A heartfelt, thoughtful, and insightful look at the urban and rural divide that exists in the UK. Divide - the relationship crisis between town and country was deservedly longlisted for the 2022 Wainwright Conservation Prize. Author Anna Jones is a journalist and broadcaster, she grew up on the Welsh Borders and comes from generations of rural workers, she left and by the time she was in her thirties had lived in three different cities. She is perfectly placed to explore the issues that need to be solved. She says: “To the outside world, England is a postage stamp with 56 million people squashed on top of it, but something in the bones of an English countryperson is wedded to an almost spiritual belief in our green and pleasant land. The religion of ruralism”. The different chapters focus on animals and food, home and work, politics, diversity, environment and community. Various topics are explored raising questions, and looking at barriers, problems, and potential change. She researches the divide and how it could be healed by talking to a diverse range of people, from conservation groups, to experts on rural development, to those living and working in the countryside. She is honest and fair, she is open to new ideas despite at times feeling split in two. I love how she writes, she doesn’t lecture, rather it felt as though she was chatting to me and sharing thoughts and feelings. The information flowed from the page and I soaked it up, eyes wide, and mind open. Divide is a hugely important book, at times provocative yet always considerate, it joins our LoveReading Star Books as a must-read.
This book is a call to action. It warns that unless we learn to accept and respect our social, cultural and political differences as town and country people, we are never going to solve the chronic problems in our food system and environment.
As we stare down the barrel of climate change, only farmers - who manage two thirds of the UK's landscape - working together with conservation groups can create a healthier food system and bring back nature in diverse abundance. But this fledgling progress is hindered and hamstrung by simplistic debates that still stoke conflict between conservative rural communities and the liberal green movement.
Each chapter, from Family and Politics to Animal Welfare and the Environment, explores a different aspect of the urban/rural disconnect, weaving case studies and research with Anna's personal stories of growing up on a small, upland farm. There is a simple theme and a strong message running throughout the book - a plea to respect our differences, recognise each other's strengths and work together to heal the land.
Anna Jones is a cook, food writer and stylist. One grey, late-for-the-office day, she decided to quit her day job after reading an article about following your passion. Within weeks, she was signed up on Jamie Oliver's Fifteen apprentice programme. She went on to be part of Jamie's food team - styling, writing and working behind the scenes on books, TV shows and food campaigns. Now freelance, she has worked with some of the country's biggest food brands, including innocent drinks for whom she wrote the recipes for Hungry?: the innocent recipe book for filling your family with good stuff. She has also worked with other well-known chefs, such as Henry and Tom Herbert (The Fabulous Baker Brothers), Stevie Parle and Antonio Carluccio, and cooked for royalty, politicians and LA school children alike. A Modern Way to Eat is her first solo book. She lives, writes and cooks in Hackney, East London.
