Otherwise Publishing

30/10/2023

A really interesting project we've recently been involved in: the Everywhere Library.

This carefully curated selection of writing from every corner of the globe seeks to offer at least one book per country, encompassing states with contested borders, occupied homelands, fragmented diasporas, islands under ecological threat and cultures facing extinction. The diverse collection offers a range of genres including fiction, non-fiction, poetry and biography. There are recipe books, folk tales, fables, stories for children and stories by young adults. Alongside prize-winning authors you’ll find those who have been censored, banned, or whose books have in some way caused a stir.'

It was a real pleasure to help compile the archive, design the website and the library's logo, provide copywriting and editing support, and create the promotional postcard pictured.

If you feel like diversifying your reading list, or are just looking for ideas for what to read next, have a look at their website – everywherelibary.org

27/10/2023

Two years in the making, it's finally here!

Following on from the success of Wild Food UK ‘s Foraging Pocket Guide (60,000 copies now in print, and counting ... ) we proudly present the Mushroom Foraging Guide. Covering over 120 species of the UK's wild mushrooms, with over 600 colour photos to help you identify edible fungi with confidence, and handy season-by-season charts, this is the ultimate field guide for beginners and experts alike. It's been on sale for a couple of weeks now and is already a category #1 Bestseller on Amazon.

To buy your copy, go to Wild Food's outlet Foraging Shop .

07/07/2023

Round about this time last year I made a batch of walnut liqueur, and it is finally ready: mellow, dark, and richly nutty. Made by steeping unripe green walnuts in alcohol (in our version, with lemon zest and wood avens root), it is traditional in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, where it is known as nocino. Historians believe it actually originated in the British Isles, brewed by Pictish tribes for their midsummer rites, and it is thought the recipe was taken back to Italy by Britain’s Roman occupiers.

Nocino is very simple to make but you need a little patience (the nut kernels are steeped in vodka for six weeks, and the resulting liquid is best left to mature for a year before drinking). You also need to take a bit of care: the sap of the green walnuts and the resulting dark liquid will stain skin, clothing and work surfaces. Wear gloves when handling and preparing the nuts, and take extra care when straining and bottling the liqueur.

Another of the recipes we've been researching, developing and photographing in association with . Go to the recipe section on their website for more seasonal ideas.

20/06/2023

Celebrate midsummer with this glorious seasonal trifle, a wonderful combination of syrup-soaked hazelnut cake layered with poached gooseberries and elderflower custard. Another of the recipes we've been developing, testing and photographing in assocation with .

See the recipe section on their website for more seasonal ideas.

20/12/2021

Looking for a wild alternative to turkey for your Christmas dinner? How about serving our roast partridge with bacon, sweet chestnut and wild mushroom stuffing and Madeira gravy? This delicious combination of late-season flavours is much quicker to cook (you’ll need one partridge per person). Serve with mashed root vegetables and steamed greens, or your favourite festive sides.

Another recipe we've been developing, testing and photographing in association with Wild Food UK – check out their website for more seasonal ideas.

18/12/2021

Last chance to buy the book for Christmas. And if you miss Christmas, no problem! A good bedtime story is something you can enjoy with your children all round...

Big thank you to and for all your help this year in making the book become a reality!

11/12/2021

The Christmas Squirrel has come early! It's 15% off all products on the website! A great chance to secure some books, colouring books, jigsaw puzzles and even limited edition illustrations, ahead of christmas.

Use discount code XMAS15, exclusively this weekend (closing at midnight on Sunday), valid for one use per customer.⁠

https://squirrels-tail.com/collections/squirrels-tail-book-accessories

I would love to also point out the beautiful new christmas illustration by .beeching featuring the hero of our story, Hazel and her new tail. Not only in her favourite colours but now also lighting up the room!

07/12/2021

The needles of the grand fir tree have a delicious fragrance – like that of the pine forest, unsurprisingly, but with a sweet citrussy edge, reminiscent of grapefruit. They bring a wonderful flavour to this crisp, crumbly shortbread, perfect for the festive season (as shown here, made with appropriately tree-shaped cookie cutters) but good at just about any time of year.

Another of the seasonal recipes we've been testing, writing and photographing in association with Wild Food UK

For more, check out the recipe section of their website.

28/10/2021

When a bouncy little squirrel named Hazel loses her tail, her dad decides to make her a new one. But first he has to venture out into the dark night to gather everything he needs ...

The latest Otherwise publication is based on a bedtime story made up by author Julian Reisz to comfort his young daughter as she underwent a series of operations. Hazel's story celebrates the extraordinary strength of children as they face life’s challenges and the tireless devotion of their parents. It takes place in the Great Forest, a magical world teeming with colourful creatures and dazzling lollipop trees, beautifully brought to life by illustrator Alex Beeching.

You can buy the book, as well as a 48-piece jigsaw (designed and sourced by Otherwise), colouring book, and special edition art prints from squirrels-tail.com.

06/09/2021

If any of you are thinking of taking advantage of this beautiful autumn weather with a stroll in the Sussex countryside, Otherwise author Annette Lloyd Thomas has created a guided walking tour of the Georgian follies of Mad Jack Fuller, around his estate in Brightling.

Go to http://www.madjackfuller.net/The-Mad-Jack-Walking-Tour.html to download a PDF with map and detailed commentary. You'll also receive a discount code giving you £5 off the cover price of Annette's new, in-depth biography, 'Mad Jack: the many lives of John Fuller, squire of Brightling'.

Sadly, the pandemic has prevented the planned launch for the book. We hope it will go ahead when things become more stable, but in the meantime, please spread the word to family and friends about this fascinating, beautiful book!

29/07/2021

The velvety green leaves and vivid magenta flowers of mallow can be found in abundance at this time of year. The leaves are used to make a traditional Egyptian soup, called molokhia, flavoured with lots of garlic and ground coriander. We've topped our version with some yoghurt, roasted hazelnut dukkah and a few mallow flowers.

Another of the seasonal recipes we've been developing in association with Wild Food UK. Check out their website for more.

06/07/2021

https://youtu.be/O1H3IGkxuqY

A lovely review of Wild Food UK’s Foraging Pocket Guide, produced in association with Otherwise.

Thanks to Becky O Cole for spreading the word!

Click here to shop the items mentioned:UK https://amzn.to/2Zwhs4UUS https://amzn.to/3jwU9z6Mud & Bloom Nature Boxes https://bit.ly/2PMvPjyKiwi Box https://b...

06/07/2021

Experimenting with some dryad's saddles I found, I made these Mediterranean-style kebabs, marinated with za'atar and lemon. Any firm, meaty mushrooms could be used, but if you catch the dryad's saddles while they're young and juicy, they work really well. Though they’re not highly flavoured they absorb the marinade brilliantly – but you do need to avoid any older, woodier specimens.

Another of the seasonal recipes we've been developing in conjunction with Wild Food UK. Check out the recipe section on their website for more.

12/03/2021

Delicate scarlet elf cup mushrooms are gently cooked with wild garlic, lemon zest and chilli flakes to create this delicious spaghetti.

Another of the recipes we've been developing and photographing in association with Wild Food UK

Head over to their website for this and more seasonal recipes.

https://www.wildfooduk.com/wild-food-recipes/spaghetti-with-elf-cups/

22/02/2021

A very nice plug for Annette Lloyd Thomas’s book 'Mad Jack: The many lives of John Fuller, squire of Brightling' from The Bald Explorer Richard Vobes on his Sunday podcast. Thanks for the kind words, Richard, and hoping that the Mad Jack walks you mentioned will go ahead once the situation allows.

https://youtu.be/4o0SPWtLsvY

Another chance to catch up with the weeks events and things in the pipeline. -------------------------------------------------------------------PLEASE SUPPOR...

17/12/2020

Our latest publication is Wild Food UK's Foraging Field Journal. The perfect gift for any wild foodie, this hardback notebook is organised as a day-by-day journal with ruled sections, more than 100 colour photos and vintage botanical watercolours, seasonal charts, foraging guidelines and notes about key highlights throughout the seasons. Used year after year, it will become an invaluable, personalised archive of useful information from your foraging forays.

Order your copy at the Wild Food UK online shop:
https://www.foraging.co.uk/product/foraging-field-journal/

14/12/2020

Give your trusty copy of the paperback edition of Wild Food UK’s brilliant, bestselling Foraging Pocket Guide an extra layer of protection from the elements with a custom-made PVC cover. Available now from the Wild Food UK website.

11/12/2020

For fungi lovers, here's a nifty hack to bring the rich, umami flavour of wild mushrooms to almost any dish. Dried porcini (or dryad's saddles), mixed with coarse salt and a little pepper, are finely ground to make a mushroom-flavoured salt. Great for seasoning steak, when prepping a chicken for roasting, or sprinkled over a soft-boiled egg.

For this and more seasonal recipes we've been developing and photographing, go to the Wild Food UK website.

https://www.wildfooduk.com/wild-food-recipes/wild-mushroom-salt/

26/11/2020

To thank everyone for their interest in and support for her new biography 'Mad Jack: the many lives of John Fuller, squire of Brightling', Otherwise author Annette Lloyd Thomas is running a competition to win copies of her book.

To enter your name in the draw simply:
1. Like this post.
2. Share this post to your timeline.
3. Follow Otherwise Publishing and like our page.

The draw is open internationally. Entry closes on Friday 4th December at midnight PDT(or 7am Saturday 5th December GMT). Winners announced on Saturday 5th December 2020.

19/11/2020

Annette Lloyd Thomas’s in-depth biography examining the life and work of Brightling’s famously eccentric squire is available now! Illustrated with with a wealth of contemporary artwork and specially commissioned watercolours.

To order a copy, go to https://www.ypdbooks.com/biography/2189-mad-jack-the-many-lives-of-john-fuller-squire-of-brightling-YPD02461.html

15/11/2020

On this day in 1810, construction began on the strange pyramid that stands in Brightling churchyard. Almost twenty-five years prior to his death, John ‘Mad Jack’ Fuller built this suitably eccentric mausoleum within sight of his home at Rose Hill (now Brightling Park). Legend has it that Fuller sits inside the pyramid at a table, wearing his dinner jacket, with a roast chicken and a bottle of wine set before him. In her new, in-depth biography of Mad Jack, Annette Lloyd Thomas looks at the facts and fictions that swirl around the legend of the reknowned eighteenth-century squire.

‘Mad Jack: the many lives of John Fuller, squire of Brightling’ will be available soon.

10/11/2020

Make the most of a small haul of tasty winter mushrooms with this flavoursome pâté, combining wild fungi with their cultivated cousins, along with toasted walnuts, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and parsley. Serve the pâté warm with toasted sourdough for a delicious snack or starter.

Another of the seasonal recipes we’ve been developing and photographing in association with Wild Food UK . Go to their website to see more.

05/11/2020

One of my favourite ways to use the tasty winter chanterelles that are popping up at the moment is in this delicious casserole. Chicken is gently braised with wine, garlic and thyme, then the sauce is reduced before stirring in the lightly sautéed chanterelles and some cream. Simple, classic stuff, elevated by the subtle yet rich flavour and velvety texture of the foraged mushrooms.

Go to the Wild Food UK website for more seasonal recipes that we’ve been developing, testing and photographing.

https://www.wildfooduk.com/wild-food-recipes/chicken-with-wine-winter-chanterelles/

02/11/2020

Though often categorized as one of John ‘Mad Jack’ Fuller’s follies, the observatory he built on Brightling Down was fully functioning and furnished with state-of-the-art astronomical instruments. Designed (at least partly) by reknowned architect Robert Smirke, the building expresses Fuller’s deep fascination with the sciences, which might not be expected of a man best known as an outspoken eccentric. Otherwise author Annette Lloyd Thomas explores this and many other facets of the fascinating Sussex squire in her new biography ‘Mad Jack: the many lives of John Fuller, squire of Brightling’ – available soon!

23/10/2020

The Belle Tout lighthouse on Beachy Head has stood in its current form for 186 years this month. The first (wooden) lighthouse on the site was constructed in 1828, thanks to the political influence and funding of John ‘Mad Jack’ Fuller, squire of Brightling and MP for Sussex. Famed for his whimsical follies and outspoken demeanour, Fuller is the subject of our latest publication. Annette Lloyd Thomas’s in-depth biography 'Mad Jack: the many lives of John Fuller, squire of Brightling' will be available soon.

22/10/2020

Just arrived: now in its second printing, Wild Food UK’s bestselling Foraging Pocket Guide. In paperback and new hardback edition, clothbound with dustjacket, gorgeous endpapers and silk ribbon marker.

Get your copy, while stocks last, from the Wild Food UK website

03/10/2020

Pear tarts: unpromisingly underripe pears are poached in fruity red wine with the last of the autumn wild fruits and the subtle spice of wood avens root, baked in puff pastry, and glazed with a syrupy reduction of the berry-infused wine. The recipe for these gorgeous autumn treats comes from Wild Food UK - check out their website for more seasonal recipes that we've been testing, developing and photographing.

19/09/2020

The perfect breakfast after an early morning forage: a big juicy parasol mushroom cap topped with cheesy rarebit and bacon.

Just one of the recipes we’ve been developing for Wild Food UK

Check out their website for more seasonal ideas.

https://www.wildfooduk.com/wild-food-recipes/parasol-mushrooms-with-rarebit/

15/09/2020

The hedgerows seem to be brimming with blackberries this year. There are so many ways to use these fragrant, fruity beauties, but how about as a tart accompaniment to braised duck? Just one of the recipes we’ve been developing for Wild Food UK

Check out their website for more seasonal ideas.

https://www.wildfooduk.com/wild-food-recipes/duck-with-blackberries/