This is our first year in our new house and there's so much unpacking and sorting to do.  


But I'm so excited at having a 'proper' garden again after the last seven years where we had a windey front drive with enormous flower beds either side.  Then at the back a large paved patio with area above the house to grow vegetables and fruit.  

Back garden at Primley Park

The area up top was a good size but the soil was pretty bad and it was quite a windy site so we did grow things like potatoes and broccoli but it wasn't easy to grow other fruit and veg.

Now we have a nice front garden - lawn with flower border, facing due south with a hedge along the front.

The back is a good size with patio and steps leading down to a large lawned area with flower beds either side and a big shed.  

However, there are two big problems:   the soil is solid clay in parts and floods and becomes waterlogged.  These two must be linked - if we improve the soil this also may improve the drainage.  And if this doesn't work then perhaps some sort of drainage channel underneath the garden may be advised.

So this year I've started small.   Firstly we've installed a big compost heap to make our own compost to put on the garden.  We've also started storing leaves to make some good leaf mould a year or so hence.

We bought three one metre square raised beds and positioned them artistically at the side of the lawn.  In the left hand flower bed we've positioned the new compost bin and to the right of it we've planted potatoes.  An easy crop which requires no work after banking up and potatoes tend to break up the soil.  However they've  become so waterlogged that I wonder how many actual potatoes we'll realise.

In the beds I've planted:

Tiger the cat photobombed pic of the three raised beds

No 1 (left):  strawberries with a mulch of bark.

No 2 (middle):  some broad beans, peas, carrots and three sprout (or broccoli?) plants

No 3 right): runner beans, courgettes and a few flowers.

In another part of the garden I've planted some raspberry canes and blackcurrants ready to plant in the proper veg plot when the soil's been improved.


One thing I've realised already is that peas can be a pain.  They're simple enough to plant and provide supports, so long as the mice don't eat them before they germinate.

But it's important to comprehensively look all every plant regularly, otherwise  the peas get missed and by the time they're found they're too old and dry.  

On the other hand the time and energy used picking the peas before they've fully developed in their pods, then shelling them to find tiny little grains of baby peas inside is rather frustrating.  

So, on the advice of my cousin who knows a lot about these things, I'm going to try growing mange tout next year.  

Then the whole pea pod can be picked and eaten.  This'll mean less work, more for us to eat - but less waste for the compost heap.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables/peas

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_growingpeas1.shtml

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/how-to-grow-peas

January means Soups

Although we have soup for lunch most days, the winter is the best time to enjoy a warming bowl of broth, and here are some of my favourite soup recipes.  

Although these are some of my favourite recipes, most soups we have are mixtures: vegetables from the previous meal, together with stock, either vegetable, chicken or ham, along with lentils, split peas or other additions.  One of our mantras at dinner every evening is ' if we don't eat these vegetables tonight they'll go into the soup!'.


Chilli Bean Soup

2 Onions
2 oz butter/olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp chilli
2 x 14oz cans Kidney Beans, drained
1.5 pints stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
s&p

1. Chop onions, fry in butter/oil, along with the oil.
2. Add spices.
3. Add kidney beans and stock, cook for 20 mins.
4. Add tomato puree and s&p

Variation: could serve with meat balls to make a hearty supper:

Meat balls: Process 1/2 lb mince with half an onion, add 1/2 tsp chilli powder.  Fry teaspoons of mixture in a some oil.  Put on top of soup to serve.  (It's probably worth making double this amount, so save having half an onion left over, and freezing the meat balls  for next time)


Carrot & Coriander Soup


Fresh Coriander
1.5 lb peeled thinly sliced Carrots
1 Onion, peeled and chopped
1 oz Butter/olive oil
1.5 pints Vegetable Stock
(Single Cream - or milk)

1. Gently cook onion and chopped coriander stems in butter/oil.
2. Add carrots, cover and cook on low for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Blend, add chopped coriander leaves and stir through, season to taste.
5. Serve with a little single cream if liked, and garnish with a few coriander leaves.

When younger daughter was little we went out for a walk one Sunday afternoon into nearby woods.  At one point she wandered ahead, then came running back to us - 'mind the lentils! mind the lentils!'.  Mystified, we followed her to an enormous patch of nettles, which they've been called in the family ever since.  Here's a favourite soup involving the famous 'lentils'  (hint: must also find a recipe using nettles).

Spicy Carrot Soup (easy)

I found this recipe a little sweet, so on second making added a grated clover of garlic, a stick of celery (sliced) and a potato (sliced)

600g carrots, sliced

140g split red lentils

1 tsp cumin

a pinch of chilli powder

1 litre vegetable stock

125 ml milk or soya milk

1 tbsp oil

1. Put oil in pan, add carrots, cumin and chilli powder and cook a little.
2. Add rest of ingredients and simmer until lentils are cooked.
3. Whizz, and enjoy.

Green Pea Soup

2 Onions, chopped
2 Potatoes, chopped
cumin, coriander, s&p, paprika
1.5 lb Peas
Single Cream

1. Boil onions, potatoes and spices, 'til cooked (or could fry onions and spices gently, then add the potatos and water and cook)
2. Add peas and cook a little.
3. Whizz.
4. Add cream to serve.

Note: 18/4/2016 - I made this soup and added a few leaves spinach which were left over from yesterday's salad and it was really nice as it took away some of the sweetness.

Chestnut Soup
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 tin chestnut puree
1 oz oil/butter
1 pt chicken soup
some cream

1. Cook vegetables in the oil for a few minutes. 
2. Add chestnut puree and stock, season.
3. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Liquidise, then reheat.

Spinach and
 watercress soup
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
325g potatoes, diced
600 ml chicken or vegetable stock
250g fresh/frozen spinach
75g watercress
300ml soya milk
s&p

1. Cook onion in oil for a few minutes.
2. Add potatoes and stock and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Add spinach, watercress and soya milk and simmer five minutes.
4. Season and then puree, reheat to serve.

Alternative: today I didn't have enough spinach so put in some courgette instead.

Leek & Potato Soup
3 medium Leeks, washed and sliced.
1 large Potato, sliced
1 oz butter/olive oil
1 - 2 slices Bread
1/2 pint Milk
1 pt Stock
s&p, bay leaf*, oil

1. Melt butter/oil add leeks then potatoes.
2. Cover pan and cook slowly for 10 minutes.
3. Add stock and milk and bring to the boil, turn down the heat.
4. Add salt and bay leaf and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Remember to remove bay leaf! 
6. Puree the mixture.
7. Return mixture to the pan, bring to boil and serve immediately with fried bread croutons.
8. Serves 4

*Variation: omit Bay Leaf and add some Tarragon before serving.

Also see: 
Jamie -  http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/leek-and-potato-soup/#J4vRCWYoeFPY4Ccx.97
Delia - http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/european/english/leek-onion-and-potato-soup.html

23 Feb 2014:  I bought some leeks yesterday to make this soup, they had lots of green tops so the soup is a beautiful colour (looks more like pea soup) but the important variation is that I used soya milk instead of cows milk.  It was no different, so it's a cream soup for your vegan friends to enjoy.  I also didn't have any vegetable stock handy so, made some as follows:

Vegetable stock
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 middle bit of the cabbage
bay leaf, s&p
usually I'd have used bg (bouquet garni) but wanted the flavour of bay leaf in the stock.  The reason was that so often I put a bay leaf into soup when making it, then forget and whizz it, along with the soup.  I thought that by putting it in the stock then it wouldn't be forgotten!

Here's a more fancy vegetable stock: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_vegetable_stock/

Bramborova Polivka (Potato Soup)

1.5 lb potatoes

5 fl oz sour cream

Flour, milk, butter

Black Pepper

Gherkins, hardboiled Eggs, Chives

1. Dice potatoes, then boil in salted water
2. Drain, keeping the potato water.
3. Make a roux with the flour and butter.
4. Add milk and potato water until there's a thick consistency.
5. Add cooked potatoes, sour cream, pepper.
6. To serve add chopped egg, gherkin and chives.

See also: http://www.mamincinyrecepty.cz/polevky/bramborova-polevka-s-koprem