How to Cook a Wolf

'A passionate argument for the necessity of pleasure.' Guardian

'Since we must eat to live, we might as well do it with both grace and gusto.'

Written in 1942 to inspire courage in those daunted by wartime shortages, How to Cook a Wolf has continued to rally readers and cooks during times of both scarcity and plenty.

With her trademark wit and warm wisdom, Fisher shares her timeless tips for keeping up spirits – and appetites – when ingredients are in short supply. Instead of regretting what we don't have, she teaches us how to savour what we do. Fisher also offers dozens of recipe ideas, from making soups and simple omelettes, to baking bread and sprucing up tinned food. Knowing that the last thing hungry people need are hints on cutting back and making do, Fisher gives us licence to dream, experiment and invent adventurous and delicious meals from whatever we can salvage from the back of the cupboard.

How to Cook a Wolf shows us how to feed our hungers and nourish our souls, even when fear is in our hearts and the wolf is at the door.

'Makes working out what to do with the last egg feel like a higher pursuit, rather than an act of desperation.' Guardian

'Essential reading . . . Fisher's advice on attitude, thrift, and how to nourish yourself and others in a crisis is newly relevant.' Eater

'Her fans include Yotam Ottolenghi, Ruth Reichl and Bee Wilson. Her voice finds an echo in the writings of Nigella Lawson, Samin Nosrat and more.' Ruby Tandoh, VICE

'The greatest food writer who has ever lived.' Simon Schama



Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher (1908-1992) was one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. She is the author of 27 books of food, travel and memoir, many of which have become classics. Her books include Serve it Forth, Consider the Oyster, The Gastronomical Me, Map of Another Town, With Bold Knife and Fork, and a novel, The Theoretical Foot.