Latest News

  • The Christmas Cake

      Stir- up Sunday has been and gone, but if you like many others didn’t manage to get stirring over the weekend, there’s still time!    This week has been Christmas cake week at the Pumpkin Patch! Many of the regulars at the Pumpkin Patch have now weighed out, chopped and peeled, measured and stirred […]

  • Little Pumpkins

      Having a large family, means that I’ve had more than my fair share of babies and and all the experiences that they bring. I loved every moment of time spent with each one of them at pretty much every stage of development. The odd sleepless night comes back to haunt me every so often, […]

  • Nuts about Nuts!

      One thing is for sure, I’m never the first to spot a good harvest of hazelnuts in the hedges.  As I walk along the country lanes looking and checking for blackberries, damsons, rose-hips and mushrooms, I’ll also be checking amongst the hazel branches for this years crop of nuts.  This year has been a good one […]

  • Mushrooms

      If there was ever a good reason to get up early on a cool, late summer morning, it’s to walk the dewy fields in search of wild field mushrooms.  At the beginning of August, when the morning sun warmed the air and made alfresco breakfasts a frequent luxury, getting up to make a mug […]

  • Whole Grain Salads

      I love summer salads! I can almost year you gasp and shake your heads with disapproval, but I’m not going to change my mind or withdraw my statement. I’m not talking limp greens and a soggy half tomato served with manky piece of cucumber and a radish if you’re lucky; I’m talking of delicious […]

  • Half Term Fun

      Love them or loathe them, barbecues are a sure sign that summer is upon us. Burnt sausages, charred chicken and rubbery meaty burgers seem to be the delight of many! For me, it’s the accompanying salads, the radish, home-grown tomatoes, cucumbers, salad potatoes … the list is endless. Give me a bowl of freshly […]

  • There’s something fishy going on!

    It’s that time of year again…festival season! I’m not talking Glastonbury or V Fest, I mean the ‘foody’ type – the type I get invited to! It’s a great excuse to look for, and think up, new and different recipe ideas to experiment with. Last weekend I was at the BBC Laugharne Live event at […]

  • Student SOS

    Student SOS- It’s time to get cooking! This year has been quite a quiet year in our house. Last October the eldest child, our firstborn, left home, and went off to university. She left an empty bed, a half empty wardrobe, a spare car on the drive, four siblings a Mum and Dad.   From […]

  • A super winter warmer After weeks of what can only be described as incessant and torrential rainfall, we have suddenly been forecast a drier colder week.  At last!  Okay, it may get cold, but at least we get a break from the dampness that has virtually become the norm.  Crisp, beautiful sunny mornings lift our […]