The Side Gardener

A GLOBE & MAIL BESTSELLER | 2025 IACP AWARDS FINALIST | SHORTLISTED FOR 2025 TASTE CANADA AWARDS

For everyone who loves to garden or cook, this is a sensational cookbook celebrating the beauty of freshly grown produce.

“This stunning cookbook tells the story of how bestselling and award-winning cookbook author Rosie Daykin turned a languishing patch of land beside her home into an informal working garden … The book appeals to both home gardener and home cook, with dreamy photos, rustic recipes and advice on how to plant your vegetable garden and what to do with the harvest.”—The Globe & Mail

The Side Gardener is the story of how Rosie Daykin—a bestselling and award-winning cookbook author who happens to garden on the side—turned a languishing patch of land beside her home into an informal working garden.

With love and attention, the garden blossomed with a bounty of fresh vegetables and fruit, beautiful flowers for cutting, and even a few eggs from three very naughty chickens. Rosie shares her notes on how she designed her garden and nurtured it to life, along with the simple recipes she created to let the freshly grown produce shine. Inside, you’ll find sides and snacks, salads and soups, mains and desserts, all shown through the captivating lens of revered British photographer Andrew Montgomery. 

Whether the produce you use is from your garden or local market, Rosie’s elegant recipes will help you celebrate the honest flavors of fruits and vegetables. Filled with witty anecdotes and gorgeous photography, The Side Gardener is all the inspiration you need to create and cook from a garden of your own, no matter the size.