From Olia Hercules to Alice Vincent, thirteen insightful writers celebrate the colour, vibrancy and community of the humble allotment in sparkling, eloquent prose.
This Allotment brings together thirteen brilliant contemporary writers in a glorious celebration of these entirely unique spaces: plots that mean so much more than the soil upon which they sit.
An allotment. A health-giving, heart-filling miniature kingdom of carrots, courgettes and callaloo. A microcosm for our societies at large as people claim their ‘patch’ and guard it protectively, but also of welcoming arms, gifted gluts and new recipes from overseas.
They are places of blowsy dahlias, cricket on the radio and cups of tea in tumbledown sheds; they are buzzing bees and the wisdom of weeds and seeds; they are resilience, resistance and freedom with a radical history and future. All life is here is this collection of vibrant original pieces on growing, eating and nurturing.
Publisher: Elliott & Thompson Limited
ISBN: 9781783967889
Number of pages: 224
Dimensions: 216 x 138 mm
‘In this bounteous anthology, each vignette of allotment life is jewel-bright and tempting, like a plump beetroot pulled up from yielding earth or a handful of damp rhubarb stalks, shimmer-pink and glowing. On turning the book’s haunting final page, I could almost feel sun on my face and dirt beneath my fingernails.’ Laura Pashby, author of Chasing Fog ‘This is a celebration of community, belonging, intimacy, healing, reclamation, connection, growth, grief, birth, and joy and reminds us that sometimes, oftentimes, the simple act of planting a seed in the soil is enough for hope to grow.’ Victoria Bennett, author of All My Wild Mothers ‘A celebration of allotment life in 12 essays’ Gardens Illustrated, Recommended reads this month ‘The contributors to This Allotment are united by a deep affection for this peculiarly British institution. Dip into these pages as an allotment sceptic and you may well find your mind is changed. If you have a plot, you’ll be reminded of why all the hard work is worthwhile.’ The Garden ‘Anyone who’s ever faced a neglected plot, wrestled with brambles and finally harvested an armful of kale will empathise with these essays by writers including Olia Hercules and Marchelle Farrllas they get to grips with that very British passion, the allotment’ Country Living
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