Grow your own: Plums

Plums are addictive. Just plant a tree in your garden, wait for it to become heavily laden with ripe juicy fruit, as it surely will, and try to resist eating one, then another, then another… Apart from the wonderful juicy crop, plums have the advantage of needing very little care; when it comes to pruning, for example, the message is,…

Plums on Parade

David Patch is talking plums and explains why compromise and patience are both important in choosing which variety to grow. Gardening can mean many things to different people, from the aesthetic of creating a beautiful herbaceous border to the sheer visceral pleasure of burrowing in the soil to unearth your first new potatoes of the season. For me, gardening has…
Video: How to Make Shakshuka

Video: How to Make Shakshuka

This one-pot dish originated in Tunisia and is a great way to use up your end of season peppers and tomatoes In this video the Kitchen Garden team take you through how to prepare a delicious and warming meal for a cold autumnal day. The following recipe for Shakshuka will serve four people, take ten minutes to prepare and thirty…
Plum Salad with Maple Syrup Crunch

Plum Salad with Maple Syrup Crunch

A pretty and tasty summer salad, great served as a light lunch. SERVES 4 Preparation time: 25 minutes FOR THE MAPLE-NUT CLUSTERS 75g (3oz) sliced almonds 50g (2oz) hazelnuts, roughly chopped 50g (2oz) pumpkin seeds 3 tbsp maple syrup 1 tsp salt FOR THE SALAD 4 plums, halved and pitted 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1/4…

Hibiscus and honey poached plums

Sweet plums have a delicate floral flavour which is enhanced by gentle cooking. Lucy Burton shares her recipe for hibiscus poached fruits July brings with it a sweet abundance of stone-fruits. The crates of glossy cherries, apricots, peaches and plums adorning our corner-shops herald from Italy, Spain and the UK alike, and are perfect for summery puddings.  Perfectly ripe fruits…
Apricot, buckwheat and hazelnut crumble

Apricot, buckwheat and hazelnut crumble

Stone-fruits make a delicious, summery filling to comforting crumbles. Lucy Burton shares her recipe for a gluten-free seasonal crumble Warm and comforting crumbles are usually reserved for the colder winter months, when apples, pears and quince grow in abundance. Subject as we are to the unreliable workings of British summer weather however, a cosy pudding in summer can, sometimes, prove just…
Plum & Almond Cake

Plum & Almond Cake

A simple cake to prepare as a teatime treat, and the halved plums ensure everybody gets a fruity slice. There’s so much coming through in the garden now that the kitchen is the place to be with all that fresh fruit and veg to enjoy. This month Anna Pettigrew selects fennel, plum and raspberry to tantalise our summer tastebuds. Preparation…