“less than 20 minutes”

A ruby red brussels sprout and gruyere salad

Thumbnail image for A ruby red brussels sprout and gruyere salad January 11, 2012

For three years in a row I have tried to grow my own brussels sprout ‘rubine’, the beautiful crimson flecked cousin of the common green brussel, and for three years I have failed. Brussels sprouts need care, love and attention right from sowing the seeds in March, through planting out the baby brassicas in early summer (protecting them from our … Read the full post

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French beans with almonds

Thumbnail image for French beans with almonds September 12, 2007

There are all kinds of tasty pod-based vegetables around at the moment and I am determined to make the most of them before we can only get them by flying them in from Kenya, Thailand and other far-flung countries. Over the last few weeks we have had the most amazing technicolour array of french beans, a vegetable I used … Read the full post

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An easy rule of thumb for reducing food miles: buy delicate food locally

Thumbnail image for An easy rule of thumb for reducing food miles: buy delicate food locally August 6, 2007

Don’t you think trying to shop ethically sometimes seems mind-bogglingly complicated? Should I buy the imported but sun-ripened tomatoes from Spain, or the ones from 50 miles away but that have been grown in a heated greenhouse. On the one hand, it is great that the modern world lets us share so much information about these pros and cons … Read the full post

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