Agriculture & related industries – The Bell Bookshop

Avocado anxiety

Emma — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A TIMES ENVIRONMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023SHORTLISTED FOR SCOTLAND’S NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS 2023’This is fantastic’ THE TIMES‘Deeply relatable’ SPECTATOR‘Rigorous, incisive, warm and brave’ LUCY JONES‘Essential reading for anyone that eats’ JAKE FIENNES‘Universally urgent. Everyone should read it.’ CAROLINE EDEN–The food stories behind your favourite fruits and vegetables.Have you ever wondered who picked your Fairtrade banana or how far your green beans travelled to reach your plate?We are all part of a complex food system. Trying to make sense of it, environmental journalist Louise Gray tracks the stories of our five-a-day, from farm to fruit bowl, and discovers the impact that growing fruits and vegetables has on the planet. Visiting farms, interviewing scientists and trying to grow her own, she asks important questions to dig up the dirt on familiar items in our shopping baskets. Are plant proteins as good for us as meat proteins? Why can we buy so-called ‘seasonal’ fruits like strawberries all year round? And is the symbol of clean eating, the avocado, fuelling the climate crisis?As pressure grows to share our healthy, environmentally friendly lives on social media, Avocado Anxiety is also a personal story of motherhood and the realisation that nothing is ever perfect.

Avocado anxiety and other stories about where your food comes from

Emma — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The food stories behind your favourite fruits and vegetables. Have you ever wondered who picked your Fairtrade banana? Or why we can buy British strawberries in April? How far do you think your green beans travelled to get to your plate? And where do all the wonky carrots go? Above all, how do we stop worrying about our food choices and start making decisions that make a difference?In an effort to make sense of the complex food system we are all part of, Louise Gray decides to track the stories of our five-a-day from farm to fruit bowl, and discover the impact that growing fruits and vegetables has on the planet. Through visits to farms, interviews with scientists and trying to grow her own, she digs up the dirt behind organic potatoes, greenhouse tomatoes and a glut of courgettes. In each chapter, Louise answers a question about a familiar item in our shopping basket. Is plant protein as good as meat? Is foraged food more nutritious? Could bees be the answer to using fewer chemicals? How do we save genetic diversity in our apples? Are digital apps the key to reducing food waste? Is gardening good for mental health? And is the symbol of clean eating, the avocado, fuelling the climate crisis? As pressure grows via social media to post pictures of food that ticks all the boxes in terms of health and the environment, these food stories from the author of the award-winning The Ethical Carnivore are also a personal story of motherhood and the realisation that nothing is ever perfect.

My Farming Life

Emma — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

AS SEEN ON BBC TWO’S HIT TV-SHOW ‘THIS FARMING LIFE’

‘A heartwarming tale of life on the land’ Alan Titchmarsh

‘There’s love and loss, challenge and adversity, but above all it’s warm, insightful and inspiring’ Helen Skelton

‘Will inspire any reader to look at the countryside – and all those who work there – with newfound appreciation’ Jimmy Doherty

‘Uplifting, charming and beautifully written’ Adam Henson

Emma Gray was just twenty-three when she moved to an isolated farm in Northumberland, becoming Britain’s youngest solo shepherdess. In the seasons that followed, Emma fell in love with its rolling fields, surrounding forest and sturdy farmhouse, tending her sheep and training her dogs – and even found romance.

But when Emma finds herself suddenly alone again, heartbroken and recovering from a serious accident, she wonders if her isolated existence is still such a sensible idea. Even if she recovers, how could she make a proper living on Fallowlees Farm?

In her heartwarming book, Emma tells the story of how she picked herself up and expanded her cattle herd, added more horses to her menagerie, and became one of the country’s most successful breeders and trainers of Border Collies – unexpectedly discovering true love and lasting happiness along the way.

Written with warmth and humour, My Farming Life is a joyous celebration of nature and community, and a delight for anyone who’s ever dreamed of living closer to the countryside.