Cooking

Each June I look at the blooming Elderflowers and think I really should have a go at making some Elderflower cordial and then promptly forget. However this time around I was with it and so set about making Elderflower cordial which is a doddle and knocks the spots off any shop bought stuff...

Sprouts are the marmite of vegetables with people either liking or passionately hating them. However I always take the view no matter how much you dislike a particular food thing, there is always a recipe out there that could change your mind. So if you run a mile when sprouts are mentioned then stop and give this Waitrose recipe a go as I think you will be pleasantly surprised - it is really a doddle to make, cheap and very very tasty and without that bitter taste are often associated with Sprouts...

Well it was back from the allotment with the last of the sweetcorn which to be honest wasn't looking its best so what to do with it?  After getting out the recipe books and flicking through we hit on Nigella's Mexican inspired lasagne and wow it is really good and so easy...

We were looking for something different to do with the last of the new potatoes when a recipe that used potatoes as pizza topping floated into vision. Potatoes... on top of pizza... really who on earth would come up with that?  Ah, of course those wonderful people who invented pizza!  So if you like pizza then you really must try Pizza con Patate...

It was going to be a seriously hot day and a quick spin around the allotment to sort the watering resulted in a neighbour offering us a lovely cauliflower because... they had lots spare... as you do... in July. Ask most people what they would do with a cauli at anytime and I am sure it is going to involve cheese or being boiled to within an inch of its life as a side veg. So in the height summer this might be a challenge, fortunately there is a wonderful charred cauliflower, lemon, caper and orzo recipe that might make you think differently...

That sharp sour crunch of the first gooseberries of the year from the allotment is now a distant memory (ah, a shame) however as the gooseberry season starts to draw to a close there is still time to do something just a bit different, thanks to Delia Smith, with the last of the fruits and you won't be disappointed...

One of the great things about autumn is you have (if lucky) a wonderful spread of produce but absolutely no idea of what to do with it all. At the moment, I can't walk around the house without bumping into a butternut squash or finding a bunch of tomatoes hanging out.  So I thought I might share three really simple things we have done with our harvest...

You know that you have a glut of courgettes when friends don't answer the door and fellow allotment holders suddenly remember urgent dentists appointments.  However a glut of anything means you have to get a bit creative.  So, should you find yourself with courgette and the need for a lovely moist chocolate cake then the Chocolate Courgette Loaf Cake is the answer to your (and my) prayers...

The last of the leeks had been sat outside by the kitchen door for a few weeks and really needed using if only to make a bit of room.  A visit to our well stocked recipe library came up with the suggestion of Leek & Goat's Cheese Crêpes but enthusiasm wasn't high.  However we were wrong and if you have a few leeks kicking around you must try this - simple and quick to prepare and cook and really rather wonderful...

The Christmas Dinner table needed a quick and simple stuffing to bolster things and we settled on an leek , thyme and lemon stuffing adapted from a leek and sage stuffing recipe...

Along the edge of the allotments are a couple of damson trees which always have a mass of fruits on them. What to do with this free bounty? Jam of course!...

As is usual at this time of year, no matter how hard you try, at the allotments courgettes are plenty.  In fact I am sure there is a game of courgette knock and run going on as when you return to your plot the next day, what was harvested previously has miraculously been replaced overnight! Read More...

The redcurrants were ready for picking at the beginning of July but space in the freezer was already running low so what to do with all those redcurrants? As it was another hot afternoon I thought we should have a bash at making some redcurrant cordial...