Ginger Pig Farmhouse Cook Book - out today!

Say hello to our new book!

Where our 2011 Meat Book focused on just that - how we farm and recipes to make the most of meat, set within a year on Grange Farm - the Farmhouse Cook Book is a broader look at everything we do, brought together beautifully with a new collection of Fran Warde's wonderful recipes.

Because we're not just a company of farmers and butchers - what we do is wider than that. There's the arable land in which we grow crops to feed our animals, and the edible berries, brambles and leaves to be picked in the hedgerows that surround it. In our preserving kitchen you'll find Julie and Rachel, who work four days a week to produce lip-smacking chutneys, jellies, jams and pickles, using as much homegrown and local produce as possible. The bakery and kitchen up at the farm is where our sausage rolls, pies, hams and other cured meats are prepared ready for the shops, and this is as much a part of the Ginger Pig as a slab of beef or a massive pork chop. Open the pantry in Tim's kitchen and if you're lucky you'll find bottles of last year's sloe gin and a cake primed for elevenses...


The Farmhouse Cook Book brings all of this together along with a little bit of rural history, with chapters on curing, casseroling, foraging, roasting, preserve making, puddings and making the most of the veg garden. It's not simply aimed at cooks who have a host of fresh produce on their doorstep, but at giving a bit of encouragement and instruction to anyone who wants to have a go at making more of their ingredients from scratch. We don't expect you to run out and buy a pig (that's still our job!), but making your own streaky bacon is a fairly easy curing project - and well worth a go if you're even slightly interested.

A speedy thanks to all at Mitchell Beazley for their hard work, to Kristen Perers and Pene Parker for making it all look so beautiful, and - of course - to Fran, for writing us a collection of scrumptious recipes to supplement some old Ginger Pig favourites.

We hope readers will enjoy cooking from the Farmhouse Cook Book for years to come.