This is a really easy and tasty seasonal dish using home grown basil from the garden that I often make when I”m short of time. We are ardent carnivores but tend to eat vegetarian food during the week and this dish is absolutely delicious. We eat unholy amounts of garlic and so that sauce packs […]
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Shamefully puny beetroots Last week I thought that I’d be enormously smug and plan a lovely afternoon of cooking with my toddler son. He’s always so happy when he’s perched on his tiny stepladder with his little apron on, cracking eggs or stirring things and tasting everything within reach. What could complete this middle class […]
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I’ve had quite a fruitful few weeks from the garden (if you’ll pardon the pun). Life has been quite busy but I find that I’m starting to weave gardening into my everyday life. I do a tiny bit of weeding every morning whilst I’m cooking breakfast, and then in the evenings I do any tying […]
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Ladybird in situ The day the aphids came back was a dark one. There they were, hordes of them swarming and pulsating all over my innocent strawberries and mint. I was beside myself in rage and frustration at their sheer numbers (previously I’ve always pulled aphids off by hand before their populations reach critical levels) […]
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Suspiciously similar seedlings In hindsight, I should have known that putting two types of tomato seedling (the tumbling “Losetto”and the climbing “Magic Mountain” in case you’re interested) together in a large pot separated only by a seedling tray was a mistake. It was perhaps inevitable that a cat would jolt the pot onto the floor […]
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By far, the biggest lesson I’ve learned this year whilst starting to grow as much edible food as possible, is that growing from seed is best. It’s cheaper, more reliable and more satisfying than growing from plugs. I know I keep on banging on about this but I’ve been so very disappointed by the quality […]
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Vile pulsating aphids – look how many there were! The other day I was busily getting ready to plant out a few tumbling cherry tomatoes when a greenfly landed on my hand. I absent-mindedly swiped it off and suddenly focused. A greenfly! Where had it come from? A quick glance around the garden revealed two […]
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Like millions of people my age, I remember the magical boost that spinach gave Popeye. Although we’ve since learned that it’s not quite the powerhouse that the illustrators would have us believe, it’s still extremely good for us and is something I regularly add to our everyday meals. It’s such an easy thing to stir […]
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Some time ago I planted up some vertical garden planting bags with mint and strawberries with the intention of fastening the bags to the only empty wall space in the garden. However it turns out that the bags, once planted, are far too heavy to hang on the wall properly, and the bags rip when […]
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I’ve toyed with gardening for years but lately I find myself obsessed with my garden. I wander the patio, chatting with the seedlings and glorying in every extra centimetre that my plants grow. Extra leaves are cause for jubilation and I drag my poor husband into the garden and demand that he admire every emerging […]
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London to Land Girl 