Germinate seeds fast with an electric propagator
I’m determined to set some of my seeds tomorrow. I have a small electric seed propagator, the cheapest one from Homebase. It has no thermostat nor any bells and whistles. Over the past three years, this willing donkey has germinated hundreds of seeds and has become an old friend. Admittedly I am not asking him to germinate really crusty coated seeds, such as those from the palm plant. But C.P. (Cheap Propagator) has our future in his warm embrace. He is perfect for germinating tomato, sweetcorn and cucumber seeds. An electric propagator...
read moreNduja (Italian spreadable salami from Spilinga) is available at Borough Market
I had never heard of spreadable salami until I visited Borough Market in London last weekend. This is an Italian speciality originating from Spilinga, a village in the Calabria region in the toe of Italy. Nduja is a bit of a firecracker. I was given the teeniest sample on the end of a hefty kitchen knife. It was tasty and after a few seconds there was a small explosion of fiery chilli heat. My mind raced, this could be used in sandwiches, pasta sauces, on pizzas and under toasted cheese. I love salami and I love chilli. I was in heaven. We...
read moreHow to attract birds to your winter garden. Part three: supplement regular feeding with fat balls
We have three feeders hanging in the winter flowering honeysuckle just outside our kitchen window. If we hang fat balls over the hooks at the top of the feeders when we refill them, different species of birds feed simultaneously from the same feeder. If we are lucky we see six species of birds feeding, three at the top and three at the bottom. Usually different species form an orderly queue in the honeysuckle and wait their turn. Why not add a penthouse restaurant and double the covers? The two feeders that contain wild bird seed are emptied...
read moreAnna’s famous onion gravy recipe
I’ve been working at Anna’s house for the past five weeks. The spot is so secluded that I could not find it on my first foray and had to return home. At the second attempt, Jalopy and I were resting at the side of the road, scratching our heads and on the point of giving up when, miraculously, Anna drove past. We followed her lead and learned the route to her house. Down a quiet track, in the middle of fields. I would never have found it by myself and might have missed out on this onion gravy gem. Anna cooks delicious meals for her...
read moreHow much is your garden worth?
I went over to see my mum yesterday. It was Mothers’ Day. We gave her chocs (Box of lavender and geranium truffles and an oversized milk chocolate ladybird with cardboard legs that we attached to the carrier bag) and floral tributes (lilies and stocks). Danny was fast asleep when I left so I had to forge his signature on his card (rather badly I fear). I remembered that he always does a long line of kisses in rather a faint hand and think that I got those spot on. She smiled at them. My mother has been ill so I didn’t stay long. If...
read moreBorough Market. Foodie day out in London
Danny turned over in bed this morning and pronounced, “Borough Market was a revelation.” Then he drifted off to sleep again. Living such a quiet backwater life, London is always a shock. The crowds of people, the range of nationalities, the noise and smell of the place. There’s a buzz and a rush that doesn’t exist out in the sticks. Not having visited London for over a year, Borough Market seemed like another planet. Here was Dutch Gouda cheese that had the crumbliness of cheddar, duck and truffle pate that melted with...
read moreSt Patrick’s day brunch at Borough Market
A few weeks ago a generous client gave me a large tip. Not the ˜Fiona, why don’t you work a bit harder’ variety. Rather, she added a day’s wages to the final cheque and suggested that I could take Danny out for a meal. So when our friends Katherine and Paul suggested a foodie day out in London, we jumped at the chance. This would be the perfect way of investing our windfall. The day started with locating our friends at Liverpool Street station (how did we cope without mobile phones?), grabbing a coffee and jumping on a bus...
read moreI’ve been tagged
I?ve been tagged by Lobstersquad for a meme in which the victim recounts what?s been going on in their life in leaps of five years (the years ending in 2 and 7). Also what they were eating at the time. Never mysterious in real life, I always hoped that this blog would adjust the balance. This plot has clearly failed. I was born mid September 1953 1957. I was four, living in Cambridge and still avoiding school. My birthday fell after the start of the Autumn term so I was not allowed to attend as I was a few days under four years old. We used to...
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