The Easy Fruit Garden by Clare Matthews, hardback published by New Holland. ISBN 978-1-84773-858-5, price 16.99 available from www.newhollandpublishers.com

This book has a sound philosophy – anyone can grow fruit. Clare even states that growing apple trees is easy and I have it on good authority that the pruning and care can be quite demanding. It’s wonderful to be encouraging and I love the idea that everything is easy to grow, but gardening often is not that simple. In planning your fruit garden, Clare gives you a list to consider and lists for fruit that grows in certain conditions and areas. Ample space is given to designing your fruit garden but there are no actual design plans as such. I like Clare’s simple and easy approach, she gives detailed information on growing all types of fruit. This is an excellent book for the beginner, those that feel daunted, those that have tried and failed. Clare has her own pick of the fruit, so you don’t have to do the hard work trying to figure out what to grow. She gives approximate yield, how many years something takes to fruit and lots of growing information. Includes tree fruit, soft fruit, nuts and more.

Now Is The Season by Laura Faire, softback published by New Holland. ISBN 978-1-86966-316-2, price 16.99 available from www.newhollandpublishers.com

Common sense gardening and cooking combined. Grow, cook in season and eat simple and honest fayre for the table. Each season presents a gardening calendar and a menu. The simple gardening calendar gives what to plant, when to harvest and how to care for your crops. The recipes sound delicious and are easy to cook. I like the sausage and fennel pie for winter and would cook this with my home-made vegetarian sausages. Grapefruit marmalade creme brulee also looks too good to be true. I’m also dying to try Vanilla and Blueberry Tennis Cake. Whilst I like the ‘garden’ angle of this book, many recipes include meat and fish and I thought it had not gone far enough to using what you grow in the garden as a basis for the recipes. However, I did love the concept and many of the recipes I would try. Photography and layout are great.

Herbs and Spices by Linda Gray, softback published by New Holland Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84773-775-5, price 7.99 available from www.newhollandpublishers.com

This is a compact book full of information on growing herbs and spices. It concentrates on providing the information you need rather than dazzling you with images of things that you know you can never get to look just like the one in the picture. Practical and useful. I do believe everyone should grow herbs and spices as near to the door as possible. How much this contributes to self-sufficiency as splashed across the front cover I’m not sure – man cannot live by herbs and spices alone. Includes all the herbs and spices you could ever want to grow including fennel, chilli, saffron and more with detailed information on each. Also has brief information on designing a herb garden.

Salads Year-Round by Dennis Greville, softback published by New Holland Publishing. ISBN 978-1-8696-6328-5, price 12.99 available from www.newhollandpublishers.com

Hats off to Dennis, his photography should win prizes if it hasn’t already. Of the numerous garden books I have read, this has some of the best photography. I also love the fact that, like me, Dennis encourages people to grow year round. The book is divided into seasons with all you can grow in each one. You’ll find characteristics, when to plant and growing requirements for each plant. Compact, straight to the point and downright useful. Increase the productivity of your allotment, backyard or windowsill with this handy book.A great growing book for any gardener.

Food of The Grand Trunk Road by Anirudh Arora & Singh Koli, hardback published by New Holland. ISBN 978-1-84773-968-1, price 19.99 available from www.newhollandpublishers.com

The Grand Trunk Road conjures up bazaars, heat, spices, silks along India’s oldest and longest, much travelled road. This is the taste of India, the real India, with long forgotten recipes from this vibrant route. If you are thinking curry from the local, think again. This book is full of surprises and not what you imagine Indian food to be if you only partake after you have imbibed too much alcohol on a Friday or Saturday night. This is a celebration of Indian food, the people and places along this ancient route. Foods by the road side, egg curry with potatoes, prawn and crab cakes, mustard fish and mango curry, morels in yoghurt sauce, stir fired lotus puffs and peas are just some of the recipes you’ll find. You’ll visit some of the most interesting areas in India with a brief guide to each region telling us how the cuisine of each region has developed or altered. The photography creates the right atmosphere. This is a delightful book for anyone interested in learning about or cooking Indian food.

The Cookiepedia by Stacy Adimando, hardback, spiral bound published by Quirk. ISBN 978-1-59474-535-5, price 11.99 available in the UK from www.newhollandpublishers.com

No more cookies said Andy Williams to the Cookie bear – that dates me I guess. However Andy obviously had not met Stacy, who I am sure would have shared her cookies with the Cookie bear. You might have to share your cookies too – there’ll be plenty around with this fabulous book. This book is full of cookie recipes – buttery, choclatey, fancy, fruity, spicy, nutty and seedy. Can you think of any more? Get the basics and get cookie making. Super easy to understand, clean and easy to use layout, good photos and great instructions. It is American and Stacy does use cups – I can hear all British cooks screaming uncontrollably. However, there is a conversion chart at the back. I fancy some lemon chewies, fig bars, alfajores -oh well, I’ll probably make them all. You can have your cookie and eat it.

Microcrafts, harback compiled by Margaret McGuire, Alicia Kachmar, Katie Hatz and Friends, published by Quirk. ISBN 978-1-59474-521-8, price 11.99 available in the Uk from www.newhollandpublishers.com

This book is full of little treasures to make. Things don’t get much tinier. These guys have set out to prove that good things come in small packages. There are twenty five projects from tiny boats, creatures, jewellery and more. This is a treasury of microcrafts. Many techniques and materials are used throughout the book from bottle caps for jewellery and polymer or modelling clay to make tiny creatures. Felt is used for owls, dogs and more. The book will appeal to those who like to work in miniature and also those with a quirky nature.

The Spa Lover’s Guide to Europe by Sarah Woods, softback published by New Holland. ISBN 978-1-84773-818-9, price 14.99 available from www.newhollandpublishers.com

Continuing this publisher’s highly successful travel guides, this one for spa lover’s followers the same format selecting the best destinations in Europe. The guide is full of fabulous photography that really makes you want to book a quick getaway. All the facts you need and a description plus there things you must not miss for each area of Europe. So wherever you wish to travel to in Europe, you can visit a natural spa or wellness centre knowing what to expect. There is a map to help you to decide from Iceland and Finland in the north to the Greek islands in southern Europe, from Spain in the west to Russia in the east. Full of interesting facts like the use of Ouzo during the Ottoman period in Greece. Enjoy thermal jet pools outdoors, the latest modern spas, thalassotherapy and ancient buildings. Find the treatments you want, where you want to travel.

The Book of Leaves by Allen J Coombes, hardback published by New Holland. ISBN 978-1-78009-059-7, price 24.99 available from www.newhollandpublishers.com

It’s what it says it is – a visual guide of six hundred leaves representing some of the world’s most beautiful trees. It can be used for identification, knowledge, as a treasury of leaves. Each leaf is beautifully photographed, in addition there is a small line drawing of the tree showing height and form, information about the tree and similar species. Also on the page each page is a map of the world and key facts. It’s fascinating to see the subtle differences between species. This is a book that many people would pay ten times the asking price. As an author of gardening books myself that involve much research, I really admire the detail and research that have gone into making this book. It is a triumph. Recommended for anyone who loves trees.

The Garden Bird Handbook by Stephen Moss, softback published by New Holland. ISBN 978-1-78009-007-8, price 12.99 available from www.newhollandpublishers.com

Whether you know your garden birds well or find it hard to recognise more than a sparrow, this is a wonderful book. It not only helps you to recognise birds but also to encourage them into the garden. The book is full of useful information on providing for birds – habitat, food and more. It even gives instructions for making a nesting box. I liked the section on types of gardens for birds, including the £100 a year, 30 minutes a week bird garden. This book has wide appeal and is aimed at everyone. For the real aficionado, there is an interesting look at bird behaviour. The garden bird year will help you to understand migration and what birds are around at a particular time of year. This can be used together with the identification section so that you know what you are looking at. The book includes many colour photographs and very good illustrations of birds.