Old roses: Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’
I planted this beautiful rose beside the front door fifteen years ago, following the advice of Saggers nursery in Newport, Essex. Saggers give really good advice. In fact most of the best plants and stunning shrubs in our garden come from them. Being privately owned they are a good bet compared to the more commercial local nursery gardens. This is Rosa Banksiae ‘Lutea’, a rambling rose that does not drop its leaves in winter in this part of the world. It’s also virtually thornless and the clusters of small double petalled...
read moreDanny’s Wonderful Gratin Dauphinoise Potatoes Recipe
Finally Danny announced that he would make his fabulous Gratin Dauphinoise Potatoes to accompany the roast beef this evening. These are a more traditional recipe than my Cheesy Dauphinoise Potatoes and are delicious. Gratin dauphinoise reheat well. In fact, when I worked in a restaurant years ago, they were made in advance and reheated and browned under the grill on demand. Robert (pronounced Rob-bear) was French and longing to toss away his hat and paint (pictures) full time. He smoked cigars in the kitchen and cooked like a dream. His...
read moreEggs and bacon
We take turns to make each other breakfast in bed at the weekend. It seems to be Danny’s turn a bit more than mine. Yesterday he was served Craster kippers and hot buttered toast with a mug of coffee. This morning I was presented with Fred Fitzpatrick’s home cured bacon, eggs from our own chickens and a fresh mug of tea. I never tire of a good cooked breakfast. Whenever I see a plate of bacon and eggs I think of a memorable meal that we had in Lisbon. We had flown to Lisbon, on the cheap, for a long weekend. One evening we decided...
read moreChunky chicken medallions filled with goats’ cheese, pesto and herbs on a warm Bulghur Wheat salad recipe
“How would you cook a couple of fat, free range organic chicken breasts?” Anna put down her brush and gazed into the middle distance. “I always marinade chicken breasts in lemon, garlic and olive oil. Have they got skin?” I didn’t know. I had just discovered them in the freezer this morning. “If they have skin you can tuck something under the skin. Such as Brie or Pesto and grill them. Or why not sun dried tomatoes? Or just slice the breast and slip something succulent. . “. Anna’s suggestions...
read moreCreate drama in your gaden with fallen petals
About twelve years ago I visited Christopher Lloyds’ garden at Great Dixter. An amazing, inspirational place. It was around this time of year when everything is buzzing in the garden. I turned a corner and saw that the ground was strewn with large cerise petals. The scene was stunning. These had fallen from a large Camellia planted in a border set within York stone. The petals looked wonderful against the grey stone. Far better than the waxy flowers on the shrub. I enjoyed these pink petals when I saw them on the road this week. I was...
read moreBest recipes for leftovers: pot roast Pheasant and mushroom pie with cider recipe
A nibble of cold pheasant, straight from the fridge, is good if a little dry when one is grazing at lunchtime. But I never fancy a proper meal of cold game remnants.This is a hot pie that we made using up the Gypsy style pot roast pheasant leftovers (about half a pheasant) including the remains of the delicious gooey sauce from the base of the casserole (2 tablespoonfuls). You have to make the first dish to get the essential elements of the second. We love this pot roast pheasant but love the sauce more. I was surprised at how much meat was...
read moreFlowers from the garden: April
Yesterday it was the birthday of the two Carols in my life. My friend Carol and her namesake, Carol the chicken. As my pal doesn’t have chickens at her new house I thought she might like a box of fresh organic eggs to celebrate her big day, we had three in the larder and another three in the nesting box. This was perfect as two large brown eggs had been laid by Carol. I also found a chicken card in our desk and signed it with the sort of signature that I thought Carol (chicken) would like. A Heavy, ponderous claw. I jumped into Jalopy...
read moreOur colony of bees is behaving strangely
I was devastated when we lost our two colonies of bees a few weeks ago The garden was so quiet without them. I used to have a horror of flying insects (especially those that sting) but somehow the bees have buzzed underneath my skin. When they were gone, I realised that I had grown to love them. However, there were always moments of apprehension when approaching the hive. There are just so many bees. Yesterday we realised that we had crossed a bridge. There was so much going on in the hive we just didn’t have time to be worried. We...
read more
FD