Two books - real food and real life

This time last year I was writing about the recent discovery of Matthew Evan's book, The Real Food Companion. Since then I've cooked a few of his recipes and become very familiar with the pages in that book.  We share similar views on food and I appreciate the respect he frequently shows old-fashioned home cooking and real food; some celebrity chefs write as if they, and they alone, invented the wheel. A few weeks ago I bought Matthew's new book, Winter of the Farm. I wasn't disappointed. There were more good wholesome recipes, beautiful photographs and the common sense approach to food that I've come to expect from this man who has gone from chef to food critic to local food farmer.

I really love a section at the end of the book called Puddings and things to eat while drinking tea. As soon as I saw written: 'Not that you need an excuse to drink tea, but imagine a hot drop with an apple and sour cream slice ...' well, I knew this, again, was my kind of book. It reaffirms to me the warm cosiness and nurturing qualities of food and I am thankful that some authors have the fine ability to relay that feeling to me through carefully chosen, simple words.

When the first book was released, it co-incided with a TV program on Australia's SBS channel called the Gourmet Farmer. The program showed the journey Matthew took from being a food critic in Sydney, to setting up as a Tasmanian resident, learning about the food in his local area and then establishing a small business based on local food.  Now the new book is published, there is another TV program, and now Matthew is married and has a son. The first episode aired on SBS last Thursday, tonight the story continues; I encourage you to take a look. There is a teaser below but if you missed the first episode you can watch it here and find some of the recipes from each series.

I'm sure you agree it's vitally important that we read to our children and grand children and that many of those books should be culturally relevant. In these days when TV programs, movies and the internet spread the dominant culture to smaller ones, it's important for children to see books where the characters are familiar and reflect their own lives. 

Here in Australia, we have kids wearing baseball caps the wrong way, spraying graffiti and rapping like they've grown up in LA. Our culture is being strongly influenced by American culture; it's a form of cultural imperialism. I mean no disrespect to my American friends, I am not criticising the American way of life, rather the affect a dominant culture has on a smaller one and how that flows through to our children. I have no doubt Australian culture dominates some of the island nations surrounding us in the south Pacific, but it seems to me, that it's American culture, represented so well and convincingly on many TV programs and movies, that has teenagers and young people hooked in many countries around the world.

That is one of the reasons why it's so important that our kids see themselves on the pages of the books we buy them. If they grow up reading about snow at Christmas time and fourth of July picnics, they get a distorted view of life and wonder why their own world isn't important enough for a book. So when I picked up All Through the Year, an Australian book by Jane Godwin and Anna Walker, I was captivated by it and  thankful I had it in my hands.

'In February school begins

I'm nervous and it's hot

Our shoes are tight, the grass is brown

I wear my brother's hand-me-down

My tummy's in a knot.

New girls, new boys, a new class pet

"Which teacher did you get?'

I am sure every parent of children in an Australian school will relate to those lines, but more importantly, their children will. Couple that with the endearing water colour paintings of daggy school uniforms, sun hats and back packs in the school yard and you have yourself an important Australian book good enough for two little boys I know.  It's now taking pride of place in the little library I'm building up and I look forward to the years ahead when we sit and read it together.