Hidden Valley (Memoir) by Paul Richardson

Hardback: Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth. - Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Hidden Valley (2023) is the story of the real ‘good life’ of an off-grid existence in rural Spain.

Paul Richardson fled the city to live on the land in a rough-and-tumble village on the edge of Europe. 

Immersing himself in the culture of his remote Spanish community, he learned the traditional arts of animal husbandry and vegetable growing, wine-making and home distilling, and made bread from the rye he sowed on the stone-walled terraces of his twelve-acre farm.

In prose that shimmers with wit and sensuality, the author charts his personal route-map along a road less travelled – from urban pressures to rural tranquility, and from insecurity to fulfilment. Along the way he pays tribute to the influences that have shaped his progress – from The Good Life to Henry David Thoreau, from the 1970s pioneers to self-sufficiency to his farming neighbours in the far-flung region of Extremadura.

In Richardson’s hands, off-grid living both becomes an act of rebellion and a heartening proof that a simpler, better life is possible, if only we can remove ourselves from the ethos in which conspicuous consumption is a duty and success/failure the wheel on which society turns.

Hidden Valley is a glorious narrative of one man’s journey towards self-reliance. Original and thought-provoking, it is also hugely entertaining.

About the author: Paul Richardson is a British food and travel writer. He has written for publications including the Evening Standard, Guardian and Taste Magazine, and his books include Our Lady of the Sewers: And Other Adventures in Deep Spain; Cornucopia: A Gastronomic Tour of Britain; A Late Dinner; Discovering the Food of Spain; Rustic Spanish: Hearty, Authentic Recipes for Everyday Eating; and Indulgence: Around the World in Search of Chocolate. Richardson has owned and managed a small farm and vineyard in Spain for over twenty years.