Many of us remember jams and chutneys made by grandmothers and great aunts who also seemed to know exactly how long to boil a ham and how to keep butter, and who had a magical pantry full of secret delights. These skills are increasingly in demand as more of us want to make use of home-grown produce, reduce the weekly food budget or rediscover cooking from scratch. A timely book for the new kitchen revolution, Preserves, Pickles and Cures is not only a celebration of lost skills such as curing, rendering and pickling and a collection of fantastic recipes, but also provides advice on stocking a cupboard or pantry and the best way to store cheese, cooked meats and vegetables. At a time when we are all looking to shop more locally, cook thriftily and still enjoy great food, it is a book for how we live today.