Books for the Soul: My Favourite Reads About Gardens, Kitchens, and Slowing Down

After thirty years of teaching, I finally have time to read for pleasure. These are the books that have made my retirement so rich — they're about the quiet joys of tending a garden, cooking a proper meal, and paying attention to the world around you.

6 books in this list

1. The Well-Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-Smith — This book put into words what I've felt in my garden for decades. Read it slowly, preferably outside with a cup of tea.
2. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat — The only cookbook you need if you want to actually understand cooking rather than just follow recipes. My roast chicken has never been the same.
3. Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi — Ottolenghi makes vegetables exciting. The cauliflower cake recipe alone is worth buying this book for.
4. A Garden from a Hundred Packets of Seed by James Fenton — A tiny gem of a book. James Fenton writes about seeds with the kind of passion that makes you want to run out and start planting immediately.
5. Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible by Hitomi Shida — The most beautiful stitch dictionary I own. Even if you never knit a single pattern from it, the photographs are worth having on your shelf.
6. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson — Not a hobby book strictly, but the perfect audiobook companion for long knitting sessions. History that reads like a thriller.