organic kitchen garden
After discovering I was pregnant last August, I naively thought that not much would change in my daily life until I was ‘really’ pregnant (except the obvious dietary restrictions). I would soon discover just how wrong I was! Now at 8 months, I’ve decided to reflect on the ups and downs of gardening while pregnant, and to share my learning curve in the hopes it might help to prepare, motivate and ultimately reassure other people on this crazy journey.
At this time of year, our plants are bursting with the ripening bulk of our tomato crop. In September I am harvesting at least twice a week, and our food is filled with their delicious flavours. This is a time of obvious abundance, and yet it is tinged with the knowledge of the darker, barer… Continue reading Fresh Tomato Sauce Recipe
It is now summer everywhere; in the deep woods, beneath the shady hedgerows, even in dell and dingle, where twilight reigns at noonday, the warm breath of summer penetrates – the fertilising showers have fallen.Wherever the eye alights, the ground is covered with flowers.The Garden and its Work in Every Department in July, Mrs Beeton’s… Continue reading July 2020
We started this month riding on the high of an unusually warm spring, and with all of the vigorous growth that brings. Since then, June has seen deluges and thunderstorms, and more recently soaring temperatures in the early thirties! And yet while I have at times struggled with the whiplash of this month's extremes, the… Continue reading June 2020
We’re now starting year 3 of the kitchen garden, and having mastered the basics, set up our raised beds and got used to growing in a north facing garden, I’ve decided it’s time to branch out and try some new varieties. A mix of classics I haven’t tried yet and a couple of unusual choices… Continue reading 6 New Vegetables to Grow This Year
Okay, first, let me explain my logic here. We’re all familiar with the concept of pigs in blankets: those delicious festive parcels of sausages wrapped up in streaky bacon, frankly so good I’m still not sure why we only eat them at Christmas… And of course, sausage rolls (the kind that come wrapped in puff… Continue reading ‘Pigs in Duvets’ Sausage and Bacon Roll Recipe
[SPONSORED: this post includes a review of a gifted product] At this time of year, a comforting sausage casserole is the exactly the kind of dinner I want to enjoy on a cold evening, and with Schwartz Sausage Casserole Recipe Mix, getting the flavour just right is easy. With a flavourful combination of herbs and… Continue reading Schwartz review & Sausage Casserole Recipe
When I think of all of the foods and recipes available to us today, it seems mad to consider that this wasn’t always the case. In my kitchen, I am lucky enough to have access to a rich range of spices and ingredients, and the recipes to create something delicious. I grew up eating a… Continue reading Our ‘M&S Effect’: how 5 recipe books changed the way we eat
Now, as we head into winter and the garden prepares for a long sleep until next year, there isn’t much more I can do outside. The leafy winter veg and hardy parsnips are still growing and garlics are already in, but most of the beds lie empty and I am working through adding a layer… Continue reading November 2019
With its beautiful deep colour and sweet flavour, beetroot is a versatile vegetable to cook with. The results are always comforting and full of flavour, as well as attractive; thanks to the pink kiss it gives to everything it touches. Having planted an entire pack of beet seeds this year (thanks to an incident on… Continue reading Beetroot, potato and ricotta tart recipe