Spinach is a great leafy vegetable and one of our staples in the early spring and winter. I grow two varieties of baby leaf spinach, Ottawa and Amazon, both suited to early and late sowing and producing an abundance of leaves either for salads or cooking. I sow my first batch in the polytunnel in
This is for Cathy who when not Rambling in the Garden makes soup and has the cube dilemma. Even if we do not have the time or inclination to make our own stock, most of us have the choice as to whether to reach for the packet of cubes. There are “quality” versions available: organic,
I’ve never really understood the appeal of cold soups, except maybe real gazpacho eaten in a Spanish estancia surrounded by cork oak forests and roaming pata negra hogs feasting on acorns, but that is another story. For me soups are one of the ultimate comfort foods, rich, thick and soothing, served in rustic pottery bowls
More adventures in the croft Advent kitchenWill the Master Baker come to the rescue? After a course of counselling and esteem building I was ready to open the Advent kitchen again and continue my exploration of Scandinavian Christmas baking. This time I vowed to follow the recipe precisely, and accurately measure and weigh all the ingredients. However, I decided to
The winter solstice is rapidly approaching and the days are getting shorter. The sun does not rise until 9.00 am and when there is heavy cloud the mornings are very dark. Fortunately the moon is still high at 8.00 am and although it is waning it casts a silvery light across the sea. So as