Few books stay in print for more than 30 years. Few can be bought in more than one edition at a time. The fact that Food for Free proves both of these rules to be fundamentally untrue is testament to its value.

Written in 1972 by Richard Mabey, a BBC TV producer and contributor to BBC Wildlife Magazine, it is considered by many to be the bible of free food foraging. Over 100 plants of both land and sea are detailed in its richly illustrated pages, helping you quickly and easily identify potential edible foodstuffs growing close to where you live.

The real value, though, is in not only showing you what you could potentially eat, but also how you would handle it once it’s been picket. Not sure what to do with roeships? Don’t know how to make sloe gin? Confused by a particularly juicy-looking mushroom? Mabey gives recipes and guides for using almost every plant he names, including such essentials as when to harvest and which parts are actually edible.

Some Amazon reviews have criticised its fairly narrow remit, pointing out that without a truly comprehensive survey of the hedgerow harvest you can’t be sure that what you have picked is exactly what he’s talking about, or just something that looks fairly similar. But that’s missing the point of the book. Mabey restricts himself, largely, to the most common plants you’re likely to find, and so for beginners this is ideal. The Collins Gem edition is also small enough to keep in your pocket on short trips, and pulled out should you come across anything that unexpectedly sets you dribbling.

An inspirational little volume, it’s a valuable addition to the bookshelf of any self-sustainer who doesn’t have their own garden in which to grow their own food, and instead must rely on the global garden all around us. The fact it’s entirely UK-centric only enhances its appeal.

Save money by buying Food for Free second hand from this results list on Abebooks. The cheapest copies were selling for £1.95 at the time of writing.