The story of our love affair with vanilla - the world's most versatile flavouring.The locations read like the contents of an exotic holiday brochure: Tahiti, Madagascar, Reunion, Seychelles and the Gulf Coast of Mexico - all of them inextricably linked with the story of vanilla.Vanilla is a botanical mystery - a uniquely sensual plant who's secret was unlocked by an African slave in 1841. Aristocrats, apothecaries and modern day tycoons have all chased 'The...

Following the natural cycle of the year, The Land of Maybe captures the essence of the 18 mysterious Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic. Here, a fast disappearing world is home to a close-knit society where just 50,000 people share Viking roots and a unique language. Buffeted by the elements in a volatile environment, the Faroese still hunt seabirds, herd pilot whales and eat mutton fermented in the salt winds that howl across dark fjords. A passionate naturalist, Ecott immerses himself i...

From Papantla in Mexico—"the city that perfumed the world"—to the Indian Ocean islands, Vanilla traces the story of the vanilla plant and its secretive trade.From the golden cups of Aztec emperors to the ice cream dishes of US presidents, vanilla has mystified and tantalized man for centuries. The only orchid that produces an agriculturally valuable crop, vanilla can mask unpleasant tastes and smells, but also makes pleasant tastes stronger, smoother, and ...

'A simultaneously hilarious and heart-breaking portrait of a poor white family life in the twilight of apartheid' Richard E. Grant'Funny, never self-pitying and a pleasure to read' Guardian'Both haunting and funny. [Ecott] writes with compassion and honesty to give us a truly memorable account of an extraordinary upbringing' Fergal KeaneTim Ecott's family swapped Northern Ireland for apartheid Johannesburg ...

'In this excellent book, Ecott's evocative telling makes me want to go to this weird and wonderful place.' - PAUL THEROUX'I never want to leave the remote island world so atmospherically, precisely educed between the covers of this book. Ecott's prose has the power of tides, his perception is as searching as the Atlantic wind, and he has the soul of a natural-born naturalist. A masterpiece.' - JOHN LEWIS-STEMPLEFollowing the natural cycle o...

An island without a harbour, encircled by perilous cliffs and rising high above the wild Atlantic ocean, farmed by the same family for eight generations. What is it like to live at the edge of the world?In this marvel of quiet reflection and keen observation, Tim Ecott takes the reader to Stóra Dímun - an isolated island farm in the Faroe Islands with only two permanent residents. He finds a remarkable way of living; one where you're isolated but never truly alone,...

Tim Ecott is a former BBC World Service correspondent specialising in Africa and the Indian Ocean. He has written for The Economist, The Times, Telegraph and Guardian and continues to contribute to BBC radio output on the World Service and Radio 4.For many years he has been a regular visitor to the Faroe Islands.