Through her daughter's illness, Wendy Cook began to study the deep aspects of nutrition, and particularly the effects of different foods on human health and consciousness. In Foodwise she presents a cornucopia of ideas, advice and commentary, informed by the work of Rudolf Steiner. Cook relates human evolution to changes in consciousness and the consumption of different foods, considering among other topics the importance of agricultural methods, the nature of the human being, the significance of grasses and grains, the mystery of human digestion and the question of vegetarianism. She also analyzes the nutritional (or otherwise) qualities of carbohydrates, minerals, fats and oils, milk and dairy products, herbs and spices, salt and sweeteners, stimulants, legumes, the nightshade family, bread, water and dietary supplements. She ends this comprehensive survey of nutrition with practical tips on cooking, planning menus, children's food and sharing meals--and some mouth-watering recipes!

Biodynamics is about respect for nature, sustainability and spiritual ecology - but most of all it is about flavoursome, nutritious and enjoyable food! This is a book rich in information, beautifully illustrated and packed with healthy yet tasty recipes. It is a movement that is supported by top chefs, expert viniculturists and numerous celebrities. Even Prince Charles has introduced its methods at his Gloucestershire farm. Yet biodynamic agriculture had humble beginnings, far from the glitz of expensive city restaurants. In 1924 a small group gathered to hear the philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner give a series of lectures. At a time when industrial farming and mass production were on the rise, Steiner spoke of the qualitative aspects of food, and outlined an agricultural method founded on a holistic perception of nature. Illustrated with hundreds of full-colour photographs, "The Biodynamic Food and Cookbook" explains the principles behind biodynamics, and places it in the context of food and cooking throughout the ages. Wendy Cook takes us on a journey through the four seasons, presenting over 150 delicious recipes based on years of working with biodynamic nutrition. She studies the ethics of food, the foundations of a balanced diet, and conjures up the colour and vibrancy of Mallorca which has contributed so much to her personal approach. There are supplementary sections on breads, sauces, salads, sweets, drinks and much more.

The most intimate portrait of Peter Cook to date, Cook's first wife writes of her life with Britain's most ingenious and innovative comedian, and offering a side of him few have ever seen. To his many fans, Peter Cook was quite simply the funniest man they never met. Over a decade since his untimely death, his reputation as one of Britain's greatest comics shows no sign of shrinking. Wendy Cook was a teenage art student when she first met the handsome Cambridge undergraduate in the early Sixties. They married soon after and together founded the Establishment clubs in London and New York, and financed the satirical magazine Private Eye. Wendy bore Peter his only children and they lived together during the most explosive time in Peter's amazing career. But the price of this stratospheric rise was high. 'I felt eventually I had to go my own way rather than stay with somebody who was that nihilistic. Alcohol stokes up the demons and a completely different person starts to emerge. He did know how to behave well, but it rotted into something else. At a certain point I thought, "This will be the end of me if I don't leave now."' Finally Wendy took her daughters to Majorca to live on a farm and the couple eventually divorced a few years later in 1971. Putting aside 30 years of discretion about her life with the comedian, Wendy decided to break her long silence to set down her memories. Comprised of personal anecdote, musings of intimate friends, from Alan Bennett to Jonathan Miller to Paul McCartney, and exclusive photography.