Salt, Sugar, Smoke (Imperial)

This comprehensive book takes a fresh look at preserving, offering all the basic information you need, but also featuring inspirational recipes from the store cupboards of the world. It covers everything from jams to cures, and shows you that you don't have to have lots of kit and produce to make delicious preserves - or wait forever before eating them.

There are sections filled with expert advice on choosing ingredients and cooking every type of preserve, from marmalades to jellies to relishes to foods preserved in oil. All the classic recipes are included and Diana often gives tips for how to make a version of a classic that suits your palette. For example, she includes a sweet and sticky strawberry jam, a more-fruity and less sweet version, and a Swedish 'nearly' strawberry jam (which is more like a conserve and keeps in the fridge for only a couple of weeks).

But this is also a treasure trove of recipes taken from the world's store cupboards. And most of them are luxuries that can be made from cheap ingredients - such as Thai spiced rhubarb relish, Alsace pear and Riesling jam and tea-smoked trout. Many recipes will also offer alternative ingredients - for example, make sloe gin with cranberries or plums.

About the Author

Diana Henry was named 'Cookery Writer of the Year' by The Guild of Food Writers in 2009 and in 2007 for her column in the Sunday Telegraph's Stella magazine. She is a contributor to many magazines including Red, House and Garden, Country Living and Waitrose Food Illustrated. She is the author of a number of bestselling cookbooks, including: Roast Figs Sugar Snow; The Gastropub Cookbook; Cook Simple; and Food from Plenty. Diana lives in London with her partner and children.