Rhubarb – it’s one of those crops that always seems to thrive, regardless of what you do to it. It is also one of the few that is now truly seasonal. As soon as the first bright pink stems of forced rhubarb start to push their cloches off, I vow to keep on top of… Continue reading Rhubarb syrup recipe…
It’s that time of year again, when the floral scent of lavender continues to fill the air. The recent balmy weather has encouraged the aroma of the sweet herb to linger longer. Whilst lavender flowers are widely dried, I often feel it’s underused in baking and cooking. And now, as the flowers start to fade,… Continue reading Lavender ice cream recipe…
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… Continue reading Strawberry lassi recipe…
As the new year rolls into town with a wave of warm weather it’s made me think about the coming year in the garden – about what I’d like to sow and what I’d like to cook with what I’ve grown, foraged and found. January can often be a bleak month in the garden but… Continue reading What to do in January in the garden…
The sun is out and it’s a gloriously beautiful day. On a potter through the garden I passed one of the fig trees and caught the most wonderful scent. If you didn’t already know, fig leaves carry an intense coconut scent and flavour. I kid you not. Even now, as the garden and all the plants… Continue reading The very best fig leaf recipes (including fig leaf ice cream)…
This year seems to have been a stunningly good year for raspberries – well, while we’re at it, any kind of soft fruit. Here, we’ve been inundated with berries of all kinds – strawberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries, loganberries and now blackberries, which are rapidly coming into full force. All manner of other soft fruits are filling… Continue reading A glut of homegrown raspberries (and a recipe for raspberry jam)…
This month I was overwhelmed when I harvested my very first fennel bulb. It may sound melodramatic but in the past I’ve lovingly sown my fennel seeds, cared for them, watered them, fed them and talked to them but have never had a bulb to show for it. The only way I’ve redeemed myself is… Continue reading Can we talk about fennel? (a recipe for fennel frond pesto)
Last season I grew eleven different types of squash – 2020 seemed a good year to go all out. As lockdown V1 struck I set about furiously ordering seeds, it was the thing to do – everything was scarce and seeds were at a premium. I stockpiled Black Futsu, Butternut, Galeux d’eysines (a warty squash… Continue reading Cheese fondue, in a squash?
It’s no secret, I’m mad on dahlias. The love affair has been a fairly recent one – well, one year, two months and seventeen days to be precise. It all began after a visit to the Norfolk & Suffolk Dahlia Society’s show last year. Imagine a village hall bursting to the rafters with hundreds of… Continue reading A vase fit for an array of dazzling dahlias…
As I sit down to write this a saucepan is simmering on the hob – full to the brim with rosehips and cooking apples. After a night in a straining bag the concoction will transform into a jelly, which will lovingly see us through winter as a vital and delicious ingredient for stews, gravies and… Continue reading The joy of preserving (and a recipe for preserved green figs)…
