When Alex Elliott-Howery and James Grant opened the doors to Cornersmith, their neighbourhood cafe on an unassuming street corner in Sydney's inner west, they wanted the food to represent the sustainable ethos they held to when cooking at home: making everything from scratch using local, in-season produce; avoiding processed foods; and pickling and preserving to reduce waste. But most importantly, they wanted to serve great-tasting, good-for-you food that everyone would love.

From day one the locals flocked in, and Cornersmith has since grown to incorporate a picklery, cooking school and trading system where customers can swap home-grown produce for a coffee or a jar of pickles.

This book brings together favourite dishes from the award-winning cafe, covering everything from breakfasts, lunches and dinners to desserts, as well as recipes for their most popular pickles, jams, compotes, chutneys, relishes and fermented foods. Cornersmith food is about following the seasons, not the latest fad; it's about opening your eyes to the bounty available in your own neighbourhood and showing you how best to use it.