Evening Garden Fragrance

The Fragrant Garden

If you plan carefully, your garden can be full of fragrance all year.

 

With the lighter evenings comes the familiar hum of lawn mowing in neighbouring gardens.  If you’re mowing or strimming remember to check any leaf piles for hedgehogs. And perhaps leave one area to become a little wildlife haven with some wildflower seeds too?

One of life’s pleasures is to relax in the garden later in the day and enjoy the fruits of your planning and work.

Some plants release their scent at this time in order to attract pollinators, mostly moths. Evening primrose, for instance, uncurls its petals at dusk to release a delightful, delicate aroma.

Old-fashioned tuberose, a favourite of Victorian gardeners, has upright stems, an intense aroma and grows well in containers, and night-scented stock, while not the tidiest of plants, can turn a balmy evening into a magical one.

Some species of narcissus have a lovely spring scent, as do grape hyacinths, while lily of the valley is perennially fabulous. If you’re thinking more of shrubs, Korean spice viburnum may be a good choice. Its pink buds open into clusters of while-flower domes that produce an intoxicating, spicy aroma. Other shrubby choices include Mexican orange blossom and Osmanthus, both evergreen with lovely white flowers.

For a gloriously scented garden year-round, find out more about what to plant in our feature The Fragrant Garden.

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What’s the connection between the clocks change and Coldplay?

Clocks go forward tonight

If you’re not keen on losing an hour in bed tonight; you’ve got Coldplay’s Chris Martin’s Great Great Grandfather to blame for that idea!

Rather than moping about the loss of time to Yellow we can look forward to sunny evenings and al fresco dining.

Clocks need to be put forward 1 hour at 1am tonight.

Or for those who, like me are not night owls, before bed.

We can also use this change as a reminder to do change batteries in the smoke alarms.

 

 

Why do the clocks change?

It’s always useful to remember the phrase ‘spring forward, fall back’ when it comes to the clocks change, but why do we change the time twice a year?

In 1907 William Willett, Chris Martin’s (Coldplay) Great Great Grandfather published a leaflet called The Waste of Daylight, encouraging people to get out of bed earlier. As a keen golfer, he got irritated when the sun went down, ending play. Despite his campaigning, Daylight Saving Time wasn’t implemented by Government until 1916, a year after this death.

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British Regional Specialities

Around Britain regional food guides

Discover new regional dishes

 

For such a small country we have a wealth of different regional dishes. You can read about your region (and others) in our Regional Food Guides.

I’m originally from Stoke-on-Trent, where the most famous regional treat is the Staffordshire oatcake. Sadly, I can’t share the recipe as it’s a closely guarded secret and recipes can be sold for thousands! However, if you ever visit the region, an oatcake, filled with cheese and griddled until crisp is perfect for a Saturday brunch with a cup of tea.

What’s your favourite local dish? We would love to hear about other regional foods.
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A recipe from Western England that I can share is this gorgeous Malvern Cherry Cake. Malvern, in Worcestershire, is famous for its mineral water, for being the birthplace of Sir Edward Elgar and for this light Madeira-style cake.

I only recently discovered this area of the country but what a find, it’s beautiful. From the Malvern Hills you can enjoy glorious 360-degree views of the surrounding countryside – I highly recommend a visit after this challenging period is over and we are able to travel again.

 

Malvern Cherry Cake

Malvern Cherry Cake

RECIPE

 

 

Around Britain CookbookFor recipes that celebrate all our glorious regions of Great Britain treat yourself to our cookbook; Around Britain.

Use the code ABMARCH for a 20% discount!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Marvellous (and Easy!) Mothering Sunday Menu

Mother's Day Menu

Every year I have the romantic vision of a Mother’s Day walk in the spring sunshine

 

This would be followed by a civilised lunch or afternoon tea enjoying ‘mum’ time with my own mum and my children.

The reality is always monsoon-like weather that almost blows us off a hill/into the sea/over a cliff followed by a long queue for a table in a restaurant whilst looking like drowned rats and the children cry/argue/moan because they’re freezing cold and bored.

Obviously, this year things have to be a lot different and I will have to make-do with a phone call to my mum.

With my children, we plan to cook at home together. I’ve chosen an easy and accessible menu that they can follow and that we can enjoy together stress-free. All recipes come from the Around Britain cookbook (look out for the special offer code on this!)

 

 

 

Mothering Sunday Menu

 

Parsnip & Apple Soup

Starter

This creamy soup originates from East Anglia, where root crops thrive in the fertile soil. The sweet and velvety texture of parsnip combines wonderfully with a hint of tart cooking apple.

Parsnip & Apple Soup 

 

Teviotdale Pie

Main

Teviotdale is a valley in the Scottish borders, whose principal town is Hawick. This border country has a turbulent history, and saw numerous clashes between Scots and English. This tasty pie from the region is a great recipe for making a little meat go a long way.

Teviotdale Pie

 

Knickerbocker Glory

Dessert

This ice cream extravaganza originated in New York and was named after its original Dutch settlers, the ‘Knickerbockers’. However, its popularity here in Britain is due to an Italian named Pacitto, who opened an ice cream parlour in Redcar where he introduced the Knickerbocker Glory to the British.

Knickerbocker Glory

 

 

Around Britain CookbookAll recipes come from the Around Britain cookbook (look out for the special offer code on this!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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St Patrick’s Day: Stout Soda Bread

Guinness Soda Bread

How to Bake Bread in under 1 Hour!

 

Yes really! Soda bread can be ready in just 50 minutes.

The inclusion of bicarbonate of soda, creates some magical alchemy, meaning no proving or kneading is necessary.

The native Americans used a natural type of soda found in tree ash to create the original soda bread, but it wasn’t until the Irish adopted this approach that it became known worldwide.

Irish Soda Bread was first created in the late 1830s, when the first iteration of baking soda—or bicarbonate soda—was introduced to the UK.

Celebrate St Patrick’s Day with ‘the craic’ and a chunk of this delicious soda bread, which includes buttermilk and stout as well as soda.

Stout Soda Bread

RECIPE

 

Go on; challenge yourself to make bread in under an hour!

 

Happy St Patrick’s Day everyone.

 

 

 

#stpatricksday

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Recipe of the Week: Roast Leg of Welsh Lamb

Roast Leg of Welsh Lamb

Swathes of daffodils and pops of crocus colour are already making it feel more like spring

 

But it actually begins on Friday (hurrah!)

There is sometimes debate about when spring begins, but its official start this year is 20 March.

Spring brings us a wealth of wonderful British produce, including Welsh lamb.

Sit down together and enjoy this delicious Roast Leg of Welsh Lamb from our cookbook; Around Britain.

Roast Leg of Welsh Lamb

RECIPE

 

Celebrate the start of spring with a 20% discount code – ABMARCH

 

Around Britain: the best of British foodAround Britain showcases delicious recipes from every region of Great Britain.

From the orchards of the South East to the lochs of Scotland, each region harvests its own food and creates its own dishes.

  • 130 mouthwatering recipes
  • Clear and easy to follow
  • Triple tested for success
  • Eight regional guides

For a limited time only, if you use the code ABMARCH, you can get 20 per cent off!

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