian Walker

While on holiday in Aberdaron on the Llyn Peninsula, the seeds of his challenge were sown. He was told he would struggle to find good food in the area, that it lacked any culinary gems...not convinced, he sought to prove this theory wrong. "Thirty Miles" offers a unique insight into the grass roots of food in the British Isles, as he explores a beautiful area of North Wales, tracking down all sources of food in the region. It is an inspired look at the people who have a deep passion for what they do, producing top quality ingredients and allowed the author an insight into their lives. It also finds him, lending a hand, catching fish, building a smokery and picking fruit from cliff tops. With over 100 easy to follow recipes, with the ingredients placed centre stage, it proves that cooking locally is possible and has many benefits. It offers both hope and a blueprint for the future of food in our country.

Paperback

Published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially I was disappointed with this book. I'd been attracted by the premise of local food (30 miles around Aberdaron on the Llyn Peninsula in Wales) and a beautiful cover, but found it lacked the leaven that decent editing and proof reading would have given it and was (and I should have guessed this) very heavy on the dead animal. Not that I can't appreciate reading about smaller scale rearing of animals fitted to their landscape, but it tends to make the argument for eating locally seem unrealistic and unbalanced. Especially when you read the list of produce available in the veg boxes from one supplier he visits and from April to June it simply says there is *nothing*.

However, I was glad I persevered with it. There was a certain, dare I say it naîf, charm in the writing - it's a chef writing not a writer who cooks.I quite liked his bumbling about trying to find places and had much sympathy for his snowy outing. And some of the recipes looked really rather nice.