A step by step guide to create your own festive wreath that can be fully composted and recycled after Christmas. Get creative this holiday season with foliage gathered from your garden and a kit containing everything you need to create your own evergreen decoration. ...
Create your own wreath at home this year using our step by step guide. Moss gathered under licence creates the foundation for this traditional decoration and it will last throughout the festive holidays. The moss acts as a natural oasis and this in turn, keeps the...
For those of us fortunate enough to have an outdoor space or to be able to escape to a plot on a shared allotment, the shorter daylight hours and cooler days have arrived all too quickly. Whilst thoughts turn to spending more time indoors, there are a few tasks that...
The holidays are here! Late July and August is the time to make the most of longed for hot, summer days. Kick back, relax and enjoy your outside space as we reinvent the art of ‘staycation’. If you have the inclination to put down a great book and ease...
As summer gallops full speed ahead, all of a sudden there is an abundance of hedgerow berries and orchards fruit, ripe for preserving. Over the years we have gathered a collection of hand written methods on splattered pages. We return to these tried and tested...
The herb garden has definitely flourished during the dry, hot weather and looks its best during the month of June. It seems that nearly everyone has taken up a trowel and had a go at growing your own. Whether you have a few pots of herbs or a designated plot, here...
The Early May holiday weekend is almost here and it’s a Bank Holiday like no other, this weekend marks the 75th Anniversary of V E Day and not only will we be continuing to stay at home and help protect our precious NHS front line team and key workers, we shall...
The days are definitely lengthening. I promise! It’s just that the skies here in Dorset are so grey and filled with cloud. But listen carefully and you will hear the bird song and those precious extra moments of light are encouraging the hens to lay, as well...
Every year we get involved with the Cranborne First School Allotment Club. The gathering during the autumn term is always exciting for the children as they reap the rewards from the growing season. We have planned a ‘Bean Feast’ for October and the idea was...
It’s been awhile since I shared a post and I cannot believe how quickly the summer is passing by. Every spare moment is spent in the garden, whether it is cutting flowers for the house or gathering produce for the kitchen. The sweet peas have been incredible...
Lovage (Levisticum officinale) is such a versatile herb and I am ashamed to say that it was overlooked in our kitchen until we moved to the farmhouse. It grows profusely in the potager and we also have another plant in a corner of the walled garden. So, I am...
Sweet Peas For The Kitchen Table Just as we long for the first of the asparagus and Jersey Royals for the kitchen, picking the first bunch of sweet peas makes me so happy. The tender stems and delicate petals look beautiful but it is the fresh scent filling a room...
A Barrow Full of Plants. As much as I had hoped, there just wasn’t an opportunity to get out in the garden for long yesterday. Alison popped around unexpectedly with some plants from her garden. She is so generous. Do you find that everyone who loves to...
April Fool’s Day. It was a glorious day for the 1st April. Finding it hard to concentrate in the office, I sneaked outside for an hour and planted the broad bean plants that had been sown in the green house last year. During the warm spell in February I potted...
A New Chapter Begins. We moved to the farmhouse just over five years ago and for most of that time we were fortunate to hand the care and maintenance of the gardens to Alison Verrion. Her tireless attention to detail transformed the over grown walled garden into...
After much anticipation, Wild Garlic or Ransoms are in season. We first discovered tender green shoots peeping through the last snowfall a couple of weeks ago. Now that the milder weather is here, this rampant Allium can be found in deciduous woodland and beneath...
Take a look at our latest feature in the Sherborne Times magazine. Spring has arrived bringing glorious sunshine, blue skies and seasonal treats. Look out for forgotten favourites like Sorrel, make the most of locally grown asparagus and keep an eye out for the first...
Our latest recipe in Sherborne Times on pages 54-55 One of my earliest food memories is of watching my great grandmother, Ada, who I would call ‘Grannie Allen’, prepare the Brussels Sprouts for our Sunday lunch. On the farm, our midday meal was known as...
Read our latest recipe in Sherborne Times pages 52-53 It does not seem possible that we moved to our farmhouse home three years ago this month. My ‘to do list’ is fastidiously crossed through every time I complete a task but the chores keep mounting. I have been...
Read our latest recipe in Sherborne Times pages 45-47 The sun is still warm during the day but as soon as the evening draws in the nights are chilly and there is a nip in the early morning air. I love September. In the kitchen we have the best of both... 