Book excerpt: Recipe for a Kinder Life is like getting a big hug from your nanna. It's wholesome, comforting and nourishing. Our yearning to rekindle a deeper connection with the land and each other is stronger now than ever. Where to start the journey lies within these pages.' Indira Naidoo 'The anti-celebrity chef Annie Smithers brings a cook's palate, a grower's heart and a poet's soul to bear in the moving, practical, inspiring story of her life. It's the how-to (and how-to-not!) book I wish I'd read before starting my own kitchen garden, complete with hothouse tips, philosophy and all the recipes you may ever need.' Matthew Evans 'This is a deeply honest and personal story of a love of the land and food. Annie takes us, warts and all, on her sustainable journey of cultivation and cooking. Her respect for the land is evident by the barrowload.' Paul Bangay OAM In this generous account of life on the land and in the kitchen, trailblazing cook Annie Smithers chronicles her quest for a more sustainable existence, in harmony with the environment and the self. Part meditation, part memoir, the book offers practical advice and wisdom gleaned from a life dedicated to seasonal food and living lightly on the ground beneath her feet. Annie's story spans thirty years of productive gardens and kitchens across country Victoria. Now settled on a plot of land in Lyonville, which she farms for her family and her restaurant, du Fermier, she shares her hard-won lessons: setting up du Fermier, the gardens and the buildings on the farm; working with the weather, water and resident animals; and seeking the emotional stability so often elusive amid the crushing pressures of the restaurant industry. Recipes that celebrate the harvested produce and local environs accompany each step of the journey. Recipe for a Kinder Life offers a guiding hand for anyone, from the city to the regions, who yearns to live more gently. It is about caring for land and reaping the bounty. But at its heart, it reveals that the key to living a sustainable life is finding the best way to sustain yourself.