Good Gardening Tips – February
February is the time to finish all those clearing up jobs and get yourself ready to start the new season as soon as the weather
1 February 2012
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February is the time to finish all those clearing up jobs and get yourself ready to start the new season as soon as the weather
Birds have the ability to brighten even the dullest times. It is just another winter’s day along the River Severn, just north of Bridgnorth. The
A gorgeous mix of melting cheese and tasty Spanish sausage, wrapped in a ham parcel. We have chosen this super tasty Tapas dish with all
The long, dark nights at this time of year provide ample opportunity for catching up on some reading. There is a wonderful book entitled, ‘The
There’s still plenty of colour to be found from indoor houseplants, a poinsettia from Christmas will give colour throughout January and February, so long as
Watch out Jack Frost is about! December is the perfect time to have a bit of a sort out. Get rid of those plants that
Shropshire is a wonderfully varied county but to find true mountain scenery one has to head west, for Wales. Snowdonia is a vast landscape of
Get Planting… While the weather is still mild remove summer bedding plants that have finished and replace them with autumn/winter bedding plants. This can include
Hotch Potch dates back to the 16th Century – the same period as The Feathers – and I love the versatility of this heart-warming dish.
2011 will certainly go down as a great year for fruits and nuts. Oak trees draped with deep brown acorns, hazel nuts hanging from hedgerows
Rain, rain… GO AWAY! With all the rain that we have had recently after a fairly dry summer, there is a good chance that your
As the days get colder we yearn for heartier dishes and what could be more suitable than the richness of flavour provided by game. We
Farmers working late into the night getting the last of the crops in; a bushy-tailed fox cub, now old enough to fend for himself, running
Ask your Butcher for a piece of Belly Draft, or if you are not from the Midlands, “Pork Belly”. Ask for it uncut, boned and
All around the countryside are ponds that have been dug to drain roads and housing estates, reservoirs created to supply drinking water. Even well-established lakes
Putting Summer Plants ‘to bed’ Summer hanging baskets and pots are beginning to go over now and once the weather starts to cool down, think
This month’s recipe is courtesy of Sarah of Mike & Sarah’s Butchers within Apley Farm Shop. Ingredients (Serves 4) 455 g Apley Home Farm Minced
Huge fields of canary-yellow Oilseed Rape stretch to the horizon. In other fields, wintersown Wheat shimmers in the early summer breeze. From an agricultural point
What’s What has teamed up with Apley Farm Shop and the queen of baking, Mary Berry, to create this fabulous-tasting local, fresh and seasonal dish
Lloyds Coppice rises up from the Jackfield stretch of the River Severn. A tangle of Birch, Elm, Oak and Alder clinging to the steep side
Hake is a massively underrated fish in the UK due – in part- to the fact that all our catch is exported directly to Spain
I am on the border between Shropshire and Worcestershire in the beautiful Forest of Wyre. The spring sunlight brings warmth. With that warmth, life returns
I get out of my car in the early morning darkness and walk towards the bird hide. There is still a brisk wind whistling through
Look east and you can see the town nestled in the valley, the twin spires of St. Leonards and St. Marys backed by the dark
Recipe courtesy of Stuart Phillips of The Hundred House Hotel Part One Ingredients 12 leaves of savoy cabbage 750g Salmon Fillet 600ml whipping cream 2
A while back I was asked to do an English/American Wedding Breakfast menu for 130 guests in a Marquee, on a farm near Bridgnorth. The
The rest are set aside for use by the kitchen team and often we make pumpkin risotto which is sweet, savoury and very creamy. If
Ask the butcher to remove the breast and leg from each side leaving them attached, so you end up with four almost boneless 1/2 partridge.
Crab Apple jelly has a lovely reddish glow which is at odds with the golden yellow color of the fruits when picked. The tangy jelly