Inntravel the Slow holiday people
Sponsored post: Creative cooking by the campfire
Warming, comforting and incredibly satisfying, sausages may be the ultimate campfire food. Read on for a simple recipe.
For summer road trips, family barbecues or camping in the garden with your little ones this is a particularly sumptuous way to cook them, and it looks fantastic. If you’re making this at home, try serving it with a pile of creamy mash.
Ingredients
600g cumberland sausage ring 1 tsp oil 1 onion, finely sliced 2 tsp wholegrain mustard 1 tbsp honey 150ml cider 100ml Yeo Valley Single Cream
Method
1. Insert 2 wooden skewers in a cross shape into the sausage to pin it into a spiral. Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, large enough to take the sausage wheel. 2. Cook the sausage on a medium-low heat for 10 mins until browned, then turn it over and cook for a further 5 mins. 3. Lift the sausage out, spread the onions into the pan, stir into the pan juices then replace the sausage on top. Continue to cook gently for a further 5-10 mins until the onions are soft and the sausage is cooked through. 4. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. Spoon off any excess fat then stir the mustard and honey into the pan. Pour in the cider and bubble for 2 mins before stirring in the cream and seasoning to taste. 5. Divide the sausage into 4 and pour over the cider sauce.
Sponsored post: May’s cut flower patch planting diary
Louise Curley, author of The Cut Flower Patch, shares this month’s planting diary. 'For most places in the UK May is the month when the danger of frost eases and planting out on to the cut flower patch can begin in earnest. The transition from sunny, protected windowsill or greenhouse to the great outdoors can be quite a shock to young plants. The best way to ease this impact is to harden off any plants for a few weeks by gradually acclimatising them to cooler temperatures, wind and rain. Cold frames are perfect for this job but grouping pots together in a sheltered spot near your house and covering them with a layer of horticultural fleece at night will work just as well.
'Hardy annuals are the first plants to be planted out on to the cut flower patch this month and they will keep me supplied in flowers right through until the first frosts in October or November. There are sunflowers such as ‘Vanilla Ice’, the pincushion-like flowers of Scabiosa atropurpurea, ammi, cornflowers and, for climbing up hazel wigwams, I couldn’t be without fragrant sweet peas. And if spring has caught up with you a little this year and you feel like you’ve missed the boat when it comes to seed sowing don’t despair. Garden centres and some mail order plant nurseries have small cut flower plants which are perfect for planting in May.
'Spring bulbs may be fading but summer flowering varieties are perfect for planting this month. Bulbs take up very little room so are fantastic for maximising your cut flower growing potential – plant in blocks or in between low growing flowers such as statice and Anemone coronaria. Plant acidantheras and freesias for scented flowers in August and September, and forget the old fashioned, frumpy reputation of gladioli; there are some fabulous varieties to choose from. Grow the sumptuous crimson coloured ‘Espresso’, the rich velvety ‘Purple Flora’ or the zingy ‘Green Star’. Sometimes arranging a traditional cut flower in a more contemporary way is all it takes to update an image. Try putting single stems of gladioli in a massed collection of simple milk bottle vases for a modern take on these exotic blooms.'
Louise Curley is the author of The Cut Flower Patch, published by Frances Lincoln.
Yoghurt for breakfast
Love yoghurt? You can't beat it for a breakfast treat
Turn to page 110 of May's The Simple Things for a recipe to make your own thick and creamy yoghurt. But how do you eat yours?
Classic Greek
Top with dark forest honey for a true taste of Greece. Add a handful of almonds for added crunch.
Bircher
Use your homemade yoghurt as a base for a Bircher breakfast - oats soaked overnight with yoghurt, juice, and grated apple.
Berries and granola
A bowlful of yoghurt topped with a handful of granola and fresh berries is a great way to start the day, and keeps you full 'til lunchtime.
Winter fruit
Yoghurt is a good option, even in winter. No berries? No worries - try tinned prunes or preserved apricots instead.
How do you eat yours? Let us know on Twitter and Facebook.
The Simple Things arrives in France!
The Simple Things is finally in France! Close your eyes and think about what really matters: sharing, bonding, smiling.
Take a deep breath and smell the sweetly scented air of blooming flowers.
Let the sunlight stroke your eyelids. Take your time. Enjoy every moment.
Dive into a river and let yourself drift away like a child.
Let go and marvel at little things, at nature that gives so much.
Let your meals simmer, savor them with those you love, and talk until the crack of dawn.
Breathe.
Simple Things is finally in France...
Food from afar: Guatemalan Tortillas (and where to eat them)
Enjoy fluffy, smoky, delicious Guatemalan tortillas, a favourite of the Mayans - and us. In the land of the Mayans, where the slap-slap of wet dough between palms is as familiar a sound as honking horns and howler monkeys, tortillas have been a cornerstone of the country's cuisine for 3500 years, accompanying almost every meal, often in lieu of cutlery.
Dry, mature maize kernels are boiled over a fire in a bowl of alkaline water. This produces a soupy substance known as nixtamal - pronounced neesh-tamal - which is drained, then ground into dough at the communal mill.
Women and children then wet their hands, grab a handful of dough and clap their hands together to shape a perfectly round, even tortilla. After cooking them on the comal - a traditional, wood-fired Mayan-style stove - the tortillas recline in a blanket-lined basket ready to be devoured.
Want to try them for yourself? We can't find a Guatemalan restaurant in the UK (let us know if we're wrong!), but try these top Latin American options instead:
Devised by Thomasina Miers, Masterchef winner, Wahaca serves authentic Mexican street food. Try the 'Little Softies' tacos to satisfy your bread urges.
As well as being a staple fish dish in South America, Ceviche is a Peruvian kitchen in London's Soho. Winner of the Sunday Times Cookbook of the Year in 2013, Ceviche offers its namesake dish in half a dozen forms.
Head to Hackney's Broadway market for a taste of Argentina in the form of Buen Ayre. Expect warm service, fine wines, and some of the best steak you'll find in the capital.
Bodega in Birmingham offers dishes from Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Cuba and Argentina, as well as vegan and gluten-free options. Try the Cordero Seco - a Peruvian lamb stew braised in Negra Modelo beer.
With branches in both Liverpool and Manchester, this Mexican street food restaurant is a firm favourite in the North West. Classic light options and more substantial dishes sit alongside an impressive tequila menu.
Know of any we've missed? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook.
Image by Rudy Giron, available to purchase here.
Escaping: British cows
Off to the countryside? Find out who's who in the nation's fields this spring If you're out and about this bank holiday weekend, take our handy British cows identifier with you and spot our native herds - turn to page 109 of May's The Simple Things for the full illustrated guide.
Aberdeen Angus
Said to descend from early 19th-century bovine A-listers Old Jock and Old Granny. Tough, good-natured, with legendary calf-bearing abilities.
Belted Galloway
Look for the distinctive white belt around the middle. Shaggy of coat and calm of temperament - though don't nark a mother with her little 'uns.
Chillingham
If you see one of these little white ladies you can only be in Northumberland, home of the only known herd. Like many rare in-bred things, they live in a castle...
Dairy Shorthorn
A breed founded more than 230 years ago from a bull named Hubback. Produces quality milk in an economical manner. Pretty, too.
Hereford
One of the oldest breeds of beef cattle; can be traced back to Roman times. Characteristic white face and underbelly. Happiest when foraging.
Highland
The horns point up if it's a she, and forwards if it's a he. Straggly-coated, waterproof and nowhere near as scary as it looks.
Jersey
Channel Islands resident (well, that's what he tells HMRC). Available in various shades from fawn to nearly-black, but always has big doe eyes.
Longhorn
No relation to the famous Texas Longhorn. Horns once used to make buttons, cutlery handles and spoons; milk now used to make Stilton.
White Park
The Audrey Hepburn of cows, with its beautiful face. So ancient and protected, we shipped some to the US for safekeeping during World War Two.
Gardening: Where the Wild Things Grow
Don’t miss a new exhibition, Where the Wild Things Grow at Oxford House in London’s Bethnal Green. It’s part of the Chelsea Fringe Festival - the boho, earthy cousin of the more high-brow RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and promises to be a fascinating take on the natural world we often overlook - if we see it all.
Where the Wild Things Grow
Photographer, Paul Debois; gardener, TV presenter and author, Alys Fowler; and photographer and artist, Lynn Keddie, were collectively inspired to document nature’s canny persistence to send out green shoots in the most unlikely places. Their exhibition aims to record ‘the ordinary everyday weed, or wildling, and asks us to take notice of the botany, history and geography of our pavements, building edges, bridges and step cracks.
Our garden editor Cinead McTernan had 5 minutes to talk with Paul Debois about the show.
What made you first notice the wild things in our cities?
I frequently walk around towns and cities photographing urban landscapes. As a garden photographer, I often saw escapees - cultivated plants that were making a bid for freedom! I started recording them at first, just as notes. But it soon started to evolve into the project you see today. The first shots I actually took were in towns in Spain, but I soon started to find wildlings in London too.
What's the most unusual wildling you discovered growing?
I found a fig growing in one of the crane buckets outside Battersea Power Station. It's difficult to see at first. I thought it was a bizarre contrast.
When does a wildling become a thing of beauty and a subject for an image as opposed to being 'just a weed growing in the wrong place'
It's possible a wildling is never a thing of beauty in a traditional sense. It's the location and tenacity of a plant combined becoming a point of fascination. It could be a nuisance weed, it could be a classic garden flower. No garden manual would recommend planting in such locations. They would class you as mad for even thinking about it. The appearance of a 'wildling' is nature saying it's quite happy without us interfering. It's the event.
How did you, Alys and Lynne come together to create this Chelsea Fringe exhibition?
I was talking to Lynn about developing a joint exhibition of paintings and photographs. Soon after, I made a short video with Alys, called 'Commuterland', which was accompanied by an essay. Alys made references to Wildlings. The collaboration developed and grew from this.
Will you be touring the exhibition for non-Londoners?
We haven't considered touring yet, as we're so busy preparing for the Chelsea Fringe event. But we would definitely consider a new location if you have ideas in Bristol.
...........
It sounds an excitingly interactive show too - you can listen to Aly’s commentary about the exhibition as well as book on a walk around the neighbourhood with either Paul, Alys or Lynn, to learn about the journey any wildlings took to get to their final destination.
The trio will also be talking to guests and answering questions in the gallery from 6.30pm on 24th May.
Don’t miss the chance to enjoy delicious food in the pop-up restaurant hosted by Clarke and Lee - you’ll need to book ahead.
Finally, if you have little ones, why not get them to take part in the photo competition to snap a wild thing in a surprising place. Prizes will be presented on Thursday 22nd May at 4pm.
Images: Paul Debois (bicycle); Alys Fowler (mushrooms)
National Flower Arranging Day
Today is National Flower Arranging Day, not that we need an excuse to make up a beautiful bouquet of our favourite spring flowers
National Flower Arranging Day
If you fancy arranging a posy of blooms, why not make a second and join in with the Lonely Bouquet? Today, the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies will distribute 60,000 lonely bouquets - beautiful little bunches of flowers left in surprise locations for strangers to find and take home on National Flower Arranging Day.
What is the Lonely Bouquet?
The random act of kindness initiative dubbed the Lonely Bouquet was the brainchild of a young florist in Belgium named Emily Avenso, who blogged about the idea after leaving flowers for strangers two years ago. The idea went viral and Lonely Bouquets have been distributed across the globe ever since.
If you make or spot a Lonely Bouquet, take a picture and share with us on Facebook or Twitter.
Competition: Win a personalised photo album (archived)
WIN! We have teamed up with Inntravel to offer you the chance to win this beautiful handmade leather album, complete with a vintage map cover of your choice of anywhere in Great Britain. The perfect way to remember the moment – and the place!
Win a fabulous personalised photo album courtesy of Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people. Memories of family, friends, and special times and places are far too precious to be kept on a hard drive or stashed in a drawer. Give them the love they deserve - with a beautiful and personal photo album.
Our good friends Inntravel are offering one reader the chance to win a stunning personalised Atlas & I photo album. The album is handmade using only the very finest leather and comes with your own choice of vintage map cover - choose any location in Great Britain. The album has 50 pages and can hold up to 200 standard (6x4 inches) photos and comes in its own gift box. Remember the moment - and the place, with Inntravel.
To enter, head over and Like the Inntravel Facebook page, then fill out your details.
Competition open to UK residents only, aged 18 or over.
Edible flowers: recipe inspiration
Team Simple Things cannot resist anything flowery and perfumed, and our love of edible flowers knows no bounds. Here are three recipes we can't wait to try. White peach lavender soda (above) sounds like the most delightfully delicious way to quench your thirst on a sunny summer's day. Thought up by Emma Christensen, this is one fragrant fancy we're desperate to try. Emma also recommends trying this with a shot of gin.
For the recipe, head to Emma's blog.
Violets are a particularly perfumed flower, and make for a delicate dessert in the form of these violet and lemon eclairs. Head over to Twigg Studios blog for the full recipe.
Raspberries and rose sound like a match made in heaven, coming together in this delightful dessert by Pick Yin. Although the thought of baking a soufflé might be a little intimidating, Pick claims this recipe to be foolproof. Let's give it a go!
For more edible flower goodness, turn to page 38 of May's The Simple Things (buy it here), where Lia Leendertz prettifies salads, desserts and even drinks with edible flowers. Or have a try at making Babousa, a Middle Eastern rose-scented cake.
Gardening: Grow your own smoothie garden
Gardening can be thirsty work, so what could be better than sipping the fruits of your labours? We're planning to try to grow smoothie ingredients in our very own smoothie garden this summer. Plant pots with a range of fruits and leaves to start yourself on a homegrown smoothie adventure.
Perfect Pears
A truly versatile fruit tree, pears can be pot-grown as a standard (tree-shaped) or trained in elegant fans, espaliers or even 'step-overs' (just one branch high and low enough to step over), which make such a great edge to a vegetable patch. Making them especially tempting smoothie ingredients, homegrown pears have a thin skin compared to the tougher commercial varieties that have been bred not to bruise in transit. They'll add a distinctive flavour to your smoothie too.
Beautiful Beetroot
These crimson-fleshed bulbs are easy to grow and delicious to eat fresh. Choose varieties wisely and you can have a supply almost all year round. Adding a deep red colour to a smoothie, their earthy flavour works well with sweeter fruits. Go for 'Boltardy' for an early crop (as its name suggests, it won't bolt either). 'Regala' is ideal for containers thanks to its small, golf-ball size even when mature. You can also use the young leaves in smoothies as a substitute for kale or spinach.
Colourful Cabbage
Don't be put off by the thought of slippery, tough green leaves that your granny might have served along with the soggy sprouts for Sunday lunch. For a start, the Italian variety 'Cavolo Nero' is not only delicious but tender, too. It has dark, almost black-green, spear-shaped leaves that look really striking.
Power-packed Blueberries
Considered superfruits because they're extremely high in antioxidants, blueberries are best grown in their own containers as they need ericaceous (acid) soil. If you have space, grow several varieties to encourage a larger yield. If you go for an early variety like 'Earliblue' and a late one, such as the large-berried 'Chandler', you'll have a harvesting season stretching from July to September.
Lissome Lettuce
Romaine, also known as cos, is ideal fro smoothies. The juicy, crisp green leaves have a sweet flavour, and it's easy to grow, so try sowing thickly for a summer-long supply of baby cut-and-come-again leaves rather than allowing seedlings more room to bulk up into a heart. Direct sow from March and you can keep going until August. 'Jabeque', an organic variety, is a reliable cropper and slow to bolt, while 'Chartwell' is resistant to downy mildew and copes in hot, dry weather.
Moreish Mint
There are so many delicious varieties of mint, it seems a shame to limit yourself to just one. From pineapple mint to ginger mint, strongly-flavoured Moroccan mint to the more familiar spearmint, they're easy to grow and attract bees, butterflies and hoverflies. They're vigorous plants, so keep their growth under control by planting in a large plastic pot and sinking this in a border or within a container. Restricting mint's roots in this way will prevent it from overwhelming neighbouring plants.
Want more?
For more information on the plants outlined above, and for our favourite homegrown smoothie recipes, turn to page 76 of May's issue of The Simple Things (on sale 29 April 2014 - buy here).
Adventurous with your smoothie ingredients? Tell us about it on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. We'd love to share your ideas.
Recipe: nettle and wild garlic soup
Never eaten stinging nettles? Bethan from Decorator's Notebook wants to persuade you with this recipe for nettle and wild garlic soup. YOU WILL NEED 2 large handfuls freshly picked nettles 1 small bunch wild garlic (about 12 leaves) 1 tablespoon butter 1 leek, washed and sliced 1 onion, peeled and chopped 3 potatoes, peeled and diced 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg Salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS Fill the sink with cold water and add a large tablespoon of salt. Wearing rubber gloves, add the nettles and wash thoroughly. Separately wash and thinly slice the wild garlic leaves. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onion and leek. Cook gently until soft then add the potato and nutmeg. Cook for a further 5 minutes then pour in the stock. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potato is tender. Add a splash of water if it needs it. Next prepare the nettles. Put a large saucepan of water on the hob and bring to the boil. Get a bowl of iced water ready. Blanch the nettles for 2 minutes in the boiling water before removing with a slotted spoon and plunging into the iced water. Drain and set aside. When the potato is cooked whizz the soup with a stick blender until smooth. Add all the nettles and most of the wild garlic, reserving a little to garnish. Blend for a couple of minutes more, then season to taste. Serve with crusty bread garnished with a swirl of natural yogurt, a pinch of nutmeg and a few strands of shredded wild garlic leaves.
Photographs and recipe: Bethan John for Decorator's Notebook
Styled with: Enamel milk pan and Reclaimed wood tray, both available online from the Decorator's Notebook shop
Bedtime story illustrator: Christine Rösch
Meet illustrator Christine Rösch, whose work illustrates May's Bedtime Story, Fireflies. Christine Rösch is a German illustrator based in Scotland. She has studied in both Germany and Israel. Her images often incorporate hand-drawn typography and have become more colourful over time which she attributes to her constant desire for summer and spring. In addition to her freelance work, she participates in a creative group called the Pencilcase Collective. See more of her work on her website and at the Pencilcase Collective.
Potato print competition: Get creative to win a great prize (closed 30 June 2014)
Make a potato print - or get your children to do one - and you could win an overnight hotel stay, a Red Hen Original (worth £250) and lots of crisps!
Create a potato print (inspired by the profile of Julia Burns of Red Hen Originals in May's issue of The Simple Things), take a picture of it and post it to our Facebook page, making sure you enter your details, too.
The best potato print, judged by Lisa Sykes, editor of The Simple Things, and Julia Burns of Red Hen Originals, will win a beautiful Red Hen Original - see the full collection - plus dinner, bed and breakfast for two people at a Hand Picked Hotel of their choice. You can choose from 20 historic properties throughout the UK and Channel Islands.
The winner will also receive a year's supply of KETTLE Chips hand-cooked crisps, with no added MSG, artificial flavours or colourings. The prize will include new Seasonal Edition Lime & Black Pepper. Like all KETTLE Chips, it was created with real ingredients. And, like the rest of the range, KETTLE Chips Lime & Black Pepper are made from the finest potatoes, hand-cooked in sunflower oil. For exclusive offers, sign up for the newsletter.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Closing date for entries is 30 June. Travel expenses and travel insurance are not included. The prize is as stated. There is no cash alternative. The year's supply of KETTLE Chips consists of 12 cases of 12 x 150g bags in a variety of seasonings, to be supplied in three deliveries throughout the year. The break with Hand Picked Hotels is valid at the winner's choice of all 20 hotels subject to availability, until 30 November 2014. It includes a three-course table d'hote dinner, overnight accommodation in a classic double or twin bedroom and a full traditional breakfast for two people. We reserve the right to print entries in the magazine or post online.
May's issue of The Simple Things
Have a look at the new issue of The Simple Things before it hits the shops. No need to be a teenage May Queen to personify spring. Just wear jeans and plimsolls instead of a white gown; swap the crown of flowers for a sprig of blossom and armfuls of home-grown greenery; and make your speech a quiet hurrah for headspace, pets, tea, cakes and all that stuff your mum calls 'tat'.
And should you feel compelled to hop, skip and jump, just make the nearest sapling your maypole. Lead your own parade through the town. The Simple Things will be at your side.
May's issue of The Simple Things is on sale from 29th April in all major supermarkets, WHSmith, M&S and larger newsagents. If you can’t find a copy, you can buy an issue here.
Sponsored post: April's cut flower patch planting diary
Louise Curley, author of The Cut Flower Patch, shares this month's planting diary.
'Another season on my cut flower patch is starting to come together. After months of poring over seed catalogues and making wish lists of the plants I want for cutting I can actually get started on the best bit – the growing. April is a month of frantic activity with every available surface that gets enough light covered with seed trays and pots. Early sowings in March tend to be indoors to protect them from the fickle nature of spring weather but by now the ground should be warm enough to sow hardy annuals directly into the soil. Country lore used to suggest testing the temperature of the soil by sitting on it with a bare bottom. An easier and less embarrassing way is to see if weed seeds are germinating. If it’s warm enough for them then it’s perfect for your hardy annuals too.
'Sowing directly is an option if you don’t have much space to start off seeds indoors and is the best way to grow certain plants which dislike the root disturbance involved in sowing into trays and then transplanting them. Hardy annuals to sow direct include nigella, cornflowers, ammi, dill, calendula and sunflowers. Direct sown seedlings are vulnerable to slug attack and, as their roots have yet to develop fully, they will suffer in a dry spell, so check over your cut flower patch regularly. Water if necessary and use organic slug pellets to protect your young plants.
'Now is also the time to start off your half-hardy flowers. These are plants which originate from countries such as Mexico. They need warmth to germinate and grow, any hint of frost and they’ll be wiped out. Sow now into seed trays, place on a sunny windowsill and they will be the perfect size to plant out by the end of May when any danger of frost should have passed. Half-hardies perfect for your cut flower patch include zinnias, cosmos, rudbeckia and ten week stocks.'
Louise Curley is the author of The Cut Flower Patch, published by Frances Lincoln.
Bright Bazaar book offer
The first book by The Simple Things Marketplace Editor, Will Taylor, is out now. Bright Bazaar: Embracing Colour for Make-You-Smile Style is a 192-page refreshing take on colour from one of the world’s leading interiors bloggers, Will Taylor.
To order Bright Bazaar at the special offer price of £20 including UK P&P, telephone 01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk, quoting the offer code APG137 and the book ISBN 9781909342200.
Will knows how colour can lift your mood. Try his colour cocktails to bring spring freshness to your home in May's issue of The Simple Things.
Recipe: Babousa
In this month's Seed to Stove, Lia Leendertz is prettifying salads, desserts and even drinks with edible flowers. Follow her instructions for crystallising rose petals (page 42), then use them to top Babousa, a Middle Eastern rosewater-scented cake.
Ingredients:
335g semolina 110g sugar 3tbsp desiccated coconut 2tsp baking powder 110g plain yoghurt 55g melted butter 115ml milk
Syrup ingredients:
375ml water 120g sugar 1 vanilla pod 2tbsp rosewater Pinch of saffron soaked in 2tbsp cold water
Method:
Mix semolina, sugar, desiccated coconut and baking powder together in a bowl then stir in the yoghurt, milk and melted butter.
Spread the mixture onto a greased baking tin 6x6in square and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
Deeply score into squares or diamonds before placing into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, until the top is golden.
While it is baking make the syrup by putting all of the syrup ingredients into a saucepan and bringing to the boil.
Simmer for three minutes then remove from the heat.
When the cake is ready, remove it from the oven and pour the syrup all over it.
Leave to cool and to absorb all of the syrup.
Serve with thick yoghurt.
Sow and grow
The Simple Things Gardening Editor, Cinead McTernan goes back to gardening school, with a course on sowing seeds. Read her top tips for healthy sowing and growing. No matter how many times I sow seeds nothing quite beats the buzz of seeing little green shoots as they start to germinate. The journey from seed to plant is like some form of alchemy and it still amazes me that in a matter of months these tiny things provide a season’s worth (or more) of foliage, flowers and crops.
If you’re new to growing, it’s a good idea to read up about sowing seeds or, better still, find a course that will take you through the basics and ensure you have success when it comes to growing your own plants.
I recently spent the most inspiring morning with garden writer Zia Allaway. She runs half day and day workshops from her Garden Room at her Hertfordshire home. She covers an interesting range of subjects from sowing to propagating, and from container growing to planning a veg garden.
I chose to brush up on my seed sowing techniques and though I’ve sown a fair few seeds in my time I picked up some clever tips that will ensure I get my seeds off to the very best start this year. Thanks to Zia I will try to be more vigilant when it comes to spotting the moment my seeds start to germinate when they’re in a propagator (or covered seed tray). Removing the plastic cover as soon as the green shoots appear will help prevent the dreaded damping off disease from killing-off a tray or pot of seedlings.
Knowledge is power as they say, and we spent an interesting hour or so going over the science behind seeds - why and how they grow. Zia believes that understanding the whole picture will give you useful pointers about how to look after your seedlings and plants when you start sowing yourself. It’s a great way to approach other aspects of gardening too - if you’re choosing a new plant, knowing where it originally came from indicates where it will grow best in your own garden: If a plant is used to the dry hot Mediterranean conditions found in its native habitat, chances are it won’t be very happy in a damp, woodland area.
The other great thing about gardening courses is that you have the chance to get your hands dirty. After coffee and cake Zia took us through sowing dahlia seeds and pricking out dahlia seedlings. Not only great fun, it helped boost confidence levels for those attendees that weren’t familiar with the techniques. I found it thoroughly inspiring and a morning spent talking seeds with Zia prompted me to do another round of seed-ordering when I got home that afternoon. It also sowed the seeds of an idea to grow extra plants to sell on my doorstep!