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Mark Diacono is lucky enough to spend most of his time eating, growing, writing and talking about food. He has written a number of award-winning books, including A Year at Otter Farm and A Taste of the Unexpected (which both won Food Book of the Year for André Simon and the Guild of Food Writers, respectively), Sour (which was Food Book of the Year 2019 in The Sunday Times and Daily Mail, and nominated for a James Beard Award in the US), Herb and Spice. Known for growing everything from Szechuan pepper to pecans to Asian pears, Mark's refreshing approach to growing and eating has done much to inspire a new generation to grow some of what they eat. He was involved with River Cottage, appearing in the TV series, running courses and events at River Cottage HQ, and he has written four River Cottage books. Mark has a monthly column in The Sunday Times, and writes regularly for a range of publications including The Telegraph, Delicious and Country Life; his features have appeared in The Observer, Guardian, National Geographic, and others. He also speaks and demos at food festivals around the UK and writes for an engaged and growing audience on his Substack: ‘Mark Diacono’s Imperfect Umbrella’.