Forgotten Fruits

"I think he is rather good. He is a journalist who writes for publications like Gardens Illustrated . All the information that he has found for Forgotten Fruits is much more interesting than most gardening books. It is a bit like what I was talking about before regarding stuffy garden lectures – the same applies to books. Many of the old books are very dull. They will be how many petals something has, what the colour is exactly, what time it flowers or where it comes from. You have all that sort of information with no sparkle or life about it. Christopher Stocks is completely different. Get the weekly Five Books newsletter For example, when he talks about Bunyard’s Exhibition broad bean, this is how he describes it: “Edward Bunyard – a suicidal nursery heir. Bunyard’s Exhibition is a variety you can sow in spring and not just in autumn. It isn’t just a name, Bunyard’s Exhibition broad bean. Edward Bunyard inherited the family firm in the late 19th century and became a noted gourmet. But his love of wine, fruit and roses, which he wrote enthusiastically about in a series of books, drew him away from the business and increasingly into debt. On the 19th October, 1939, on the brink of bankruptcy, he blew his brains out in his room at the Royal Society’s club in London.” What I love is that Christopher is able to get beyond just describing a bean pod, which is eight inches long and is green. Exactly. It is so nicely written, and he is so good at giving you bits of information that stick in your head rather than go straight out again."