In the original dustsheet. Union Jack board binding with white title on the spine.

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The official series book written by programme presenters Peter Ginn, Ruth Goodman and Alex Langlands. What if the most demanding battle of World War II wasn’t on the front line but back home in Britain’s countryside? When war broke out in 1939, 70% of Britain’s food was imported. A German blockade would have meant disaster and Great Britain would have been starved into submission. Huge and rapid changes were required to reshape Britain’s food production and this had enormous impact on both the agricultural and the domestic scenes. Accompanying an 8-part BBC series and written by the three presenters, Wartime Farm sets these changes within a historical context and looks at the day-to-day life of that time. Following the footsteps of their World War II predecessors Peter, Ruth and Alex must move more land than ever under cultivation, switch from livestock to arable farming, get to grips with new-fangled machinery and look to Land Girls and other unfamiliar forms of labour to help them grow that crucial food.

Wartime Farm offers compelling insight into:

• How agriculture was changed dramatically in order to produce more food

• How people were mobilised, from Land Girls to POWs

• Life in the wartime kitchen and garden, from digging for victory to making the most of rations

This fascinating chapter in Britain’s recent history shows how our predecessors lived and thrived in difficult conditions with extreme frugality and ingenuity. From growing your own vegetables and keeping chickens in the backyard, to having to ‘make do and mend’, many of the challenges faced by wartime Britons have resonance today. Fascinating historical detail and atmospheric story-telling make this a truly compelling read.