I took time out last weekend to spin down home and raid the vegetable patch. I didn't want to see all those fresh fruit and veg. going to waste while the parents were away. Dad has always worked hard at maintaining a good supply of the best potatoes, onions, lettuce, runner beans, gooseberries, blackcurrants, raspberries and courgettes, to name but a few. For as long as I remember we have been treated summer after summer by Dad to the freshest garden produce, with the support of a key ingredient - quality local manure!
The lettuce is always crunchier and more flavourful than anything I have ever bought. The courgettes will range from baby to full-on marrows. And I will always make a particular effort to seek out the new potatoes. At the age of 10 or so I remember being incredibly impressed by the combination of boiled new potatoes, real butter and little pinch of salt. Prior to this I had no appreciation of salt's importance to bringing out the best in food. It is still a summer favourite!
The berries are put to good use too, with jams and fools making a particular mark at family gatherings and events. Gooseberry fool is an essential addition to weekend desserts, and credit goes to the gooseberries as much as the lashings of cream. The blackcurrant jam is likely to feature in sponge cakes or bakewell tarts throughout the rest of the year.
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