The Farm Table: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

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The joy of cooking is invariably inherited from one's family, as any Italian will be at great pains to tell you, or in my case from one's family's inclination to butcher even the simplest of meals. It's a push-pull thing, with Julius's epicurean passion coming very much from the pull of his grandmother's esteemed culinary repertoire. First-generation farmer and chef Julius Roberts shares honest tales of farming life and easy, thoughtful dishes to reconnect us to nature and the seasons. Broken into sections based on the season, The Farm Table encourages cooking with seasonality in mind through scrumptious recipes to inspire joy and confidence in the kitchen. Also this week, Julius opens the polytunnel and shows us his tomato glut before sharing the secret to making unbelievably easy homemade ketchup. But he’s not stopping there on amazing things you wouldn’t ever have thought of trying to make! He gives us his unbelievable recipe for turning a humble belly of pork into the best home-cured bacon and then churns a batch of his own butter in no time at all. So, with ketchup, bacon and butter, what else is there to do than combine them in a perfect bacon and egg sandwich?

The Farm Table by Julius Roberts | Waterstones

Food has always been a huge part of my family and how we socialise. My granny was such an incredible cook and I have such fond memories of sitting next to her on the aga, her passing me wooden spoons laden in all these different flavours for me to taste." Enjoy the comforts of the English countryside with 100 seasonal recipes to savor throughout the year and thoughtful essays about living farm-to-table—from British chef-turned-farmer Julius Roberts. After spending the best part of 24 hours with Julius on his farm, I can see why he made the shift. With a burgeoning social media-fuelled career that he can grow from his kitchen right here in Dorset, he has indeed nurtured an idyllic set-up, one that not only nourishes him but also inspires hundreds of thousands of others to eat and live more sustainably. After toying around for a year post-graduation with a career as an artist, some words of wisdom from his mum encouraged Julius to pursue a career as a chef: ‘I’d been brought up in a house that loved food. The kitchen was the heart of our home. My parents were very cool about letting me have free reign in the kitchen. I couldn’t see how I could make a career as a sculptor work, and my mum said “you’ve always been into food. Just go and get a job at a restaurant and see what happens.”’

He was inspired by River Cottage as a child, looking up to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his emphasis on field to plate. His time in restaurant kitchens (having previously studied sculpture in Brighton) nurtured his appreciation for seasonal ingredients.

Julius Roberts The Farm Table | New Cookbook, 2023

With a book now under his belt, a more frequent figure on our TV screens, and a thriving farm, Julius’ affable delight in the life he champions and his lively optimism in a society that can considerately reverse the damage of it’s habits, make him more than a welcome presence in the world of agriculture and food. If his star continues on it’s current trajectory, no doubt he’ll be listed by many future talents as a dream guest at their own farm tables in the years to come.I hope to inspire my generation to think about their food and how the decisions we make have a massive effect on an animal's life. I want them to be excited by nature and care about animal welfare. Great friendship and support deserve a special treat: Julius makes everyone the legendary Italian pudding tiramisu that he first ate as a child in Florence, which they eat as they relax in the hay meadow with the work done and the sun setting, washed down with chilled local beer.

Julius Roberts | Penguin Random House Julius Roberts | Penguin Random House

Julius pulls into the yard in a battered old red Defender not five minutes later with co-pilots Loki and Zephyr, two grey lurchers who look as if they have been preternaturally hewn from storm clouds, wind and earth. Dressed as you would imagine someone who runs a farm dresses (trousers splattered with mud; boots that look like they've been on a chain gang; sensibly warm layers on top), Julius - much like the lurchers - sports a fabulously wild head of hair - dark blonde curls tumbling from his crown like twisted ears of corn. He has a big, friendly smile on his face (which as I discover is a near permanent feature) and a bag of crab meat in his hands which is to form dinner later that evening, once we're done shooting the new winter collection on the poor lad. What’s it about: Julius’ first cookbook is a collection of 100 recipes that capture the essence of British rural life. Written over the course of a year on his smallholding in Dorset, The Farm Table offers a unique insight into farm life and features an array of thoughtful recipes that celebrate the changing seasons. Julius is a firm believer in the importance of seasonality and he showcases how to make the most of each season’s produce with simple, unfussy recipes that allow these hero ingredients to take centre stage. Think stewed plums with whipped yoghurt in autumn, poached quince with ginger cake in winter, asparagus and ricotta tart in spring and courgette frittata in the summertime. With breathtaking photography throughout, this is a cookbook that embodies the essence of home cooking at its finest. Seasonal eating and cooking are concepts which humankind has lost in the last 150 years or so since the advent of industrial farming practices Julius Roberts reveals the reality of managing your own smallholding in A Taste Of The Country. He cooks up a storm in the kitchen, cares for his animals, learns new skills and enjoys good times on land and sea with his family and friends. Here, he talks about living his best life… With the increasing demand from chefs and consumers on provenance and the accompanying desire to cultivate a kitchen garden, this book could well become a go-to for any chef who wishes to embed greater seasonal practice in their work and cooking.I decided to make a crab risotto - it was actually a first time dish so I was very excited to cook it for everyone. I initially wanted to make a squid risotto but couldn’t find any squid in the local fishmonger so crab was a worthy replacement. The local Devon crab around here is amazing. It's a simple dish with some of the last tomatoes I harvested, along with garlic, chilli and saffron, quite a wet, unctuous and rich risotto. Finished with tons of parsley and lemon zest at the end to brighten it up and give it a bit of zing. I thought it was delicious!" We heartily concur.