Alan Titchmarsh
Knave of Spades

When Alan Titchmarsh left school at fifteen, he journeyed south to college and then to Kew Gardens where he encountered a varied assortment of eccentrics, and rare plants collected by Captain Cook. Spells as a teacher and editor followed, until fate took a hand and he landed a job on BBC’s Nationwide as gardening presenter. His childhood dream of inheriting the mantle of gardening god Percy Thrower was beginning to come true...

From the first faltering steps in radio and television, to a career in broadcasting and writing, Knave of Spades is a wonderfully warm and self-deprecatingly honest memoir. Alan Titchmarsh shows us just why he has become not only our favourite gardener, but a popular writer and broadcaster too.

Anna Del Conte
Risotto With Nettles – A Memoir With Food

Anna Del Conte brought Italian cooking to Britain at a time when the nearest most of us came to pasta was a tinned spaghetti hoop. Anna was born in Milan, but when war came to Italy her family abandoned their apartment for the countryside, where the peasants still ate well, but life was dangerous. She arrived in England in 1949, married an Englishman and stayed on. Her story is informed and enlivened by the food and memories of her native Italy, each chapter rounded off with mouthwatering recipes.

Selina Scott
A Long Walk in the High Hills

The Tramuntana hills of Mallorca snared Selina Scott first, with their beauty and solitude. The small, shabby finca in the valley of almond trees came later. But it wasn’t until the wildlife emerged that Selina realised a peaceful home wasn’t quite that easily bought. Then came a young, chained dog, who barked for her attention. Selina began taking her for long walks in the high hills, and slowly the landscape began to work its magic. Selina weaves an unforgettable tale of new friends and unexpected adventures.