Recipe for a Kinder Life

by Annie Smithers

Recipe for a Kinder Life is like getting a big hug from your nanna. It's wholesome, comforting and nourishing. Our yearning to rekindle a deeper connection with the land and each other is stronger now than ever. Where to start the journey lies within these pages.'Indira Naidoo'The anti-celebrity chef Annie Smithers brings a cook's palate, a grower's heart and a poet's soul to bear in the moving, practical, inspiring story of her life. It's the how-to (and how-to-not!) book I wish I'd read before starting my own kitchen garden, complete with hothouse tips, philosophy and all the recipes you may ever need.'Matthew Evans'This is a deeply honest and personal story of a love of the land and food. Annie takes us, warts and all, on her sustainable journey of cultivation and cooking. Her respect for the land is evident by the barrowload.'Paul Bangay OAMIn this generous account of life on the land and in the kitchen, trailblazing cook Annie Smithers chronicles her quest for a more sustainable existence, in harmony with the environment and the self. Part meditation, part memoir, the book offers practical advice and wisdom gleaned from a life dedicated to seasonal food and living lightly on the ground beneath her feet.Annie's story spans thirty years of productive gardens and kitchens across country Victoria. Now settled on a plot of land in Lyonville, which she farms for her family and her restaurant, du Fermier, she shares her hard-won setting up du Fermier, the gardens and the buildings on the farm; working with the weather, water and resident animals; and seeking the emotional stability so often elusive amid the crushing pressures of the restaurant industry. Recipes that celebrate the harvested produce and local environs accompany each step of the journey.Recipe for a Kinder Life offers a guiding hand for anyone, from the city to the regions, who yearns to live more gently. It is about caring for land and reaping the bounty. But at its heart, it reveals that the key to living a sustainable life is finding the best way to sustain yourself.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Nature, Gardening, Food, Biography Memoir

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2021

Reviews

[Philippa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a magnificent book, balm for the soul in these less-than-kind times.

Annie takes us on a tour of her property in country Victoria where she and her wife Susan are attempting to live as sustainably as they possibly can. They grow food for their own consumption as well as for Annie’s restaurant, and keep a number of animals for their eggs and wool (not to eat). Living this way means having to think about so many things you never need to worry about if you’re a city-dweller who gets all their food from Coles Online 😉 Weather. Water. Soil. Pest control. To say nothing of the physical labour, planning and daily maintenance that goes into a successful large-scale garden. Annie doesn’t straight out say this but I myself am of the opinion that everyone should try growing their own food at some point! You have so much respect for the journey a vegetable or fruit takes from seed to table when you’ve grown it yourself, and you’ll never waste anything again!

But this is not just a book about growing your own, a journey to self sufficiency and how to live the good life. It’s about a kinder, sustainable life in every sense of the word, right down to the hours you work, how you manage your time, how you prioritise, how you can craft your life around what you value without burning yourself out. Annie shares the lessons she’s learned in this arena, especially after a long career in hospitality and restaurants, often working unsociable hours. It all comes at a price and Annie encourages you to ask yourself if you’re prepared to pay it.

The book is not instructional or didactic in any way - Annie tells the story of Babbington Park, sharing what she and Susan have done and why, what has worked for them, what hasn’t and what they still have to learn. The reader is free to take from it what they will. But you can’t help but be inspired by Annie’s vision and hard work, and the desires and values she’s designed her life around: to tread gently on the earth, treat resources with reverence, and live in a sustainable and kind way that ripples out beyond your own household.

There’s also some wonderful-sounding recipes in each chapter, which I’ll certainly be trying!

I am so glad I bought my own copy of this because I have a feeling it will be a great companion for the next chapter of my own journey to a more self-sufficient, sustainable and kinder life.

Highly recommended!

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good recipes and cooking tips. And perhaps I would normally have enjoyed the bits on growing fruit and veges in the garden but I was just not in the mood for the slow pace. On a brighter note, we saw Relay at the cinema last night, so much action and very gripping! Quite unlike this book.

[Suzie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about Annie’s move from her amazing property at Malmsbury, to establishing her new farm in Lyonville. Instructional, informative and written with so much passion and love for what she does. Sue lives an authentic life and it shows on every page.

[Amy Faull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure meditation - didn’t want it to end. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and kindness with us Annie.

[Cassie W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring! Reads a bit more like a reference book than a memoir. I would have liked more rambling and contemplative meandering thoughts about how to live.

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book just reiterated to me the way I have always wanted to live. I felt such an infinity with the author and the life she has chosen - whether it was her consideration always for living as lightly as possible or the fact that like me, she finds stabbing wool with barbed needles to make felted balls strangely therapeutic.
This book contains lots of useful information about growing food and recipes for your produce, as well as thoughts on climate change and the responsibility we all hold to our planet. But it is definitely not preachy in tone - the author has obviously thought deeply about how she would like to live and is happy to just quietly go about it.

So many sentences stood out to me as thoughts I very much believe in, such as:
"Extraordinary skills are getting lost in the mists of time, simply because there are cheaper, easier ways to do things."
"Perhaps we should all adopt this state of mind: a constant awareness and vigilance regarding where water is coming from, where it is going and how much is wasted."

[Sam jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute and informative i just found the individual explanations for each crop and building a but monotonous. Probably a me problem not a book problem

[Erin Landells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this gorgeous book. Really enjoyed reading about how Annie manages her farm and her learnings over her life. Highly recommend.

[Win · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relaxing, entertaining & informative read. Higher quality photographs would have lifted this book to the next level.

[Linda W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A kind gentle book which makes you want to go & live on the country to grow food & flowers & tend animals. Some good recipes in this too

[lyny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annie Smithers is a well known regional restauranter in Victoria Australia, and this memoir tells the story of various phases and locations of her work in the countryside – gardening/farming, renovating old houses and building new structures, different kinds of restaurants, and her own mental health and relationships. The book includes many of her recipes and also practical experience on gardening and different kinds of vegetables, as well as the practical difficulties of making a living without committing to such long and heavy days that burnout is inevitable. It was an interesting read, but would be even more so for those who have more interest in gardening and building than I have. The book contains a few not very clear and small photos reproduced cheaply within the text but it would have been greatly enhanced with glossy photo inserts showing more of the things discussed in the text.

[Jenny Esots · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chronicle of a cook and her garden and her evolution to sustainable practices.
Both environmentally and personally.
Hospitality is a gruelling business to make a living from.
The author describes her life as the owner, gardener and chef for her Farmhouse French inspired restaurant/cafe. It certainly sounded like a place I would frequent if I lived within range (near Daylesford, Victoria).
It is well written and easy to dip into with the added bonus of lots of recipes - I intend to commission a zucchini & lemon cake.
My only quibble is that there were no colour images which would have enhanced the outlook of the story and garden. However there is a site plan of the author's garden - Babbington Park, and it is quite a large estate complete with farm animals.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️
Smithers has a lovely writing voice, and I was most engaged with her autobiographical beginning. The book might have more value for those with large properties, as I found much of the advice and thoughts regarding sustainability too specific to her property to be of use to those of us with tiny back yards. The gardening advice is pretty generic, and easily accessible on gardening websites, or from other gardeners. The recipes are fairly uninspiring for me too. I didn’t find the meditative flow that many reviewers have written of, but I do wish I had. I think I would have enjoyed more of Annie’s writing on her life and self.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Annie Smithers has described what country living means to her. She has written about how she grows vegetables and how she connects to the land she resides on. There is a nice, sensible feel to this text, which is almost like a reference book. It's got recipes after each chapter, which is a nice touch - most sound delicious and easy enough to make. Her insight about living in the country, with limited resources, while attempting to grow enough food despite the climatic conditions, was sincere and well written. Above all else, Annie's messaging about reducing our impact on the earth, or giving back to it, is worth following.

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A combination of a life working in restaurant kitchens meets the ethos of farm to plate, this book offers an intimate insight into the life of author Annie Smithers. Interspersed with recipes, this book takes you on a meandering journey through Babbington Park, it's history and what it's slowly being transformed into under the tender hands of Annie and her partner. A perfect read for those cold winter days, nestled under a blanket with a pot of tea.

[Lyn Quilty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Smithers conveys such joy about life, especially for cooking and growing food for her restaurant. Easy to follow recipes are interspersed through her wonderfully rambling story. Her personal voice is so intimate it felt as if she was talking to me. A book I will read again.
Highly recommend this book to anyone who is trying to live a simpler and more sustainable life and loves growing and cooking food.

[Mel Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, dipping in and out of it over a couple of months when I felt my mood was right for the memoirs of living a sustainable country life. I took much from it, and many ideas to retrofit into my somewhat smaller suburban garden and home. Felt like I was reading a cuppa with a friend if that makes sense.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful title for a beautiful book. I really enjoyed reading and have bookmarked many pages for dipping back into recipes, gardening information and reminders. I would have loved colour photographs to accompany the text.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and nicely structured. I always like reading about other people's farms, especially if they are growing heritage varieties. However I think this book would work better in a coffee table format with colour photos, like the author's "Annie's Garden to Table" which I gave 5 stars.

[Annie-Rosé Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything about this book. The detail Annie Smith uses to describe her farm is so lovely to read. It felt like meditating as I was reading. Really loved it and I think its a great book for anyone who is trying to escape the reality of city living.

[Kimbily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a long form version of an introduction to a recipe. The author chooses not to share much of herself with the reader. Despite the promising title, this book is more instructional review than insightful memoir.

[Brenda Rosser]

rather lovely

[Carolyn Lawry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this mostly memoir, partly recipe book. I will be booking the restaurant and the farm tour ASAP!

[Katie Snell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice easy read about the joys of gardening and connecting to the land. Will keep this to further explore the recipient

[Jamie Sands · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a chef memoir and this one combines it with sustainable gardening tips, a queer love story and stories about geese. Love it.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s just wonderful! Annie Smithers’s whole hearted commitment to sustainable living is so admirable. Dotted with great recipes too, this book is a real delight.

[Alicia Richters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad, a bit too detailed at times, but some great practical tips

[Glenda Briglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading about Annie’s journey. An open honest story peppered with recipes

[Veronika Senzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10
If you know who Julius Roberts is this book is for you :-)

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of an instructional book that would have been better digested as required. A nice story featuring a prospective lifestyle path for myself.