Practically Pagan - An Alternative Guide to Cooking by Rachel Patterson is the type of cookbook I really enjoy. Although there are no pictures, at least not in the version I read, the recipes are straightforward and pictures aren't as necessary as in some more elaborate books.

As I mentioned, the recipes are straightforward, both in how to make them and in what they are. While there are a few that were unusual to my norm, there was not really the feeling of any recipe being included strictly to show how advanced the writer is. This is about making good, seasonal food that can feed a family. Far less about show and more about sustenance. I appreciate that.

I highly recommend this to cooks who want to serve hearty meals using in season ingredients when possible. This is about day-to-day and month-to month, maybe better season-to-season, cooking and living rather than the periodic "look what I made" special dinners. I love those kinds of cookbooks too, but I find myself using them once in a great while, while I can see myself referencing this book regularly.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )