Back in the summer of 2009 I was contacted by Green Books, an independent UK publishing company specialising in environmental and cultural books. "Would you be interested in receiving a review copy of Nicky Scott's new book, 'How to Make and Use Compost: the Ultimate Guide'?", they asked. I was surprised and probably a little bit flattered that I'd been considered as a potential recipient, even after I admitted that we didn't have a policy of reviewing books of any kind. Nevertheless, Green Books insisted, and eventually it arrived on my desk after a short delay (explained to me by Nicky with the air of a 'misunderstood artist'), ready to be assessed.

The reality is, of course, that LCRN still isn't an organisation that reviews books; but in this case I thought I'd make an exception - not just for the book, but also for the man behind it.

Nicky's previous publication, 'Composting: An Easy Household Guide', has pride of place amid the cluttered mess that is my desk for being exactly what it says it is: an accessible, informative and entertaining look at composting and how it can be easily achieved by the average home. His new book takes it one step further - looking at every element in more detail, providing more information without overloading the reader, yet ensuring that references are there should further reading be sought. It is, quite simply, comprehensive, and I have no doubt that I'll be referring to the A-Z guide for a long time to come.

Perhaps the most telling, valuable element of the book is its recognition of the fluid nature of composting advice, and its personal nature. Nicky is able to convey his knowledge and experience without ever claiming to have all the answers; indeed, he explained to me that part of the reason for the delay in publishing the book was his desire to keep updating it with new information he unearthed every day. Meanwhile, anyone who has ever given composting advice will be familiar with the answer that he refers to in his introduction: 'hmm, well that all depends on...'

If I were to highlight one area that I felt was lacking, it would be around the theme of urban composting, and managing the process in confined spaces. The core concepts are there, but there are always more questions than answers, as I've discovered through my own personal experience. Nevertheless, this is only a slightly askew remark made under the pretence of 'balanced reviewing'. Besides, if anyone is after information about urban composting, they know where to come, right? Right?

In any case, I realise that by describing Nicky's previous book, I've come to describe the man himself - accessible, informative and entertaining. It was about two years ago that I really came to knew him, sitting at the same table for lunch as we participated in a Open University-led piece of research into community composting. He originally intimidated me on the basis of being so knowledgeable about composting and, as is often the case in these situations, I worried that such knowledge would highlight just how much I had yet to learn.

I look back now and it's pretty clear to me that by proxy Nicky is in effect behind the work that we are now delivering to support small scale, low-cost, low-risk community composting for the urban environment. Stemming from the work that Nicky has been delivering with the Devon Community Composting Network - rolling out perfectly formed composting schemes for schools under the auspice of the ABPR set of exemptions - we decided that we'd try to implement something similar in London, only instead of working with schools, we would interpret the complexities of the Regulations to deliver schemes to households. After many phone calls to Nicky - which he has always been willing to take, despite broken bones and caved-in roofs - we were able to shape schemes in Camden and Hackney that, I believe, have only just started to bear fruit, both literally and figuratively. Along the way, we've become familiar with the Scotty's hotbox, the ScotSpin (notice a common theme?) and the Ridan, because we're confident that if it has Nicky's seal of approval - and design - then it must be worth trying.

Nicky's professional achievements are outstanding and have been recognised as such; but in this context I wanted to provide a personal perspective. He's always been helpful, willing to talk about the most random of composting questions (which I do often ask him), and never failing to provide useful information whenever I need it. Might I go so far as to suggest that I owe my composting notoriety to him? Well, maybe I won't go that far, but I'm at least thinking about it, and I hope that's enough.