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Sunday

My good friend and colleague Wonseok

Wonseok painted this for me.  Here she is adding the final touch.

Tuesday

Soup and seed sowing stragegy

Threat of frosts over and the soil temperature is on the up, time to get sorted with my seed sowing.  My over-wintered lettuces have been great, but suddenly they want to bolt but they make a delicious if vivid soup for lunch.

Some of my favourite things are totally weird

Every year when this honeysuckle flowers in my garden I am bowled over by its strange beauty. Pale glaucus-green leaves and twining stem, creamy, intensely perfumed flowers stacked in unlikely cupped layers, something you'd imagine in Alice in Wonderland not Shropshire.

 

Just recovered from eating this...prawns in kaffir leaf and lemon grass stew

I adore fresh chilli but even for me I thought I'd slightly over done it.  Still it was wonderfully fragrant with fresh kaffir leaves and ginger and a small drop of coconut milk as well, but with the chilli kick of a mule. Korean sticky rice  - 3 grains, one black, one white long grain, one white sticky type together making beautiful purple colour, nicely chewy and nutty taste.


It might be 2nd May but...

I still can't give up the porridge yet.  Jumbo oats cooked for 30mins with muscovado sugar on top, giving that lovely warm feeling inside.


Saturday

And the evening sun shone in...

One of those perfect suppers, very simple but special for its simplicity, and this one only possible for a short season.  Local Shropshire asparagus, very fresh bantam eggs - scrambled - from my dear friend Nicky's chucks and homemade rye, linseed and millet bread (let me know if you'd like the recipe).  And... new ceramics from my stoneware Studio Collection.


Tuesday

Anchovy purple sprouting broccoli

Thanks to Nigel Slater for his pasta recipe from "Tender" tonight's supper.  But actually despite home grown broccoli I think this would have been better with wild garlic instead, my version was not so heavy on cheese and served in my favourite square stoneware dishes.

Sunday

Helping winter on its way

One of those really nice gardening tasks to look forward to spring's arrival. Getting my sweet peas underway.  From tiny dry seeds soaked overnight they are transformed into shiny balls to push down into the compost.

Friday

Castle Bank in morning mist

Chill but atmospheric, the last stretch of my morning walk, after bright sun up on the hill top the fog is still wallowing in the valley.

If becomes how and when ....


Gradually building up new collection...

Wednesday

Stopped myself from stamping in the icy puddle - but only just!