Cooking, Gardening and PastimesTalking Books

The titles in this booklist are just a selection of the titles available for loan from the RNIB National Library Talking Book Service.

Don’t forget you are allowed to have up to 6 books on loan. When you return a title, you will then receive another one.

If you would like to read any of these titles then please contact the Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or email helpline@rnib.org.uk.

You can search our online catalogue and add titles directly to your wish list by visiting www.rniblibrary.com. You can log onto your account in the My library section with your customer number and pin number. These can be obtained from Helpline.

For any further help in selecting books please contact the Reader Services Team on 01733 37 5333 or email libraryinfo@rnib.org.uk.

NB. Talking Book numbers beginning 40…. are read by volunteers unless it is indicated that a synthetic voice has been used.

Cooking

Allen, Rachel. Rachel's favourite food at home. 2008. TB403617.New in paperback and including new recipes, this cookbook draws on international influences, classic regional fare and good old family favourites to provide creative options for every occasion. Chapters include: Easy Family Food, Sweet Celebrations, Picnics and Days Out, Food for Children, Extended Family, Dining Al Fresco, Home Cinema, Big Celebrations, Edible Gifts, Just Like Mum Used to Make and A Few More Faves.6 hours 8 minutes.

Berry, Mary. Mary Berry's baking bible: over 250 classic recipes. 2009. TB405335.This collection brings together all of Mary Berry's most mouth-watering baking recipes. It is filled with 250 foolproof recipes, from the classic Victoria Sponge, Very Best Chocolate Cake and Hazelnut Meringue Cake to tempting muffins, scones and bread and butter pudding. Mary's easy-to-follow instructions and handy tips make it ideal for kitchen novices and more experienced cooks alike, and will guide you smoothly to baking success.13 hours 58 minutes.

Berry, Mary. Mary Berry's Christmas collection: over 100 fabulous recipes and tips for a trouble-free festive season. 2006. TB404238.In this collection Mary combines all her favourite winter recipes with a selection of new dishes to give us not only the time-honoured traditional roast turkey and classic Victorian Christmas cake, but also a variety of new food ideas for the festive period. With clues on leftovers, buffets, a Christmas Day countdown and a trouble -shooting section, Mary will help solve your holiday cooking problems.

Female synthetic voice. 6 hours 38 minutes.

Cook, Sian. Women's Institute complete Christmas: over 130 recipes for a perfect Christmas. 2010. TB18041.This updated version of The WI Complete Christmas is packed with over 130 failsafe recipes and ideas for Christmas from traditional favourites such as Buttered Roast Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing, Gran's Christmas Pudding, Star Mince Pies and Jewelled Christmas Cake, to modern variations, including a Rosti Topped Halibut with Smoked Salmon and Avocado, Quail's Eggs with Sea Salt and Chilli Dip, Italian Plait and Banoffee Tarts. Chapters include a Cheat's Christmas to help the truly time starved cook create the best Christmas ever, an invaluable section on using up your Leftovers and a guide to Parties and Celebrations that will enable even a first-time cook to provide for large gatherings. The book contains detailed advice on cooking ahead, planning for the big day and useful menus to cover the whole festive season.Read by Sherry Baines. 6 hours 26 minutes.

Costain, Lyndel. Gluten-free cooking. 2008. TB404174.This collection of delicious recipes provides easy-to-make alternatives to foods such as pasta, bread, pastry and cakes and includes recipes such as Thai Coconut Chicken, Strawberry Meringue Roulade, Potato Pizza Margherita and Rainbow Lollies. The book was published in association with Coeliac UK.5 hours 22 minutes.

Elliot, Rose. Rose Elliot's new complete vegetarian. 2010. TB17456.This book includes hundreds of pasta, pulse and rice dishes; hot and cold desserts; pizza and bread making; cakes, biscuits and teabreads. It also includes new recipes such as Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Lemon Butter Sauce, Wild Mushrooms en Croute and Boozy Banoffee Pie. Read by Felicity Duncan. 20 hours 37 minutes.

Gwynn, Mary. The WI cookbook: the first 100 years. 2015. TB21931.As the Women's Institute turns 100, food journalist Mary Gwynn, brings together the 100 best loved members' recipes nationwide. Organised decade by decade, and setting each recipe in its historical and social context, it spans everything from jams and preserves to main courses, puddings and bakes. It finishes with the WI's own signature cake: The Centenary Fruit Cake from North Yorkshire. Read by Stephanie Beattie. 7 hours 21 minutes. TB21931.

Henry, Diana. A change of appetite: where healthy meets delicious. 2014. TB21384.Here are the dishes that Diana Henry created when she started to crave a different kind of diet - less meat and heavy food, more vegetable, fish and grain-based dishes - often inspired by the food of the Middle East and Far East, but also drawing on cuisines from Georgia to Scandinavia.Read by Jayne Constantinis. 12 hours 50 minutes. TB21384.

King, Si. The Hairy Dieters: good eating. 2014. TB21647.The Hairy Bikers, Si King and Dave Myers, share delicious low-calorie recipes and easy-to-follow advice. This book contains over eighty fabulous family-focused recipes and advice on how to lose weight and keep it off.Read by Mark Elstob. 4 hours 38 minutes. TB21647.

Lewis, Sara. 200 slow cooker recipes. 2009. TB404413.This book provides over 200 recipes for you to enjoy, with delicious ideas for breakfasts and light bites, meat dishes, vegetarian meals, fish and seafood dishes and desserts.Female synthetic voice. 5 hours 38 minutes.

Search, Gay. Delia's kitchen garden: the beginner's guide to growing and cooking fruit and vegetables. 2004. TB408116.This book follows a year in the life of Delia's kitchen garden, with a chapter devoted to each month, containing detailed advice on

sowing and planting, fruit and vegetable varieties, and how to harvest. With recipes by Delia that use the produce at its peak, this guide is suitable for first-time horticulturists and cooks of all levels. 9 hours.

Slater, Nigel. A cook and his vegetable patch. 2009. TB404234.Tender; book 1. With over 400 recipe ideas and many wonderful stories from the cook's garden, this is the definitive guide to cooking with vegetables from Britain's finest food writer. In his imitable, unpretentious style Nigel Slater elevates vegetables to the starring role in his latest cook book, whether that means enjoying vegetables for their own sake or on the same plate as a piece of meat or fish. From crab cakes and crushed peas to broccoli and lamb stir-fry, luxury cauliflower cheese to a delicious broad bean salad, Tender has everything a cook could want from a recipe book.Female synthetic voice. 17 hours 37 minutes.

Vickery, Phil. Seriously good! Gluten-free baking. 2010. B404226. Phil Vickery has developed a collection of over 70 recipes especially for those with gluten intolerance. He offers gluten-free versions of family favourites such as Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Strawberry Tart with Meringue Topping, and Rich Chocolate Slab Cake. The Bread chapter includes Breakfast Brioche and Rosemary and Garlic Focaccia, while those with a sweet tooth will love Buttermilk Muffins and Roasted Hazelnut Cookies. The chapter devoted to Celebration Cakes provides inspiration for birthdays and other special occasions. Female synthetic voice. 4 hours 24 minutes.

Whitley, Andrew. Bread matters: why and how to make your own. 2009. TB404367.Andrew Whitley, founder of the celebrated Village Bakery in Melmerby, is a uniquely experienced baker. This is his foolproof guide to baking real nutritious bread at home. From soft milk bread plaits and classic French country bread to overnight sponges andrye sourdoughs, from olive and pumpkin seed bread and gluten-free pizza to wholemeal cheese bread and hot buttered stotties. He demystifies the baking process and shares the

practical craft he teaches on his popular baking courses. Including chapters on wheat-free and gluten-free cooking, this book shows why and how to make your own bread, guiding and inspiring beginners and seasoned bakers alike.12 hours 59 minutes.

Gardening

Bardsley, Barney. A handful of earth: a year of healing and growing. 2008. TB16089.When Barney Bardsley's husband died of cancer, she felt anxious, alone and exhausted. But she had to stay strong for their young daughter, Molly, so she steeled herself to cope by taking one day at a time. During this dark time she took to tending her small, scruffy allotment and she slowly began to find comfort in nature. This is the diary of her year in the garden, and as the seasons unfold, she charts how here own life is slowly restored under the garden's healing influence. Read by Ruth Sillers. 9 hours 40 minutes.

Clevely, Andi. The allotment book: a practical guide to creating and enjoying your own perfect plot. 2006. TB409225.This text features the key to growing success: choosing a gardening method - organic, biodynamic, rotation beds, companion planting, greenhouse, multi -level, potager, cottage garden, and so on; the hard stuff – constructing sheds, compost bins, cold frames, fruit cages, ponds, seating and play areas; selecting crops - what and how to grow, from parsnips and peas to chilli peppers and lemon grass; cultivation techniques - digging, sowing, feeding, weeding and harvesting, plus troubleshooting pests and diseases; the allotment calendar - extensive, month-by-month look at what's in season, jobs for now and looking ahead; and interviews with current plot-holders. 12 hours 31 minutes.

Don, Montagu. Gardening from Berryfields. 1999. TB408753. "Gardening from Berryfields" is invaluable to all gardeners and, in particular, to the viewers of BBC2's "Gardeners' World". Using the main projects undertaken at Berryfields (the "Gardeners' World" garden), the book guides the reader through a year of gardening, giving practical advice so that they can use Berryfields as a template for managing their own. The book is divided into 13 chapters covering subjects, such as the kitchen garden, courtyard garden, dry garden, herb garden, mixed borders, pond, orchard, and wildflower meadow.11 hours 12 minutes.

Don, Monty. The road to Le Tholonet: a French garden journey. 2013. TB20705.The story of a man travelling round France visiting a few selected French gardens on the way. Owners, intrigues, affairs, marriages, feuds, thwarted ambitions and desires, the largely unnamed ordinary gardeners, wars, plots and natural disasters run through every garden older than a generation or two and fill every corner of the grander historical ones. Families marry. Gardeners are poached. Political allegiances forged and shattered. The human trail crosses from garden to garden. They sit in their surrounding landscape, not as isolated islands but attached umbilically to it, sharing the geology , the weather, food, climate, local folklore, accent and cultural identity.Read by Greg Wagland. 10 hours 22 minutes.

Fleming, Kathleen. Thirty-five acres, a spade and a fork. 2013. TB 21334.Kathleen Fleming, a Londoner by birth, married an Irish orphan, Sean brought up by the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity in Stillorgan, Dublin. When he was fourteen, Sean was taken under the wing of the monk in charge of the dairy at St Joseph's monastery in Tipperary and the seeds were sown for Sean's dream to have his own farm. The Flemings struggled to start farming in the fifties with no capital to realise this dream. Read by Maggie Mash. 3 hours 51 minutes. TB 21334.

Greenwood, Pippa. Pippa Greenwood's gardening year. 2004. TB407510.The secret of a gorgeous garden when you've got very little time to attend to it is to know the essential jobs for each month so that you get the maximum benefits from your gardening efforts. With Pippa's expert advice, tips, and ideas for smart ways to time your gardening to perfection you can be sure of twelve months of satisfying and successful gardening.7 hours 45 minutes.

Guerra, Michael. The edible container garden: fresh food from tiny spaces. 2005. TB404317.You do not need a garden to grow delicious and decorative vegetables, fruit, herbs and edible flowers. A balcony will do, or a rooftop, windowsill, houseboat, or small backyard. All you require is some basic know-how. From design to harvest , this book provides everything you need to maximise your outdoor space and transform it into a colourful edible paradise. Read by Female synthetic voice. 6 hours 7 minutes.

Hobhouse, Penelope. The story of gardening. 2002 TB401060.This illustrated history charts the evolution of gardening over thousands of years, bringing to life the world's most beautiful and magnificent gardens. Penelope Hobhouse shows how an appreciation of style and techniques from all over the world helps us to understand how modern gardens have developed. She also considers how the availability of plant species from around the world has influenced garden design. From the cooling fountains of the Alhambra to the imposing palace grounds of Chinese emporers and the clean lines of the formal French parteer, this text explains the origins of the most influential gardening styles.29 hours 51 minutes.

Lloyd, Christopher. Cuttings: a year in the garden with Christopher Lloyd. 2008. TB15866.Preparing the ground, planting for summer scent, choosing a shrub for all -year round pleasure, pruning, going organic, cottage gardens, placing a favourite hellebore, thinking about conifers or growing your own veg – are things that Christopher Lloyd wrote in

his Guardian column before his death in 2006. These are all included in this book.Read by Jon Cartwright. 14 hours 41 minutes.

Swift, Katherine. The Morville hours. 2009. TB18106.In 1988 Katherine Swift arrived at the Dower House at Morville to create a garden of her own. This book is the history of the many people who have lived in the same Shropshire house, tending the same soil, passing down stories over the generations. Spanning thousands of years, The Morville Hours takes the form of a medieval Book of Hours. It is a meditative journey through the seasons, but also a journey of self-exploration. It is a book about finding one's place in the world and putting down roots. Read by Katherine Swift. 13 hours 35 minutes.

Titchmarsh, Alan. Greenhouse gardening. 2010. TB405208.Alan Titchmarsh how to garden The greenhouse is one of the most useful tools a gardener can have. This book provides all the information and advice you will need to set up a greenhouse and get your planting going . The advice offered includes guidance on selecting, installing, and maintaining a greenhouse; recommended vegetables, fruit, herbs, and ornamental plants for growing under cover; practical advice on general care, harvesting, storage, propagation , and pest control; and a seasonal management guide. 9 hours 16 minutes.

Titchmarsh, Alan. The kitchen gardener: grow your own fruit and veg. 2008. TB404366.Alan's comprehensive guide will tell you everything you could possibly want or need to know about fruit and veg and how to grow it, including herbs, baby veg, salads, every-day fruits plus gourmet or unusual varieties, and how to fit them into today's stylish small gardens. As well as providing the key facts needed to yield goodresults and what to do when things go wrong, the text is sprinkled with Alan's personal observations, anecdotes, culinary tips and quirky historical uses. The book takes a very practical approach, starting from scratch for the benefit of anyone who's never grown their own before, but is also ideal for those with some experience

who might be growing edibles in a new way - perhaps in a small space that needs to look attractive, or on a new allotment.23 hours 45 minutes.

Toms, M P. Gardening for birdwatchers. 2008. TB408418.This book brings together the expertise of garden designers Ian and Barley Wilson (Natural Gardens) with that of the British Trust for Ornithology to produce the definitive guide for improving your garden for birds and other wildlife. The text, complete with planting plans, gets to grips with the techniques that underpin successful wildlife-gardening, highlighting those varieties of plants that have particular wildlife benefits and explaining how best to manage your garden for wildlife. With sections on different gar den features (e.g. lawns, ponds, shady corners and sunny borders), this book should enable you to enhance the wildlife value of your own garden.5 hours 27 minutes.

Treseder, Suzanne. A passion for plants: the Treseders of Truro. 2004. TB408879.In 1857 three brothers left Cornwall for Australia in search of gold. One of them, John Garland Treseder, took with him vegetable seeds and started a market garden. Suzanne Trededer, the great-granddaughter of John Treseder tells the story of her family's passions for plants and of six generations of Treseders who were nurserymen for over 150 years.5 hours 36 minutes.

Knitting

Bliss, Debbie. Step-by-step knitting workbook: all the techniques and guidance you need to knit successfully, including over 20 projects. 2001. TB400380.2 hours 57 minutes.

Greenhowe, Jean. Jean Greenhowe's Christmas special. 1991. TB407797.This collection of knitting patterns with a Christmas theme contains patterns for toys, gifts and decorations. It includes Santa and Cinderella dolls, Christmas stockings and seasonal tea cosies.5 hours 49 minutes.

Griffiths, Melody. Knitting in no time: a fast, fun collection of 50 quick-knit projects. 2006. TB405067.This modern collection of 50 projects offers you the knitting know-how you need to create quick-to-knit ponchos, jackets, wraps, shrugs and sweaters - as well as a great range of hats, scarves and bags. Using simple stitches and speedy techniques, many of the projects feature new and novelty yarns on the market.Female synthetic voice. 6 hours 44 minutes.

Patel, Aneeta. Knitty gritty: for the absolute beginner knitter. 2008. TB405068.This book teaches beginners how to knit in plain English, using a line of 'knit' translated into a line of English, so that knitters will feel confident about taking that next big step into the world of knitting patterns on their own.Female Synthetic voice. 2 hours 49 minutes.

Stratford, Sue, Mini Christmas knits. 2011. TB405279.This title offers novelty knitting that is not only fun to do, but helps you create cute, funny and beautiful mini kits for Christmas, to give as gifts or to decorate your home. It offers a taste of novelty knitting for those on a budget, and there is plenty of inspiration for a small outlay. Here are twenty mini knits: there are stockings, a snowman, a Christmas tree egg cosy, angels, mini mittens, French hens, turtle doves and more! 2 hours 18 minutes.

Family tree

Catlett, Estelle. Track down your ancestors: how to research your family tree using archives and the Internet. c2008. TB17032.This new, fully rewritten edition includes updated advice on using birth, death and marriage certificates, probate records, census returns, parish registers, old newspapers, The National Archives and many other sources to build up a picture of your family\2019s past. Estelle now also includes comprehensive new advice on getting the most from online resources and the best way to keep all your information organised.Read by Sherry Baines. 6 hours 12 minutes.

Iredale, David. Discovering your family tree. 2002. TB409545.Every family has a history. Most people in Britain and Ireland are able to trace their ancestry back through a dozen generations or more, discovering along the way a pageant of forebears - rich and poor; heroic and tragic; bad and ugly. In this new edition, the authors describe how, step by step, the history of a family may be discovered and a pedigree drawn up. This book shows how the framework of a family tree may be constructed from the accessible official records of birth, batptism, adoption, marriage, divorce, death and burial. From these bare branches the family tree blossoms into life with biographical information gleaned from the archives of church, state and local administration. Recorded using synthetic speech. 11 hours 57 minutes.

Waddell, Dan. Who do you think you are? the essential guide to tracing your family history. 2004. TB408230.This book is a jargon-free idiot's guide to tracing your family history. Rather than a dry 'how to' guide this book is inclusive, non-patronising and lively, and emphasises the human and emotional side to this popular pastime . Every family has their own history and secrets: the black sheep, the Great-Uncle who fought in the First World War, an ancestor who came to Britain from abroad, the lost family fortune or the shamed family member whose name is only ever whispered.Recorded using synthetic speech. 4 hours 19 minutes.

Card games

Collins gem card games. 1991. TB400731. A guide to the rules and strategies of 100 popular family and children's card games. Methods of play are illustrated and games featured include "all fives" , "auction pitch", "Boston", "bridge", and "briscola" for adults, and "beggar -my-neighbour", "card dominoes", and "cheat" for children.6 hours 45 minutes.

How to play poker: and other gambling card games. 2003. TB408933. A beginner's guide to how to play poker and win. The rules to every variety of the game are explained using simple, jargon-free language and easy-to -follow instructions. Learn how to bid, bet and bluff like a regular cardsharp . Includes other popular gambling games such as Baccarat and Blackjack.8 hours 22 minutes.

Chess

Alexander, Conel Hugh O'Donel. Learn chess: a new way for all. 1987. TB400435.This book examines the game at a more advanced level and includes many problems and graded examples. Emphasis is on the middlegame, and the standard methods for winning. Solutions to exercises are included.16 hours 33 minutes.

Baker, Chris. Simple winning chess. 1999. TB400329.This text commences with how to assess your own strengths and weaknesses. Other topics covered are: how to improve your opening repertoire; how to prepare for competitive play; how to cope with time-pressure; and chessboard psychology. A summary of the most important rules of chess is also included. 11 hours 44 minutes.

Hartston, William R. Teach yourself chess. 1985. TB400786.

This book contains all you need to know to learn and develop an understanding of good chess. The early chapters describe the rules of the game, and elementary strategy and tactics. The book then describes more advanced play, and commentaries on famous games.11 hours 11 minutes.

Houska, Jovanka. Play the Caro-Kann: a complete chess opening repertoire against 1 e4. 2007. TB403762.The Caro-Kann is a reliable and highly respected answer to White's most popular opening move, 1 e4. In this book, International Master Jovanka Houska presents the reader with a concise and trustworthy repertoire within the Caro-Kann, providing a solution against all of White's main options, and efficient methods to deal with tricky sidelines. Houska examines the important tactical and strategic plans for both sides, arming the reader with enough information to begin playing the Caro-Kann with confidence in his or her own games. It is an all-inclusive repertoire versus 1 e4. 26 hours 17 minutes.

Pritchard, D. Brine. The right way to play chess. 2008. TB405391.Since its first publication in 1950, The Right Way to Play Chess has taught chess to generations of beginners, taking them to the standard expected of good club players. It gives full details of exactly how to play the game, explains basic theory and includes many examples of play. There are separate chapters on the openings, middle and end games, plus a chapter of master games which illustrate how styles of play have changed over the years. Fully revised and updated by chess expert Richard James, a new chapter shows how to encourage and teach children to play the game.Read by Volunteer. 10 hours 6 minutes.

Speelman, Jon. Endgame preparation: advanced analysis of important areas. 1981. TB403531.Many discoveries have been made in the endgame in recent years and the analyses of endgame authorities have been rigorously tested by computer databases. However, the practical endgame is still best analysed by leading grandmasters. Complex positions are

re-evaluated by the author who makes a number of significant improvements on previous Assessments.17 hours 19 minutes.

Soltis, Andy. Studying chess made easy. 2010. TB405061.It's a fact of chess life that if you want to win, you have to put a bit of study in. Every chess player needs to learn the openings and keep on top of current theory. This book contains foolproof ways to help the information required go in and stay there.Female synthetic voice. 6 hours 48 minutes.

Summerscale, Aaron. A killer chess opening repertoire. 1998. TB400226.The author presents a brand-new armoury of opening weapons for White. Each recommended line is built on a solid positional foundation, yet also promises long-term and short-term attacking chances. The variations are not just easy to learn and play, but they also set Black complex problems.16 hours 52 minutes.