Halogen oven chef: simple roast chicken and chips recipe
Yesterday, I sent Danny into town with £5 and carte blanche to “buy something tasty for supper”. You may agree that it is a bit of a risk to ask a man to choose my kind of treat (prawn with spaghetti, scampi and chips, a take away Indian meal for two for a fiver) but I didn’t really care what he brought back as long as he did the cooking. After poking around the meal deals at Waitrose, he plumped for chicken. A whole chicken. Not my idea of fast food, I must admit. “I just fancied chicken and chips,” he explained...
read moreBarrow love
“Danny, I’ve fallen in love.” Resigned. He’d heard it all before. “Last time it was a mini roller. What is it this time?” I asked him to close his eyes and led him into the garden. “Wow – I can see where you’re coming from. He’s a very handsome beast” Danny picked up Barrow’s yellow handles and tested his turning circle. “Can I share him to shift my boxes?” I bought my first wheelbarrow from a garden centre. As far as I can remember it was quite expensive. I assumed that it had been designed for horticultural...
read moreScallops, bacon and cod pie recipe
Danny and I took advantage of some cheap Ryan Air tickets several years ago and spent a long weekend in Paris. The tickets cost under £50 but the long weekend notched up a giddy £800. And most of this was spent on food. Even though the days were financially balmy we were shocked how expensive Paris could be. But we still savour the memories of those meals and the wonderful restaurants. Whether they were local bistros catering for a small coterie of French clientele in the know, or larger more formal establishments where food was...
read moreWhat’s the best time to plant seeds in spring in the UK?
Fuelled with optimism I sowed a lot of seeds in January – hoping to get a head start. Most of them germinated and a few thrived. But the seeds that I sowed in February did much better and March sowings have really taken off well – developing much faster with the longer days – they have overtaken the weedy January and February sown cousins. I suppose if I was seriously into growing plants all year round it would be worth investing in one of these – or construct my own using daylight lamps. Magic Cochin mentions on her blog that her...
read moreComing full circle
I bought the cottage 18 years ago this month. My aunt Pickles died and left me enough money to spread my wings, leave my husband and unhappy marriage and make a fresh start. The cottage was the first place ever that I’d found and really loved. Until that point I would buy a house or a flat with a small mortgage so that I could guarantee that any job that I had – from supermarket check out lady to sputnik pilot – I could always pay the mortgage. Creating the garden was my therapy. At this stage I was working for four days with...
read moreEaster
I much prefer Easter to Christmas. There isn’t the same pressure, generally the sun is shining and there is true evidence of spring. The daffodils are out, the tulips and bluebells are just a breath away from flowering. The new leaves on the trees are that bright, squeaky clean spring green. The birds wake me early. Singing to attract a mate for the summer. We have hung fat balls on the rose bush outside the kitchen window and marvel at the succession of birds that visit, wary and fleetingly to feed. Our pond is full of frog spawn as the...
read moreHoping for a greener lawn
Examining the lawn the other day I was horrified to find it full of weeds and moss. We also have a problem with large bare muddy patches. This is where the dogs and I rampage up and down the garden. I tried reseeding the bare patches last autumn and the seed failed to germinate. The painting and decorating job paid off big time. I learnt so much for my clients. One couple I worked for were particularly interesting. I shall call them The Phloxs. Mrs Phlox kept a spotless, beautiful house while Major Phlox had created a wonderful garden....
read moreGardening and reading
“What are you doing?” “Pricking out and potting on.” “Which is which?” “You prick out seedlings. You pot on more mature plants. The potting on process is in stages. You can’t move from thimble to bucket – there are many steps in between.” “Do you know that you are at your happiest when you are farming?” ‘Farming’ has me firing on all cylinders. This enforced rest has been a tremendous bonus. Danny is right. I love gardening and I also love cooking. The two for me go hand in hand. Creating beautiful spaces and...
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