An army marches on its stomach and it fights on its stomach too - yet have you ever wondered how hundreds of men on the frontline are fed amidst hails of bullets and how kitchens are created in the desert or in the trench lines? In 1941 the army officially created the Army Catering Corps and opened the Army School of Cookery in Aldershot (to be followed by other schools all over the world, including Poona, India). Troops were trained to make meals out of the bare minimum of ingredients, to feed a company of men from only a mess tin and cook curries to feed hundreds only yards from the frontline. This book tells the story of how soldiers became army cooks, their training and in the frontline kitchen. Frontline Cooking also brings together recipes from the Second World War, including hand-written notes from troops fighting in the Middle East, India and all over Europe. Many recipes are illustrated with cartoons and drawings on how to assemble the perfect oven and kitchen tools at a moment's notice from nothing. This book is the perfect inspiration for those who like to create an amazing meal anywhere, anytime, from anything.

'A touching, honest and often funny read' - The Spectator 'Best cookbooks of 2019' roundup

'Time spent with Val is not just time spent in wonderful company but with an intelligent, proper cook I could sit at a table with this man for days. He cooks like he eats; just delicious, delicious food.' - Angela Hartnett

'A narrative of emotional light and shade, intertwined with recipes.' - Karen Barnes, editor, delicious. Magazine

'Your stories make me laugh and your recipes make me hungry.' - Nathan Outlaw, chef

'It's a blokeish book a quality I mostly find hard to take, but he's a bloke with access to his heart...and he really is a top cook.' - Sheila Dillon

This is a story book with food in it. Organised chronologically from childhood to adulthood, Valentine Warner presents a collection of personal stories about life and death, catering disasters, TV shenanigans and travel adventures.

Featuring 75 recipes that are dear to his heart, this is a cookbook for the modern world that recognizes the affirmative powers of time spent foraging or fishing for ingredients, and of cooking; to soothe the soul, to lift spirits and to celebrate the pure life-changing and life-affirming joy of good food.

A book to dip in and out of, or to enjoy in a single sitting, The Consolation of Food is an affirmation of the joy and pleasure that the presence of food has played throughout Valentine's life; comfort food in the truest sense of the word.

'In this book, Warner writes from the heart and delivers a collection of vignettes that are deeply personal, emotionally engaging, often hilarious and always compelling. I read it in a single sitting and loved every word.' - Russell Norman