Cooks & Books: Mark Diacono for Abundance: Eating and Living with the Seasons

Mark Diacono has written a number of award-winning books, including A Year at Otter Farm and A Taste of the Unexpected (which both won Food Book of the Year for Andre Simon and the Guild of Food Writers), Sour (Food Book of the Year 2019 in The Sunday Times and Daily Mail), Herb and Spice.

Mark has a monthly column in The Sunday Times and writes regularly for publications including The Telegraph, Delicious, and Country Life. He runs the Cafe Murano Book Club with Angela Hartnett.

Known for growing everything from Szechuan pepper to pecans to Asian pears, Mark's refreshing approach to growing and eating has done much to inspire a new generation to grow some of what they eat.

Join us for a talk with tasters as Mark takes us through Abundance: a record of one man's year living on the south-west coast of England as he quietly contemplates life, nature and his next meal.

With his days distracted by the ping of communication and the tug of commitments, Mark Diacono wondered how he might better savour this one precious life.

He started to write and photograph each week, hoping that this simple commitment might sharpen his appreciation of the magic in the everyday and his time spent in the kitchen.

It reminds us that abundance comes in many forms - the passing of the seasons, our connection to the world around us, and the wealth that a garden, a town and its surrounding landscapes offers.

With over 80 recipes like Early summer shakshuka, Salsify and radicchio gratin, Onion seed and oregano flower focaccia, Fig leaf and olive oil ice cream, and a Mulberry martini, there are dishes to inspire and satisfy every week as the year unfolds before you.