Although seaweed is now all the rage, because we have been reading about and eating Japanese food, it has long been an important ingredient in Britain too, even if many of us don't recognize it as such. Just think of laver bread. Seaweed suppliers are becoming easier to find, but if you need some really quickly, a walk on your local beach will deliver the goods just as well. Fi Bird is nothing if not enthusiastic. She lives in the Hebrides and has written her own guide to foraging. In addition she is super-keen on teaching children to cook. This, her second book, combines these three elements: the Hebrides because seaweed runs amok there; foraging, because she lives in the midst of a natural larder; teaching, because she has written a fine set of intelligent and properly tested recipes. The book has four strands: an account of seaweed species that flourish here; a discussion of our use of seaweed over time, and in regional cookery; an assessment of the physical properties of seaweed and how they might contribute to a healthful diet; and a set of recipes. These last are not merely for boiling up dulse, or steaming kelp, but offer imaginative solutions to incorporating seaweed into our daily fare: brown bread ice-cream, fudge, curry (yes, curry!), dried seaweed biscuits, seaweed seasoning powder, water biscuits with rock samphire, seaweed croutons, seaweed treacle tart, and many more.

Encourage budding chefs to create tasty meals with 40 laminated recipe cards that feature nutritious vegetarian dishes from around the world. Unique recipes ranging from the familiar to the exotic are divided into five colour-coded categories to reflect the major food groups. Simple step-by-step instructions put kids in control as they learn that cooking is more than an art - it's a science! Includes 8-page booklet with information on nutrition, kitchen safety and terminology. This edition has been updated with even tastier recipes.

In The Forager's Kitchen Handbook, expert forager and cook Fiona Bird shares the knowledge she has gained from years of gathering food from the land. Whether you live in a large city, in open countryside or by the coast, if you open your eyes and follow Fiona Bird's advice, you will find more ingredients growing in the wild than you could imagine. Each chapter focuses on a different food type - Flowers and Blossom, Woodland and Hedgerow, Fruits and Berries, Herbs, and Sea and Shore - and includes useful information about where to find it, how to forage and gather it, and how to use it. And once you have brought your bounty home, there are more than 100 recipes for you to try. If you love baking, try the carrot and clover cake, wild hazelnut shortbread or sea lettuce madeleines. Make the most of a hedgerow glut by making honeysuckle jelly or quince and wild thyme sorbet. Try a food-for-free main course of chanterelle puffs or wild mussels steamed with dandelions, or a quick snack of garlic mustard, chickweed and tomato bruschetta. Or indulge your sweet tooth with a wild cherry panna cotta. Armed with this handbook, head off to the great outdoors and you will be amazed by the sheer quantity of food that is available for free.