For the Love of the Sea

Jenny Jefferies

Meze Publishing

£22

This is a book with a mission. Jenny Jefferies has collected 41 expert contributors to share their passion for British seafood, its local heritage and sustainability. There’s resentment at the amount of landings immediately packed away for export and determination to convince even the least confident cook that fish cookery need not be hard. There’s a YouTube guide for everything, says cruising yachtsman Michael Wright, after dressing his first crab. Recipes include the exotic (salmon en croute with spicy date paste) the niche (laverbread and cockle fritters) and the classic (Newlyn hake and onions). I found it moving and inspirational – how often does one say that about a cookbook? (Part of the profits will be donated to RNLI)