A simple supper from the garden

I'm back on the theme of

local and seasonal

food. This year I've had

no access to a garden,

just a small, very concrete

urban back yard. I wasn't

about to let that stop me


from growing Things to Eat, however!


I set about making a miniature green haven out of a motley assortment of

growbags and plastic milk bottles, and have managed to coax a more-or-less

reluctant crop of veggies into life. It may not be the most cost-effective

way to get hold of the freshest and most seasonal produce but it's certainly

rewarding, and I'd recommend it to everyone who has even the tiniest bit of

outdoor space!


Today I was very excited to be harvesting

the first of my aubergines.


Aubergines! In England! I've never grown

them before and their delicate ballerina-

like flowers and startlingly purple-veined,

fearsomely spiky leaves were a real

delight.







I wanted to cook something

very simple to showcase the

aubergine, so I diced and

roasted it with garlic and

some of the just-ripening

cherry tomatoes from

my surprisingly effective

upside-down-milk-bottle

growing system.




Stirred through linguini with a sprinkling of cheese and a scattering of

thyme from the kitchen windowsill this made a tasty and satisfying

supper- and tasted all the better for knowing that most of the

ingredients had come from no more than six feet away!