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The Dirty Chef

From big city food critic to foodie farmer
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Dirty Chef recounts Matthew Evans's bold transition from an urban food critic to a country farmer in Australia's southernmost shire. Leaving behind his familiar city life, Evans learns to farm 20 acres of land, discovering what it truly means to work in harmony with the seasons and the soil. The memoir captures his hands-on experiences, from planting a vegetable garden to milking cows and preparing his own food, all while being filmed for television. It is a compelling story of transformation, family, and the timeless art of growing food on the land.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$3299
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This memoir will appeal to readers interested in rural life, sustainable farming, personal transformation, and those curious about food culture beyond the kitchen.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The funny, heart-warming and at times exhausting behind-the-scenes story of Matthew Evans' transformation from high-profile food critic to television's Gourmet Farmer.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

How do you go from being an urban dag to a country boy without any experience of the bush? In 2008, Matthew Evans, one of Australia's most powerful food critics, stepped off the Sydney treadmill to farm 20 acres in Australia's southernmost shire.

What is it really like to take the plunge, leaving a whole world of familiar people, places, and work behind? How does it feel to use a cordless drill for the first time, to plant a vegetable garden, to milk a cow, to slaughter a chook for dinner? And what if a TV show is filming the whole process?

This is the story of that transformation. The story of a life more in tune with the seasons and more connected to the soil. A life that is as rewarding as it is exhausting. The story of a family trying to turn a living from the noble and ancient art of growing things on the land.

The Dirty Chef by Matthew Evans is a compelling narrative of leaving behind the city for the countryside and embracing the challenges and joys of rural living.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781760112820

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 19 November 2014

Country: Australia

Imprint: Allen & Unwin

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 374g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Matthew Evans is the author of eight books on food, including the authoritative Real Food Companion.

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  • Milk
    '[An] entertaining and deeply informative crusade into the human obsession we call milk - and a vigorous argument for us to keep drinking it.' Dan Barber 'A rich dive into milk and the bounties it offers.' Dr Norman Swan 'A revelation. Educational, relevant and eye-opening.' Nagi Maehashi, RecipeTin Eats 'Unsettling and illuminating ... Evans at his best!' Indira Naidoo Milk....
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  • Not Just Jam
    This book is Fat Pig farm's ode to the surplus of the seasons. Overwhelmed by ripe fruit, or mountains of rhubarb, we have found ways to preserve what we grow, and what grows near us. Not Just Jam is farmer Matthew Evans' collection of more than 90 modern recipes for old-fashioned preserving methods. It is for the forager, who scours...
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  • The Real Food Companion
    The Real Food Companion includes more than 200 recipes, with photography by Matthew's long-time friend and collaborator, Alan Benson. It is the result of Matthew's four decades as a writer, chef and farmer, and multiple years' research. Its core mission is teaching readers how to ethically source, cook and eat real food.
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  • On Eating Meat
    Compelling, illuminating and often confronting, On Eating Meat is a brilliant blend of a gastronome's passion with forensic research into the sources of the meat we eat. Matthew Evans brings his unflinching honestyโ€”and a farmer's hands-on experienceโ€”to the question of how to be an ethical carnivore. โ€” Hugh Mackay Intellectually thrillingโ€”a book that challenges both vegans and carnivores in the...
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  • The Gourmet Farmer Deli Book
    Why would you make your own sausages, cure your own ham, pickle your own fish or preserve your own vegetables? It's quite simple, really: because it tastes better. This book has a two-fold approach. Firstly, it celebrates the artisan process in making items you'd typically find in your local deli - from cheese and cream to cured and smoked meats...
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