Advice & Inspiration For Your Garden

Grilled figs with lemon and pomegranate

A perfect late summer and autumn pudding, when figs are plentiful, (we grow ‘Brown Turkey’ here and even from a 3-year-old tree we can hardly keep up with the harvest). Serve with a dollop of yoghurt

Spaghetti with beans and tomatoes

This is originally a River Café recipe that I make all the time for supper when the beans and tomatoes are abundant and utterly delicious. Pick the beans snappy and small rather than large and slightl

Canterbury Apple Tart

A totally delicious and warming recipe. We make lots of these when we’re quiet, to freeze and then gently heat to serve warm as a different option to cake in our café at our open days.serves 7-8For th

Dakos Salad

I love the island of Crete, particularly the mountains and their valleys bang in the middle, and I love the nature and the food. I make the Greek-inspired salad at home when the tomatoes are at the be

Blackberry Cranachan

This is a child-friendly version of a Scottish classic of whisky, cream, raspberries and oatmeal. In this one, I add pudding wine instead of whisky, and I make a sweet granola with toasted oats. This

Sweet Cucumber Pickle

This recipe is excellent for the long-term storing of cucumbers. It’s sweet and tangy, with a good crunch, and is delicious eaten with potato salad, cold meat and pates and in Cheddar cheese sandwiche

Carrot and sprouted alfalfa/broccoli salad

We make this salad in the school for lunch all the time, simple grated carrot and poppy seeds, with bouncy alfalfa and broccoli sprouts threaded through. These can be found in good health-food stores.

Pumpkin cornbread

Serve this delicious savoury bread with soup or strong cheeses, such as Stilton, mature Cheddar or a hard goats’ or ewes’ cheese. The bread is lovely toasted and freezes well. Makes 1 x 450g loaf25

Sweet potato, ginger and coconut gratin

This is a massive family favourite. We might eat it as a main course one day with a green salad, and then often have the leftovers as a side veg the next day, delicious alongside chicken or fish.For 4

Mushrooms with polenta

Anything with a strong flavour and a soft texture is good with polenta. I love polenta with braised chicory and it’s wonderful with mushrooms. You can use a real mix of mushrooms for this, the more va

Cauliflower couscous

This so-called ‘couscous’ made from nearly-raw cauliflower is an excellent side dish to have with any of the chillies or curries. It looks great with multi-coloured cauliflower, often at its best at t

Squash and Feta Filo Parcels

One of our favourite things to serve for our Garden Open café lunches, filled with squash, courgettes, spinach, chard, grated beetroot, fennel, or a mixture of veg. You can make these in batches and f

Basil oil

I enjoy making a few bottles of basil oil at this time of year just before the basil goes black with the colder nights. It makes a brilliant present, and gives invaluable summery flavour to autumn and

smoked haddock and beetroot gratin

serves 6 600g beetroot (we used mixed colours) 2 tbsp oil Salt and pepper 200g finely chopped leek 425ml full fat milk (or almond milk) 500g undyed smoked haddock 50g butter (or set

roasted tomato soup

serves 6 as a main course, 8 as a starter 1kg ripe tomatoes 2 roughly chopped fennel bulbs (about 400g) 2 large quartered onions 3 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil 3 crushed garlic cloves2 tbsp (ab

griddled fennel aubergine recipe

This tasty aubergine dish is an excellent easy late summer/autumn lunch or starter for dinner. At lunch, serve it with a pile of green salad.serves 6 (or 2 if you like it strong) 3 aubergine