Home Farm Cooking

by Catherine and John Pawson (Phaidon)

A book on cooking co-written by the world’s best-known exponent of architectural minimalism may conjure images of spare but beautifully presented plates. That is certainly here, but Home Farm Cooking is also much more. A followup to John Pawson’s cult Living and Eating, the book’s focus is on Catherine’s cooking at Home Farm, their Cotswolds second home; its 100 recipes are for the dishes she makes most often, some her own, others given or inspired by others.

The book is organised seasonally, with each chapter including an introductory ode that will leave the reader aching for a little piece of countryside for themselves. ‘Like many, we have become increasingly determined to buy, cook and eat in a way that respects the connection between field and fork,’ says Catherine in her preface, and each chapter includes a seasonal menu suggestion, from summer picnic to winter festive lunch.

The artfully minimal images were taken at Home Farm, and are suitably evocative of how the dish is enjoyed in the space; much of the kitchenware featured is of John’s own design. With a foreword by design writer Alison Morris on the history of Home Farm, the book will suit those who want to emulate the dishes as much as those who simply dream of creating a simple, seasonal small farm life.