It's strange, the things that make you immediately feel that this is the book for you. Before I started reading The Lavender Companion, I visited the author's website and there's a picture of a slice of chocolate cake on the homepage. I don't eat cakes and desserts - but I wanted that cake viscerally. (There's a recipe in the book, which I'm avoiding with some difficulty!!) Then I started reading the book and I was told to make a mess of it. Notes in the margins are sanctioned. You get to fold down the corners of pages. You suspect that smears of butter would not be a problem. I loved this book already.

I love lavender but - for some reason - I've never grown it successfully and that was what brought me to The Lavender Companion. It wasn't entirely that I was hoping for growing tips but rather that I thought I might enjoy the herb vicariously. But this isn't just a book about growing lavender, although there are some basic hints: it's about using it. We get the science behind the health benefits delivered in a user-friendly fashion.

The section I didn't expect to be excited about is that on body care. After decades of buying products which promised all sorts of miracles - most of which were too good to be true - I'd resorted to some basics, which did the job 'well enough' at a reasonable price. Then I found the lavender sugar scrub for exfoliation and the facial wash. What was immediately obvious was that I recognised the ingredients: I could even pronounce the names. A relatively short order has been placed online and before long I'm going to be spending some time in the kitchen.

The food section is mouth-watering. There are simple instructions for creating pantry staples and there is a variety of sweet and savoury dishes to tempt most tastes. My personal favourites are the watermelon summer salad and lavender roasted potatoes. I refuse to even look at the recipe for the chocolate cake - I've only got so much willpower!

I started looking at this book because I was interested in having another go at growing it. There are nearly 50 species and more than 450 varieties. If you're considering using your lavender for cooking you should be wary of which varieties you grow. English lavender (L. angustifolia) seems to be a safe bet. In many ways, the growing section of the book was the most disappointing for me as the specific advice relates to the USA and I'm in the United Kingdom. The general advice was good and I took enough away to have a lavender hedge planned for planting next spring.

I loved the history of Pine Creek Lavender Farm: lavender's grown there because elk don't eat lavender! I wish I lived close enough to visit but I would like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

“The Lavender Companion” is a very well done book! It gives a lot of information in an interesting format. The photos are beautiful and includes recipes, instructions for body care and much more. I will purchase a hard copy of this book to have on hand!

I received a free ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This is an absolutely beautiful book on the cultivation and uses of lavender, which I love. Gorgeous photos and interesting recipes for teas, herbal blends, oils, and culinary uses.

I use food- safe lavender often in baking, so I was happy to see a few new recipes that I know I’ll try out! There’s lots of very interesting information on growing and harvesting lavender, as well as photos to help identify different varieties of the plant. Definitely worth looking at if you need more lavender in your life (and honestly, who doesn’t?)

Very interesting book, I enjoyed reading it and learning more about uses of lavender. I appreciate the opportunity of an ARC.

The photography is not only beautiful, but helpful to visualize information, like the appearance of different lavender species and varieties, and how to care for plant (transplanting, trimming, ie). I feel inspired to make my own body care products. They would make very special gifts!

I’m disappointed by the lack of references, especially when related to folklore and medical studies. Where studies are referenced, they are glanced over, or don’t have substantial evidence.

Gorgeous! The Lavender Companion by Terry Barlin Vesci and Jessica Dunham is so well done! It is absolutely beautiful.

The book's format is so well laid out that I was reading page after page and saying to myself this book truly couldn't be better. There is everything one would want in this book including when you dry lavender that it should be kept away from light which will fade the color which many people don't know when they dry lavender. When I teach about lavender this is always the topic that gets the most surprise and interest with those saying that's why it didn't hold its color!

The Lavender Companion format could not be better. Its first grouping of lavender-made products is personal care such as body care and aromatherapy. Then pantry staples, savory uses, baking with lavender, and mixology. After those then planting, harvesting, and drying. Amongst all those treasures are crisp, beautiful exquisite photographs of lavender. When Terry and Jessicia are addressing certain lavender plants they are labeling them and describing them with useful detail. So many books are vague or mediocre in my opinion but this book on lavender is a masterclass on what we are looking for. It's a complete primer on everything that we need to learn about lavender.

I've read so many books on lavender and this one is my favorite by far. Amongst the exquisite photography are useful recipes and instructions on how to use this most treasured plant.

As you can tell I adore this book and I would love to thank Net Galley and the fantastic publisher Storey Publishing for the opportunity to read and review The Lavender Companion by Terry Barlin Vesci and Jessica Dunham.

This book was a joy to read. It is cultivated in the same manner the author speaks of on their lavender farm. The subspecies of lavender plants discussed, as well as the culinary uses for each, were interesting. The recipes for homeopathic uses, including body scrubs, face washes, and even bath bombs were simple and easy to follow. The images were incredibly detailed and lent a wholistic theme to the book. I had no idea there were so many varieties of lavender! I recommend this book for our collection.

Nice book for anyone wanting to learn more about this amazing herb. The recipe section was really interesting!