This charming little book was first published in 1956 when people in England were still enduring post-war restrictions on both travelling and eating. As Lesley Blanch says in her introduction to a later edition 'benign fate whisked me elsewhere to follow less restricted ways, travelling widely and eating wildly'. She said: 'I don't belong in England, I don't belong anywhere, it is rather restful - I have met everybody and known nobody'. Seductive and piquant like its author, this is 'an appetizer for enthusiastic beginners' rather than a basic cookbook. Lesley Blanch's gastronomic world tour includes eighty recipes each prefaced by an account of where they were first tasted, or with some amusing anecdote.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 200

Dimensions: 129 x 198 mm

Publication Date: 30-10-2012

Born in 1922 in north London and fascinated by a flight in 1938 in one of Sir Alan Cobham's Flying Circus aircraft, John Misseldine enlisted in the RAF as soon as he was 18. After training in California in 1941 (in the very first batch of air cadets to be sent there and where he met many Hollywood film stars), in March 1942 he was posted to fly fighters with 611 Squadron, whose CO was Battle of Britain veteran DH Watkins DFC, and wing commander flying Peter Townsend, later a royal suitor. On 8 June John was shot down over northern France and for over two months was on the run from the Gestapo, being aided and abetted by the French resistance and British Intelligence, with not a few alarms along the way. Journeying south through occupied France, he eventually escaped from Gibraltar in August, arriving in Scotland and thence to 65 (East India) Squadron. Commissioned as a pilot officer, he was posted to Algeria to ferry new Spitfires and Hurricanes to front-line squadrons supporting the Eighth Army. This role too was not without its hazards but he made it through to become CO of an airfield and to meet and marry a French girl, Mauricette. Sixty-four years later, they are still together and this is John's heart-warming and page-turning story of 'survival against the odds', as told to acclaimed author Oliver Clutton-Brock.

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 148 x 210 x 28 mm

Publication Date: 01-06-2010

The Greek philosophy of food is one of simplicity; make it fresh and full of flavor and serve it with great warmth and flair. It is a cuisine entrenched in history, influenced by the cultures of its neighbors - Turkey, the Middle East, the Balkans but at heart it is unpretentious food from a people who have learned to make the most of what their land has to offer. In this celebration of Greek food Rosemary Barron provides over 250 regional and national specialties, from the olives, feta and seafood of mezes, beautiful little appetizers that can often become a meal in themselves, to delicate lemon broths to hearty bean soups, grilled meats and fish, baked vegetables and pilafs to the fragrant, gooey honey pastries. Greek cooking offers seasonal food perfect for informal eating with family, friends and entertaining. In addition there are chapters on The Greek Kitchen, Breads, The Wines of Greece and Menus for different occasions.

Pages: 384

Dimensions: 185 x 246 mm

Publication Date: 01-08-2010

Everyone knows and loves the traditional pumpkin ̶ plump and golden carved into a Halloween lantern ̶ and perhaps you’ve prepared a pumpkin pie or a thick pumpkin soup but in the last few years other more interesting and varied varieties such as patty pans, kabocha, butternut, acorn and spaghetti squashes have become available from famer’s markets and allotment gardeners.
For all those cooks who have wondered what to do with these glorious new vegetables, or those who simply want some inspirational ideas for the good old pumpkin or what to do with that glut of courgettes; here are the recipes. From Pumpkin and White Bean Soup to Minted Courgette Soup, from Squash Couscous to Courgette Bread, from Spicy Pumpkin, Rum and Raisin Ice Cream to Pumpkin wine, there are over 100 easy-to-prepare dishes such as stews, pasta sauces, pickles, relishes, cakes, breads, quiches, biscuits and jams, to take you through the entire year.
For those enthusiasts who like to grow their own produce there are cultivation instructions and seed sources as well as advice on picking, storing and a guide to varieties

Bind: paperback

Pages: 176

Dimensions: 189 x 246 mm

Publication Date: 22-07-2013

Formed in July 1942, the Pathfinder force was the corps d'elite of Bomber Command, tasked with marking targets and leading bomber formations to the right place at the right time. And the best of the force formed the crews of the master bombers, the aircraft in charge of the whole attack. It took nerves of steel for the crew to linger long high over the target area, often for hours, in constant fear of attack from fighters or flak. Here Sean Feast gives a detailed and comprehensive exploration of the exploits of one typical squadron in the heat of battle.

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 153 x 234 x 23 mm

Publication Date: 01-07-2010

The Junkers 87 Stuka was an iconic weapon of World War Two and an aircraft name that was, and still is, instantly recognised worldwide. Its roles in Poland and the Battles of France and the Low Countries are almost legendary, but in the UK its import during the Battle of Britain is one that has never been covered in any specific detail. Here, Andy Saunders takes a critical look at every operation by Ju87s against British targets in 1940 - including those on land and at sea. Each raid is charted, covering all aspects of the attacks including participants, defending RAF fighters and those on the receiving end. Myth and reality and truth and legend are all examined and analysed in this highly illustrated new book, which adds to our knowledge of one of the most significant periods in the whole of British history. Foreword by Dr Hans Migeod, Ju87 Stuka pilot during Battle of Britain.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 192

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 15-04-2013

Ken 'Hawkeye' Lee, Terry Clark, Tony Pickering, John Ellacombe and Pete Olver - five special airmen who earned the right to wear the Battle of Britain clasp with pride. All fought through the Battle and Blitz, all served and survived to the end of the war, but not all came out unscathed. Here are their stories, all different but with a common purpose - a collective tale of youth maturing against the backdrop of war when the stakes were at their highest.

Pages: 256

Dimensions: 138 x 210 x 23 mm

Publication Date: 01-07-2010

Thanks to a broken leg during flight school, Arthur Stanley Gould Lee gained valuable additional time flying trainers before he was posted to France during World War I. In November 1917 during low level bombing and strafing attacks, he was shot down three times by ground fire. He spent eight months at the front and accumulated 222 hours of flight time in Sopwith Pups and Camels during a staggering 118 patrols; being engaged in combat 56 times. He lived to retire from the RAF as an air vice-marshal in 1946. Author of three books, this is by far his best. Lee puts you in the cockpit in a riveting account of life as a fighter pilot at the front. At turns humorous and dramatic, this thoughtful, enlightening, true account is a classic to be ranked with Winged Victory by W. V. Yeates, also published by Grub Street.

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 135 x 210 mm

Publication Date: 01-05-2012

Ditha Bruncel's detailed memory of living in Germany during the Second World War provides a rare, first-hand insight into the day-to-day struggle against Nazi oppression, when even small acts of defiance or resistance carried great personal risk. In 1945 Ditha was living with her parents in the small town of Lossen, in Upper Silesia. Close Jewish friends had vanished, swastikas hung from every building, and neighbours were disappearing in the middle of the night. At the same time more than one thousand, five hundred British and Commonwealth airmen were being marched out of Stalag Luft VII, a POW camp in Upper Silesia. Twenty three of these prisoners managed to escape from the marching column and by chance hobbled into Lossen. One amongst them, Warrant Officer Gordon Slowey, was the man Ditha was destined to meet and fall in love with. This book tells the extraordinary story of Ditha and the escaped POWs she helped to save. Together they embarked on a dangerous and daring flight out of Germany.

Pages: 288

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 30-06-2009

On 12 August 1940, during the Battle of Britain, in an engagement with Dornier Do 17s, Geoffrey Page was shot down into the English Channel, suffering severe burns. He spent much of the next two years in hospitals, undergoing plastic surgery, but recovered sufficiently to pursue an extremely distinguished war and post-war career. This eloquently written and critically acclaimed autobiography tells of his wartime exploits in the air and on the ground. He was a founder member of The Guinea Pig Club - formed by badly burnt aircrew - and this is a fascinating account of the club, of the courage and bravery of 'The Few', and of Geoffrey's later life and achievements, most particularly in the creation of The Battle of Britain memorial.

Pages: 256

Dimensions: 128 x 196 mm

Publication Date: 01-03-2011