John was horrified when I decided to turn half of one of our vegetable beds into a raspberry and soft fruit cage. “It’s taking up so much space!” Close questioning revealed he didn’t like...
This happened over 30 years ago when I was living in Chelsea with Smart Wife and Kind Husband.“Now Fiona I have an old friend coming up from the country for Sunday lunch. She’s a gourmet cook. So...
It’s back to those pesky leaves again. The jute sacks are filled and the vegetable stall in the market is putting aside onion and carrot sacks for me to collect next week. There is now a special leaf...
For years I was tempted by the cheap jars of yellow piccalilli on the supermarket shelves. I’d take one head clearing taste and the jar would be put smartly at the back of the cupboard to wait until...
If I had to chose between growing shallots or onions shallots would win every time. The best are packed with soft, intense flavours. They set ordinary onions in the shade. And they store well. The...
This is my all time favourite prawn recipe. Quick and easy to make and a deluxe treat. And there’s the rub. Prawns are expensive so whenever we see North Atlantic prawns on sale we grab them and bung...
Having been tempted by the jute leaf bags (4 for a fiver at Notcutts) and they were all full by the end of the afternoon. When I was searching for the greenhouse bubble wrap in the barn I spotted...
“Do you mind if I experiment with Duncan’s pickled nasturtium seeds to make a sauce for the fish tonight.” “That’s fine as long as we’ve got some mayo.” What Danny didn’t know was that we’d finally...
Yesterday I popped into Notcutts looking for Rockdust. They didn’t stock it. In fact most of their shop was packed with Christmas things. They did have the jute sacks that Penny mentioned on my...
When the weather starts to get chilly I have a longing for a really good Toad-in-the-Hole. Not the rather chewy offering that I munched as a child but a light and puffy one. A dish that would have...
