The Hunter & The Gatherer is a new sailing-focussed cookbook by two Aussie authors.
Every so often a book falls across our desk that cries out for a wider audience. It must be a pretty special book for us to take to the keyboard and write about it. And because new books that are both interesting and fascinating are somewhat rare, that does not happen too often.
Yet The Hunter & The Gatherer, a new sailing-focussed cookbook by Aussie authors Catherine Lawson and David Bristow, is one such book.
It is so much more than just another sailor’s cookbook crammed full of recipes. Think of it as a travelogue, survival guide and menu plan all rolled into one.
Twenty years ago, Catherine and David and more lately their daughter Maya, became liveaboard sailors. Having made a conscious choice to live a more simple and sustainable life they sailed off into the sunset and have never since looked back to shore life in envy.
Culmination
The Hunter & The Gatherer is the culmination of all they’ve learned after spending two decades at sea across five different yachts. There are over 260 pages, 160 recipes and more than 60 pages of provisioning advice. This book contains everything a sailor, experienced or dreamer, should know about planning and preparing good food for any adventure.
The couple are currently cruising the wilds of Indonesia and Southeast Asia on their 40-foot catamaran Wild One. Catherine, a travel journalist, and David, a photographer, prefer anchorages away from civilisation. That desire to be far away from the hectic world has shaped their food mentality.
The Hunter & The Gatherer is divided into four sections. There are extensive notes on provisioning a yacht and preparing the galley. And there is advice on dealing with seasickness, the mishaps of sailing life and how to make everything last when shops are an ocean away.
The recipes are divided into three sections.
Food for Hunters
This section is a compilation of the best seafood recipes Catherine and David have created, with experienced advice on how to catch what you need from the back of your boat.
Food for Gatherers
Focusing on vegetable-forward dishes using everyday ingredients you can find at just about any market around the world.
Sweet Treats
A section rounding out the back of the book collating those foods that get sailors through long, overnight passages or are perfect for floating celebrations and relaxed sundowners.
This is a book for ocean-loving foodies. It is for those striving for better health, greater self-sufficiency and a tiny footprint on the sea. Here is a book for sailors and yachties, anglers, divers, snorkellers and surfers. And just abut everyone whose best adventures end up with their feet dug into the sand, watching the sunset with good mates and great food.
Here is a book about food for tiny galleys, long passages and perfect beach sunsets, and those times when food stocks might be low, but the fish are biting.
Catherine describes the book well saying, “We call these recipes faraway food, and create them for people who love to eat well but love to escape more.”
David adds, “The food we cook in this book is the food we catch. Not every day on the sea brings in a fish, but we might harvest oysters instead. Or maybe, find a nice, fat mud crab, or forage for coconuts to crack. Some of our vegetables are boat-grown. Others are market-bought or traded off the back of our yacht. We sprout seeds, grains and pulses to produce the healthiest, most sustainable menus imaginable. we do that in the most remote and beautiful locations we can reach.”
Published by
The Hunter & The Gatherer is published by Exploring Eden Media. Founded in Australia during 2018, Exploring Eden Media is committed to publishing local advice and hard-won expertise for people who want authentic travel-related information.
And for every copy of The Hunter & The Gatherer sold, Exploring Eden Media ensure that one tree is planted. They do that to help make sure the books do more good than harm. Available in the UK and Europe through Imray on line. And in stores and outlets where all good sailing books are sold. It sells at £29.95. And its is worth every penny!