It’s me again, I’m back!

After months of inactivity, the growing abundance of produce in the garden has me reaching for the keyboard again.

Whilst I’ve been quiet here, I’ve been a whirling dervish in the garden.

Three new raised beds contain 124 dahlias (it’s been 18 months in the making), autumn-planted garlic, shallots and onions have been harvested and are now drying and the veg beds are the most organised and weed free they’ve ever been!

The time spent infusing the garden with love and attention is proving fruitful – it has responded with huge harvests.

The broad beans have been splendid and I have one large haul left to pick.

Blackcurrants have been falling off the bushes and the freezer is now packed full of berries for ice cream, cordials, jam and more.

But the most spectacular harvests have been from the strawberry patch.

From a relatively small space I’ve picked more than ten kilos of large, ruby fruits.

We all know that home grown fruit and veg tastes so much better than any bought elsewhere – but strawberries are in another league, they taste of strawberries!

I’ve already made jam and cordial and have frozen whole fruits for future use but with the last trug full, harvested in glorious afternoon sunshine, I decided to make a refreshing lassi.

If you haven’t had a lassi before, it’s a form of yoghurt-based drink popular in India and a sweet lassi is not dissimilar to a milkshake and often has fruits or spices in it.

So back to the strawberry lassi, this recipe serves two and produces a thick, fruity, refreshing drink. To enjoy it fully, fill a tall glass with ice and top up with the lassi and let the ice cool the drink for ten minutes or so before drinking.

It the perfect way to enjoy your seasonal produce bursting with flavour…