THE sometimes wicked world of the vegetable is revealed this week in a new book by Herefordshire author Bill Laws.

The humble vegetable, it seems, has sparked religious protests, helped win wars, threatened to topple one British Government and even gained a reputation as an aphrodisiac.

In Spade, Skirret and Parsnip - The curious history of vegetables, Bill Laws reveals the artichoke as the number one aphrodisiac, closely followed by the early potato and the lettuce.

"I wasn't sure what I was letting myself in for when I was commissioned to write the book," admits Bill. "But my curiosity was aroused when I discovered how passionate people have been about their vegetables."

There was the Suffolk clergyman who reduced parish crime by persuading people to grow vegetables; the Victorian John Ruskin who was convinced that vegetable gardening would help the 'lower orders' improve their table manners; and the reason why the vegetable aisle is the first thing you see in most supermarkets.

County gardens and gardeners also feature prominently in the book.

Former Pontrilas Court gardener and show judge Keith Ruck exposes the secrets of the vegetable cheats at produce shows, while Simon Dorrell's decorative vegetable garden at Hampton Court - 'Herefordshire's Heligan' - is hailed as one of the most ambitious garden creations of the 1990s.

The county's best-known landowner, Prince Charles, is revealed as an avid vegetable grower while Herefordshire community allotment holder Sue Oliver declares: "You can't beat fresh vegetables."

Broadcaster and food writer Henrietta Green describes Bill's book as a charming read, written with authority, a gentle humour and a superb feel for detail. As she says: "Bill Laws certainly knows his onions."

Bill will be signing copies at Waterstones bookshop in Hereford on Saturday at 2pm.

Spade, Skirret and Parsnip - The curious history of vegetables is published by Sutton Publishing, price £14.99.