The eminent food writer and BBC cookery star has created this seriously designed book with its luscious photographs as an accompaniment to her television series, Sophie Grigson's Herbs. She takes 48 varieties of herbs, from the familiar, such as thyme and bay leaf, to the less usual, including wild garlic, lemon balm and anise hyssop, gives their latin name and their background, season, and how to use them, then follows up with a tempting recipe.

In this book, Sophie Grigson attempts to right the wrongs done to herbs in recent times, when dried herbs took precedence over fresh, by detailing not only where to buy herb plants, but how to care for them and, most importantly, how to make the most of them in the kitchen. Chapters are organised according to herb families and they include recipes for everything from desserts such as Almond and Lemon Syrup Cake with Violets or Heartsease, and Rose Petal Sorbet to main dishes such as Red Curry with Kaffir Lime Leaves and Tomato, and Sweetcorn and Basil Soup with Pesto Croutons. Sophie Grigson's sophisticated yet very doable recipes are mouth-watering, intended to tempt the novice and the expert alike. --Susan Loomis