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Animal Park presenter Kate Humble will be signing copies of her cookbook, Home Cooked: Recipes from the Farm, at Waterstones, Canterbury

Television presenter Kate Humble is taking a break from muddy fields and farmyard animals to sign copies of her new book, Home Cooked: Recipes from the Farm.

The self-confessed nature lover, who has worked on shows such as Animal Park and Springwatch, will celebrate her debut cookbook with an evening in Canterbury.

TV presenter Kate Humble is all smiles. Picture: Rhodes Media
TV presenter Kate Humble is all smiles. Picture: Rhodes Media

The book was inspired by her Channel 5 show, Escape to the Farm, which aired in October last year and is now in its second season.

During the show, Kate gives viewers a peek into life on her Monmouthshire farm in Wales, including working with the animals, battling the outdoor elements and, of course, cooking.

Kate’s kitchen antics often show her creating simple food that she eats every day, without the fuss, which is the same ethos she carries into the book.

“I’m not a ‘grown-up cook’,” confesses the 53-year-old. “I just make food because you need to eat to keep alive. I don’t have any kind of pretensions of being the next Nigella or anything like that – I don’t have the figure for it, anyway.”

Home Cooked: Recipes From The Farm by Kate Humble. Picture: PA Photo/Andrew Montgomery
Home Cooked: Recipes From The Farm by Kate Humble. Picture: PA Photo/Andrew Montgomery

While Kate has been a familiar face on our screens for over 20 years, presenting alongside the likes of Ben Fogle, Dan Snow and Jason Byrne, putting pen to paper to write her own cookbook proved to be a brand new challenge.

“I was given two months to write it – while we were filming the series, so I nearly got divorced every day that I was writing it,” jokes the wildlife enthusiast.

In addition to her time spent on her Welsh working farm, which she bought 10 years ago, Home Cooked is also inspired by the food Kate enjoyed while growing up - in particular, her mother’s no-frills recipes.

“There wasn’t Deliveroo or Uber or any of those things – if you wanted to eat, you basically had to make your food,” Kate explains, referring to her early years at home.

“The ingredients were pretty basic – there was no Ottolenghi in those days, no making things with incredible dried Iranian limes – it was shepherd’s pie, apple crumble, very basic stuff.”

Kate is sharing more secrets from life on the farm in her new book. Picture: PA Photo/Andrew Montgomery
Kate is sharing more secrets from life on the farm in her new book. Picture: PA Photo/Andrew Montgomery

These simple recipes have made their way into the book and are categorised by season to make sure meals can be created from the freshest - and sometimes cheapest - ingredients.

“The ingredients you’re going to get are probably going to be at their best if they’re seasonal, and the recipes you find per season are all actually what you want to eat at that time.”

Kate will be signing copies of her book, Home Cooked: Recipes from the Farm, from 6.30pm on Tuesday, February 22 at Waterstones, Canterbury.

Tickets cost £5 and can be booked online here.

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