We’ve been harvesting bits and pieces from the allotment over the past few days and so I’ve had a busy weekend in the kitchen. The first of many I suspect! We harvested the first of our pak choi which went into a stir-fry; the first of our cabbages, a beast of a specimen which will probably feed us for the next month; and the first of our perpetual spinach which I blitzed into a green smoothie along with some coconut milk, banana and apple – a perfect energy boost after my Pilates class this morning.

I also baked some Rhubarb & Ginger Muffins with the last of our garden rhubarb. I was hoping to post the recipe today but it still needs perfecting. Mind you, Ade has already demolished six of them so they can’t be too bad!

I dragged Ade away from his revision this afternoon (his RHS exams are looming so you might not hear much from him over the next week or two!) and we went for a walk by the canal. The hedgerows are positively brimming with elderflowers at the moment and I’m eager to use them in a recipe. I initially thought I might brew up some elderflower champagne but all the recipes I’ve looked at involve buckets and demijohns and other apparatus that I don’t have, plus I’ve been warned about exploding bottles, so I might just stick to a simple cordial recipe this summer and progress to champagne next year if I’m feeling brave!

We also had to visit our neighbour’s allotment as they’ve gone away for a few days and have entrusted us to keep their plot watered until their return. Their plot is at a different site to ours, so after our watering duties were finished, we were keen to have a nose around.

Then it was up to our plot for a final check. Things are really beginning to flourish. The mangetout will be ready any day now and the garlic won’t be far behind.

And so it begins…