We love to grow fruit and veg. After converting our garden to a kitchen garden many years ago, we also look on a local allotment plot in 2010.

Courgette, Goat’s Cheese & Mint Frittata

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As a late comer to making frittata my enthusiasm for this simple dish is as yet unabated. Its versatility is particularly welcome in this hot and muggy weather – it can serve as breakfast, lunch, dinner or an anytime-snack and is just as good hot or cold. And of course, the variations are endless, making ... Read more »

A Fox Amongst the Vegetables

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Harking back to early autumn, look at this little fellow we spotted fast asleep in our back garden one morning in late September. We replaced the bathroom window (downstairs, at the back of the house) with a clear glass one last year, as we’re not overlooked, so Pete spotted our visitor first thing and quickly ... Read more »

Allotment Pickings: Pickled Beetroot

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As usual, time ran away with us down at the allotment and the thickly sown rows of beetroot never did get thinned out or weeded. That resulted in a harvest of lots of teeny tiny beetroots which we were determined to use, as they were our very first home-grown. Pete roasted them in their skins ... Read more »

British Apples in Season: Apple & Ginger Chutney

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As you may have gathered from my enthusiasm about visiting the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale recently, I am a big fan of apples and love to enjoy British apples in season. We planted a Cox’ Orange Pippin in our back garden a few years ago, and inherited a Bramley (cooking) apple and what we ... Read more »

Spicy Sungold Tomato Ketchup

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I love home-made ketchup, and it’s even more satisfying making it from home-grown tomatoes. In the past, I’ve made several batches with red tomatoes and a couple of batches with green ones but this is the first batch I’ve made with beautiful orange sungold tomatoes, a variety we’ve been growing for the last few years. ... Read more »

Chilli Growing Tips from Edible Ornamentals

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Serendipity and silver linings. That’s how Edible Ornamentals came into being.   Joanna Plumb, who runs the business with her husband Shawn, told us the story. Many years ago, her parents (who were commercial cucumber farmers) were approached by a national DIY store to grow 3000 chilli plants for their shops. Unfortunately, the DIY company ... Read more »

Wild Garlic Mashed Potato

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I’ve blogged about wild garlic aka ramsons aka allium ursinum aka bear’s garlic before. A wild relative of chive with a strong garlic flavour, it’s native across Europe and Asia. The ursine botanical name and nickname come from the brown bear’s love of the pungent bulbs, though there are no such bears in my favourite ... Read more »

Seedlings

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There’s something magical about seedlings. After a cold winter – one that is reluctant to give up it’s hold, pushing snow and biting winds into April – even the smallest signs of spring are warmly welcomed. Pete’s been sowing seeds in our heated propagator but has moved two trays of seedlings onto the bathroom windowsill ... Read more »