Description
Book SynopsisWINNER OF TWO 2017 GUILD OF FOOD WRITERS AWARDS: BEST FOOD BOOK AWARD AND THE CAMPAIGNING AND INVESTIGATIVE FOOD WORK AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 FORTNUM & MASON FOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR
A BBC RADIO 4 FOOD PROGRAMME BOOK OF THE YEAR 2016
A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2016
We should all know exactly where our meat comes from. But what if you took this modern-day maxim to its logical conclusion and only ate animals you killed yourself?
Louise Gray decides to be an ethical carnivore and learn to stalk, shoot and fish. Starting small, Louise shucks oysters and catches a trout. As she begins to reconnect with nature, she befriends countrymen and women who can teach her to shoot pigeons, rabbits and red deer.
Louise begins to look into how meat is processed, including the beef in our burgers, cheap chicken, supermarket bacon and farmed fish. She investigates halal slaughter and visits abattoirs to ask whe
Trade Review
A highly original work, executed with complete conviction. Heart-warming, engaging and impossible to put down, it treats a challenging subject unflinchingly. Recommended reading. -- Juror, 2017 Guild of Food Writers Awards
A charming and eye-opening book. The accounts of hunting trips with her father contain vivid and quite moving nature writing. * The Guardian *
A carefully balanced yet truthful and unpreachy book. -- Hattie Ellis, author of Planet Chicken and The One Pot Cook
Beautifully written. Brave and personal. -- Kerstin Rodgers, author of V is for Vegan
This humane, adventurous and wonderfully illuminating exploration will entertain and challenge everyone, from carnivore to vegan. -- Patrick Barkham, author of Badgerlands and The Butterfly Isles
Vivid, visceral and honest. Gray observes without ever being detached, and that's a rare talent. -- Ella Risbridger, author of Eating with My Fingers
Well paced, well researched and politically even-handed. * Country Life *
Compellingly readable, wise and kind. There's plenty of serious reflection too, all the more arresting for Gray's lightness of touch. -- Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast
Superb. Brilliantly written and needed to be said. -- Tim Hayward, author of Knife and The DIY Cook
A very personal, heartwarming book that carries you along like a good novel. The writer's dedication to her subject is inspiring and she totally throws herself into her research. Brave and ruthlessly honest, it will change the way you think. -- Juror, Food Book Award, 2017 Guild of Food Writers Awards
The author more than earns her stripes... It's impossible not to admire her. * The Evening Standard *
A fascinating insight... The book is neither preachy nor lacking in laughs. Gray writes with humour and humanity. * Sunday Herald *
A thorough, engaging, sometimes shocking account of where our meat comes from. It is also, importantly, a book about caring. -- Malachy Tallack, author of Sixty Degrees North * Caught by the River *
This brave project by Louise Gray is told in beautiful, descriptive prose that shows her love and knowledge of nature. * Sunday Post *
[The book is] not a reflection on whether or not to become a vegetarian ... Gray believes we can eat meat ethically, going for quality ahead of quantity. * i *
She writes well and this is a book that all should read – but it isn’t simply a duty, it’s a gritty pleasure. -- Mark Avery, author of Inglorious
Louise Gray is a micromaster. * The Scotsman *
This is a must read for anyone who wants to know more about where the meat and fish they eat comes from ... and the environmental and social impact. * The Press and Journal *
This is a really important exploration of the meat industry, our relationship with meat and animals through history and offers an insight into what the future could hold – but it's also a good read that reads like you're talking to an old friend down the pub. -- Liz O’Keefe, food journalist and author of The Mushroom Cookbook
Table of Contents
Prologue 1 Pearls 2 Novice Macnab 3 Minions 4 Henry 5 Gobby Teens 6 Grown-ups 7 Swine 8 Ishmael 9 Colin 10 Game Bird 11 Hunter-gatherer 12 Tigers of the sea 13 The Leaper 14 Damh 15 Beyond Meat Author's Note Appendix Acknowledgements Further Reading Index
