The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
I have had an abundance of courgettes this year. I am still eating the ones that grew to marrow size while we were on holiday a few weeks ago! Of course the best thing about growing courgettes is the flowers. I’ve had weekly meals since July of these fritters. There are lots of recipes and […]
A delicious crumble recipe with a crunchy yet chewy flapjack style topping. Perfect for snuggling in on cold and rainy days
If there is one crop I’m chuffed with this year it’s my runner beans. I pulled the last of them yesterday and they’ve given me a plentiful crop all summer. I plant Firestorm Runner Beans as they have beautiful red flowers which are also edible. I planted late this year so didn’t think I’d get […]
I tried my hand at growing broccoli last year. I ordered some seeds and put them in the propagator. Nada. Not even one little sprout. So as I was a little late to the party now, I planted some rather limp looking plants from the garden centre – six to be precise. I watered. I weeded and […]
There is a beast on my allotment. Something that’s nibbling at the few plants we have in the ground. This is what it’s done to our wonderful kale which is all but gone. With sowing season now fully underway, I decided to pull out the final scraps and rework the bed for something new. Rainbow chard […]
Since getting our allotment I have had runner bean envy of my neighbour’s runner beans. They are pristine. not a black fly, white fly or any fly for that matter on them. Each variety could have been entered into countless competitions and won. I was determined to grow my own this year but I wanted […]
Earlier this week we saw many households across the country observe darkness in remembrance and reflection of World War I. ‘The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.’ #WW1 #LightsOut pic.twitter.com/u4755PkaUR — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 4, 2014 Britain declared war on Germany […]
We were very organised on the allotment this year. We planned over Christmas holidays because we did not want to be pipped to the post with seeds running out or not getting things in time. We were keen to grow mange tout – or ‘mange toots’ as my littlest calls them. Our local veg stall […]
We are having unsettled weather in the UK at the moment and that means lots of allotment time. Either to sort out the mess after heavy rain or to bask in the sunshine while it lasts. This year, we’ve extended our allotment ever so slightly but chopping down all the nettle and bramble growth to the […]
It was my birthday yesterday and I wanted to celebrate but also do something completely different. Friends suggested various bars and restaurants but to be honest I really didn’t want a big night out. I thought about the theatre but there isn’t anything that I feel compelled to see. This year I just wanted a […]
I discovered rocket late in life – a few years ago when I was having lunch with a friend I noticed she was eating this green stuff that I had always thought was ‘garnish’. She told me it was Arugula. As you might have guessed she’s American. I’ve also heard it called Ruccola in some […]
It’s Election Day for the Mayor of London and my daughters’ school is closed as it is being used as a polling station. I’d just like to take a moment to say how ridiculous it is to close a whole school – for a whole day – when to be frank a marquee in the car […]