In a mountaintop shack in Majorca in the '90s, journalist Nick Rosen discovered a wonderful sense of freedom and detachment living without mains water or electricity. In How to Live Off-Grid, he's travelled around Britain in a bio- and solarpowered camper van meeting some of the estimated 300,000 people who choose to live without these modern conveniences today.

Part eco-manual, part travelogue, Rosen's easy prose introduces us to hippies and hermits, communards and farmers, businessmen and backpackers all living off-grid for varying reasons. An inspiring, entertaining and irreverent read. Published by Doubleday, 20.

Greener dishwasher

We all know that A-rated appliances are best but it's fair to say that many ecocycles on dishwashers just don't clean the dishes as well as the regular cycle (which means we end up having to wash them a second time, completely defeating the purpose). Not so Miele's G1230SC, which recently topped the tables in an independent comparison of energy efficient appliances. The eco setting produced the cleanest dishes first time around. Worth remembering if you're upgrading. www. miele. ie