The Allotment Cookbook
Through the Year
Caroline Bretherton
Everything you need to know to enjoy your home-grown produce
We haven't got an allotment but we aspire to the ideal we have a small patch of soil on which we with surprising success, grew potatoes, carrots, leeks and broccoli last year. Fruits have been good, with strawberries, blueberries, crab apples, salad and herbs coriander, all the usuals and salad items.
I get very The Good Life though possibly closer to the fab Sue Perkins and Giles Coren Living The Good Life when doing this, I am the same height as the fetching Felicity Kendall and used to look quite good in dungarees and wellies, seriously its been so satisfying to pick our veg, give it a wash and within minutes we are eating fresh from the garden.
But I feel like a bit of a faker when I first pick up this book with my small garden and even smaller patch and selection of tubs.
I also wonder how I will benefit.
However in the introduction Caroline Bretheton talks about her childhood, her parents disappearing down the garden and appearing with a few harvested courgettes or a handful of asparagus spears.
She talks of the mark this left on her character and her hankering to grow her own.
She lives in London and I am happy to read her saying maybe you only have a small garden a roof terrace even, but whatever piece of soil, there will be something you are able to grow on it. There are many reasons we all want to grow our own and its growing.
The desire to know exactly where the food we eat comes from
A productive way to cut down on household expenditure
Or as I said the satisfaction of producing something.
We had bowls and bowls of tomatoes last year were giving them away as well in the end as tubs of pasta sauces made to freeze took up lots of room, this was all from three plants.
We would have liked better knowledge on preserving all the goodies.
The Allotment Cookbook does just that. In a column down the first page of each new fruit or vegetable page there is a
When to Pick
Eat and Store fresh,
How to preserve
Freezing options
Each fruit and veg has a collection of lovely recipes from soups to pickles, curries to curries.
I have found it to be a mine of information and will make me more likeluy to add a few extra tomato plants this year as there is so much more to do with a glut than pasta sauce.
I will make room for more giant triffid like courgettes as there is a fab recipe for fritters with dill tzatziki.
All the recipes have a lovely big photo by the side and had Chris and I drooling and planning what to grow.
Its definitely an inspirational read and we have already been out to get seeds.
Each fruit and veg has a collection of lovely recipes from soups to pickles, curries to curries.
I have found it to be a mine of information and will make me more likeluy to add a few extra tomato plants this year as there is so much more to do with a glut than pasta sauce.
I will make room for more giant triffid like courgettes as there is a fab recipe for fritters with dill tzatziki.
All the recipes have a lovely big photo by the side and had Chris and I drooling and planning what to grow.
Its definitely an inspirational read and we have already been out to get seeds.
More and more people are being inspired to grow their own fruit and vegetables on allotments, in their back gardens and in kitchen window boxes.
With over 100,000 people currently on allotment waiting lists and celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall heavily endorsing the “grow your own” mantra, sustainable living has never been so topical.
The Allotment Cookbook Through the Year is the essential recipe bible for anyone who would like to learn how to cook delicious, seasonal dishes to help make the most out of home-grown produce.
More and more people are being inspired to grow their own fruit and vegetables on allotments, in their back gardens and in kitchen window boxes.
Price: £16.99 Publishing: 1st March 2011
The book features over 200 recipes, from soups and salads to puddings and preserves, using popular crops such as apples, berries, squashes and herbs, and is packed with inspiring ideas to turn your produce into healthy, fresh meals. Over 20 essential techniques for preserving and storing your harvest are explained with clear step-by-step photography, with accompanying expert advice on methods such as how to make jams, pickles and chutneys, dry fruits and herbs and store root vegetables long-term.
Recipes are arranged by season and then by crop to ensure that your lovingly nurtured produce is the star. Stunning full-colour visuals and easy-to-follow step-by-steps guarantee that each recipe is easy to achieve. Side panels for each fruit, vegetable and herb feature colourful symbols to give guidance on the best harvesting time, preserving techniques and freezing options, to ensure that you get the maximum enjoyment out of your ingredient. From eating home-made strawberry semi freddo in a summer garden to warming up with pumpkin and apple soup or pot-roasted guinea fowl with cabbage in the winter months, this book allows you to create fantastic dishes using crops from every season.
More and more people are being inspired to grow their own fruit and vegetables on allotments, in their back gardens and in kitchen window boxes.
With over 100,000 people currently on allotment waiting lists and celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall heavily endorsing the “grow your own” mantra, sustainable living has never been so topical.
Whether you are an expert at growing your own fruit and vegetables, or a cook simply looking for ideas to make the most out of fresh produce, The Allotment Cookbook Through the Year is the perfect kitchen companion to enjoy imaginative and delicious dishes all year round.
Price: £16.99 Publishing: 1st March 2011
***Go one step further with DK’s companion book, Grow Something to Eat Everyday (publishing April 2011), and get detailed expert advice on how to grow your own delicious produce successfully***
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