Welcome

My kitchen garden is wonderful at the moment and I find it so relaxing to potter about, deadheading, watering and watching as things swell and ripen. My early soft fruit has been wonderful and the later berries, such as blueberries, autumn raspberries and Tayberries are laden. Our five-year old daughter counted 50 apples on her little tree and is very excited at the thought of picking them later in the year. We will pick out a suitable fruit a bit later on and tape a black paper ‘I’ for Imogen onto it so that as it ripens its imprint will be left on the skin. Don’t tell her, but I’ll probably do a couple of extra ones in case disaster strikes!

The hedgerows too seem to promise a bumper crop of wild food this year and I’m really looking forward to a bit of foraging later in the season. You don’t have to wait until then of course, there are plenty of wild foods around at this time of year and I spent a lovely day out foraging in the wilds of Suffolk with Food Safari, do check out the News page for more on that.

I love this time of year; the long school holidays stretch ahead of us and it’s time to enjoy the lack of enforced routine, cooking and gardening with my children. Making time in a busy work-week isn’t always easy, but the pleasure we all gain from spending time together, making something we can eat is priceless. A picnic or snack in the garden needn’t be a fancy affair; a few sandwiches, some fruit from the garden and a bit of salad that they’ve picked themselves is all that’s needed. In fact, picking her own leaves for salads has encouraged our youngest to try all sorts of things that she has refused in the past. She doesn’t always like what she tries, but she always gives it a go. Nasturtium flowers were an interesting case in point – they get better the more you chew them apparently!

However busy you are, make some time for yourself and take a few moments to sit outside somewhere and just ‘be’. You’ll feel better for it.

Rachel Graham, Editor